U.S. HISTORY
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION
(High School)
SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:

Introduction
to the Unit 4
framework

The
Northwest
Ordinance

The Louisiana
Purchase and
Lewis and
Clark
Expedition

The War of
UNIT 4 –EARLY EXPANSION
The emergence of the U.S. as a continental nation was a gradual process that spanned several decades.
In the years following the American Revolution, the U.S. rapidly expanded from Thirteen Colonies
along the east coast to west of the Mississippi River and beyond.
Topics addressed in this newsletter include : the Northwest Ordinance, the Louisiana Purchase,
the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the War of 1812, the rise of New York, City and the Monroe Doctrine
1812

The Erie
Canal

FOR TEACHERS:
This unit lends itself to creating timelines since they
show both sequencing and progression.
However, the real challenge to Unit 4 is helping the students comprehend that the U.S. has not always been
counted as among the great powers of the world.
Many students, because of the historical time they were
born into, incorrectly assume that the U.S. has always
been a powerful nation. They are familiar with the
founding of America and the Revolutionary War but
know little about America’s early expansion.
Unit 4 allows us the opportunity to shed light on these
events and show our students the true story of the
growth and emergence of the American empire.
The Monroe
Doctrine
SSUSH 6 and 7 of
the
Georgia
Performance
Standards
outlines the early
expansion period
of the U.S.
Sacajawea , (1910) North Dakota
State Capitol, Leonard Crunelle,
sculptor
Unit 4 of the GaDOE Frameworks explores the expansion
of the U.S. and its emergence
as a world power.
The Battle of New Orleans (1910) painting by Edward
Percy Moran, Library of Congress
THE NORTHWEST ORDINANCE
SSUSH 6a Explain the
Northwest Ordinance’s
importance in the
westward migration of
Americans, and on slavery,
public education, and the
addition of new states.
There is a lot of content
to explore in this GPS
element. The Northwest
Ordinance is one of the
lesser known topics to the
average student but crucial
for several important
reasons. The first of which
is to see the westward
expansion of the U.S. and
the creation of new states.
The other issue of major
significance is that the
Ordinance outlawed slavery north of the Ohio
River. This provides us, as
educators, a chance to
foreshadow events of the
Civil War Period (Unit 5).
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. How did the
Northwest
Ordinance of 1787
set the stage for
conflict between
free states and
slave states?
2. How did the
Northwest
Ordinance establish
the precedent on
how territories
would become
states?
PAGE
The map above shows the
territory outlined by the
Northwest Ordinance and
subsequent statehood.
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE
“You have secured to us the free
navigation of