8th Grade U.S. History Curriculum Bundle #8
Title
Age of Jackson and Westward Expansion
Big Idea/Enduring Understanding
Manifest Destiny expanded opportunities for the
United States and some groups of people but
negatively impacted other people.
Suggested Dates
Weds., Feb. 4 – Weds., Feb. 25, 2015 (15 days)
Guiding Questions
 What was the impact of the election of Andrew Jackson?
 What were the arguments regarding protective tariffs, taxation, and the banking system?
 What was the relationship between the concept of Manifest Destiny and the westward growth of the nation?
 What were the political, economic, and social roots of Manifest Destiny?
 What caused the increase in factories and urbanization in various regions of the U.S.?
The resources included here provide teaching examples and/or meaningful learning experiences to address the District Curriculum. In order to address the TEKS to the proper
depth and complexity, teachers are encouraged to use resources to the degree that they are congruent with the TEKS and research-based best practices. Teaching using only the
suggested resources does not guarantee student mastery of all standards. Teachers must use professional judgment to select among these and/or other resources to teach the district
curriculum.
Knowledge & Skills with Student Expectations
8.13 Economics. The student understands how
various economic forces resulted in the Industrial
Revolution in the 19th century. The student is
expected to:
8.13B identify the economic factors that brought about
rapid industrialization and urbanization.
8.12 Economics. The student understands why
various sections of the United States developed
different patterns of economic activity. The student is
expected to:
8.12C explain the reasons for the increase in factories
and urbanization; and
8.27 Science, technology, and society. The student
understands the impact of science and technology on
the economic development of the United States. The
student is expected to:
8.27A explain the effects of technological and scientific
Specificity & Examples
Suggested Resources
(Read the note above)
What economic factors brought about rapid industrialization and urbanization?
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Development of technology: Cotton Gin, Interchangeable parts, Steam Engine
Shift to the factory System
Shift from agrarian to urban society
Northern Investors
War of 1812 Blockade
What cause the increase in factories and urbanization in various regions of the
U.S.?
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War of 1812
British blockage
American need for manufacturing
New technology
Urbanization
Economic opportunity
How did technological and scientific innovations impact the development of the
U.S.?

Cotton Gin (Eli Whitney 1793) – Increased cotton production and need for
slave labor
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8th Grade U.S. History Curriculum Bundle #8
innovations such as the steamboat, the cotton gin, and
interchangeable parts;

8.27B analyze the impact of transportation and
communication systems on the growth, development, and
urbanization of the United States;

8.27C analyze how technological innovations changed
the way goods were manufactured and marketed,
nationally and internationally; and

8.27D explain how technological innovations brought
about economic growth such as how the factory system
contributed to rapid industrialization and the
Transcontinental Railroad led to the opening of the west.
8.28 Science, technology, and society. The student
understands the impact of scientific discoveries and
technological innovations on daily life in the United
States. The student is expected to:
8.28A compare the effects of scientific discoveries and
technological innovations that have influenced daily life
in different periods in U.S. history; and
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Improvements in transportation (steam locomotives, canals, railroads, roads,
bridges and turnpikes) and improvements in manufacturing (Interchangeable
parts, power sources) created industrial centers (urbanization)
Telegraph (Samuel F.B. Morse) – improved communication instantly
connects people, morse code
Textile Factories – Used machines to produce cloth in large quantities,
increasing U.S. cloth production and sales (Samuel Slater)
Interchangeable Parts – made production of goods cheaper and easier by
speeding up manufacturing process (Eli Whitney)
Steamboat – revolutionized transportation by traveling against the current,
improved movement of goods (Robert Fulton); increased trade
Such as:
McCormick Reeper, Bessemer Steel Process, John Deere Steel Plow
Effects of the Industrial Revolution
 Industry
o Cottage Industry vs. Factory System
 Population
 Shift to cities for factory jobs
 Women and children in the workplace
Increased immigration to fill need for workers
8.28B identify examples of how industrialization
changed life in the United States.
8.12 Economics. The student understands why
various sections of the United States developed
different patterns of economic activity. The student is
expected to:
8.12B explain reasons for the development of the
plantation system, the transatlantic slave trade, and the
spread of slavery;
What are the reasons for the development of the plantation system, the
transatlantic slave trade, and the spread of slavery?
The growth of the slave trade
 A large work force is needed to cultivate crops; the decrease of indentured
servants leads to a dependency on slave labor
Development of the plantation system
 Rich soil and long growing season allows for the growth of cash crops
(including tobacco, cotton, rice, indigo and sugar cane)
 effects of the cotton gin: cotton growing became profitable increase in demand
for slaves and land to grow cotton, cotton growing and slavery moved west
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8.21 Citizenship. The student understands the
importance of the expression of different points of
view in a constitutional republic. The student is
expected to:
8.21A identify different points of view of political parties
and interest groups on important historical and
contemporary issues;
8.5 History. The student understands the challenges
confronted by the government and its leaders in the
early years of the republic and the Age of Jackson.
The student is expected to:
What are different points of view represented by political parties and interest
groups on historical and contemporary issues?
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
What were the arguments regarding protective tariffs, taxation, and the banking
system?
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8.5B summarize arguments regarding protective tariffs,
taxation, and the banking system;
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8.5 History. The student understands the challenges
confronted by the government and its leaders in the
early years of the republic and the Age of Jackson.
The student is expected to:
8.5F explain the impact of the election of Andrew
Jackson, including expanded suffrage;
8.7 History. The student understands how political,
economic, and social factors led to the growth of
sectionalism and the Civil War. The student is
expected to:
8.7A analyze the impact of tariff policies on sections of
the United States before the Civil War;
Interest Groups: Southern plantation owners (it was costing too much to get
their tools and supplies from overseas) v. Northern merchants regarding
protective tariffs (tariffs made their products cheaper than foreign goods)
Jeffersonian /Jacksonian Democracies
Protective tariffs – designed to raise the price of imported products making
them less attractive to consumers and promote purchase of domestic products.
Favored by Northern Industrial States. Opposed by Southern States whose
economy was based on agriculture and bought most products from foreign
countries
Taxation – Federal government maintained right to tax certain goods for
revenue purposes
Banking System – Jackson vs. Second Bank of the U.S.
What was the impact of the election of Andrew Jackson?
Beginning of the modern Democratic Party:
 Jackson is first president elected after expansion of voting rights allowed
people to vote who didn’t own property
 Introduced spoils system
 Vetoed the National Bank
 Jacksonian Democracy – majority rules; rise of the common people; increased
power of the president
 Modern Democratic Party – Jackson was the leader of the Democratic Party
What was the impact of tariff policies on sections of the United States before the
Civil War?
Northern states – Economy was based on industry, generally supported high tariffs
to protect their products
Southern states – Agriculturally based economy, generally opposed tariffs because
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of the rise in cost of imported goods they were forced to purchase using revenue
from foreign cotton sales
Disagreement over the tariff issue caused unrest between the Northern and
Southern states in Congress
8.17 Government. The student understands the
dynamic nature of the powers of the national
government and state governments in a federal
system. The student is expected to:
What constitutional conflicts arose over the issue of states’ rights?

8.17B explain constitutional issues arising over the issue
of states' rights, including the Nullification Crisis and the
Civil War.
Nullification Crisis: In 1828 Tariff of Abominations. Congress passed a lower
but still protective tariff. Angered South Carolinians, led by Senator John C.
Calhoun, declared the federal tariff null and void within its borders.
Delegates to a special convention urged the state legislature to take military
action and to secede from the union if the federal government demanded the
customs duties. Government lowers tariff and backs down.
8.5 History. The student understands the challenges
confronted by the government and its leaders in the
early years of the republic and the Age of Jackson.
The student is expected to:
What were the reasons for the removal and resettlement of Cherokee Indians
during the Jacksonian era?
8.5G analyze the reasons for the removal and
resettlement of Cherokee Indians during the Jacksonian
era, including the Indian Removal Act, Worcester v.
Georgia, and the Trail of Tears.
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8.18 Government. The student understands the
impact of landmark Supreme Court cases. The
student is expected to:
What is the origin of judicial review? What are some examples of congressional
and presidential responses to judicial review?
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Indian Removal Act – Jackson supported removal policy of Indians from land
desired by American citizens
Worcester v. Georgia – Jackson defied Marshall Supreme Court’s decision to
stop Georgia’s removal of the Cherokee Indians from land in Georgia
Trail of Tears – forced removal of Cherokee Indians from native lands to
Indian Territory west of the Mississippi
President Jackson’s Indian Removal Policy defied a Supreme Court decision
8.18A identify the origin of judicial review and analyze
examples of congressional and presidential responses;
8.6 History. The student understands westward
expansion and its effects on the political, economic,
and social development of the nation. The student is
expected to:
What was the relationship between the concept of Manifest Destiny and the
westward growth of the nation?

Belief that the United States was destined to stretch from Atlantic to Pacific
Ocean was used to justify acquisition of western lands by any means possible.
8.6C analyze the relationship between the concept of
Manifest Destiny and the westward growth of the nation;
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8.1 History. The student understands traditional
historical points of reference in U.S. history through
1877. The student is expected to:
8.1B apply absolute and relative chronology through the
sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time
periods; and
8.6 History. The student understands westward
expansion and its effects on the political, economic,
and social development of the nation. The student is
expected to:
8.6E identify areas that were acquired to form the United
States, including the Louisiana Purchase.
8.10 Geography. The student understands the
location and characteristics of places and regions of
the United States, past and present. The student is
expected to:
8.10C analyze the effects of physical and human
geographic factors on major historical and contemporary
events in the United States.
8.6 History. The student understands westward
expansion and its effects on the political, economic,
and social development of the nation. The student is
expected to:
8.6B explain the political, economic, and social roots of
Manifest Destiny;
Acquisitions
What were the areas acquired to form the U.S.?
 Texas
 Oregon Country
 Mexican Cession - Southwest
 Gadsden Purchase
What were the effects of physical and human geographic factors on major
historical and contemporary events in the U.S.?
 Purchase of Louisiana Territory – control of Mississippi River; doubled size of
US
 Westward expansion – land acquisition and manifest destiny
 Trails
 Gold Rush
What were the political, economic, and social roots of Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny – Belief that United States was destined to expand borders from
Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean
Political Roots
 New Borders in the Treaty of Paris 1783
 Louisiana Purchase 1803
 Adams-Onis Treaty 1819
 Annexation of Texas in 1845
 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo/Mexican Cession
 Acquisition of Oregon Territory
 Gadsden Purchase
Economic Roots
 Cheap Land in frontier provinces of Mexico and Great Britain
Social Roots
Americans moving into frontier provinces of Mexico
Oregon Trail
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Conflict with Native Americans over land ownership
8.6 History. The student understands westward
expansion and its effects on the political, economic,
and social development of the nation. The student is
expected to:
8.6D explain the causes and effects of the U.S.-Mexican
War and their impact on the United States; and
What were the causes and effects of the U.S.-Mexican War and their impact on the
United States?
Major Issues and Events of the Mexican War
 Desire of United States to annex Texas
 Expansion of slavery
 Border disputes between United States and Mexico
 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo – set the border at the Rio Grande
 Mexican Cession
Impact on the United States
 Defeat of Mexico by the United States forced Mexico to grant the United
States the Mexican Cession, therefore expanding the U.S. to the Pacific.
8.10 Geography. The student understands the
location and characteristics of places and regions of
the United States, past and present. The student is
expected to:
8.10A locate places and regions of importance in the
United States during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries;
Cities:
Independence, Missouri
Salt Lake City,
St Louis
San Francisco
Santa Fe
Bodies of water:
Mississippi River, Pacific Ocean
Physical Features: Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Sierra Nevada
Regions: West, North, South (sectionalism)
Territories: Oregon, Louisiana Purchase, Florida, Texas, Mexican Cession,
Gadsden
States: California, Georgia, South Carolina
8.10 Geography. The student understands the
location and characteristics of places and regions of
the United States, past and present. The student is
expected to:
Other: Trails: Oregon, Santa Fe, Mormon, and Indian Territory
What were the physical and human characteristics of places and regions of the
U.S.?
 Northeast
 South
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8.10B compare places and regions of the United States in
terms of physical and human characteristics; and
 West
8.23 Culture. The student understands the
relationships between and among people from various
groups, including racial, ethnic, and religious groups,
during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The student
is expected to:
What were the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious
groups to our national identity?
Westward Expansion
Creoles and the Louisiana Purchase
Californios and Chinese immigrants
8.23D analyze the contributions of people of various
racial, ethnic, and religious groups to our national
identity; and
8.30 Social studies skills. The student communicates
in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is
expected to:
8.30A use social studies terminology correctly;
8.29 Social studies skills. The student applies criticalthinking skills to organize and use information
acquired through established research methodologies
from a variety of valid sources, including electronic
technology. The student is expected to:
8.29C organize and interpret information from outlines,
reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts,
timelines, and maps;
8.29 Social studies skills. The student applies criticalthinking skills to organize and use information
acquired through established research methodologies
from a variety of valid sources, including electronic
technology. The student is expected to:
8.29D identify points of view from the historical context
surrounding an event and the frame of reference which
influenced the participants;
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8.29 Social studies skills. The student applies criticalthinking skills to organize and use information
acquired through established research methodologies
from a variety of valid sources, including electronic
technology. The student is expected to:
8.29I create thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and
databases representing various aspects of the United
States; and
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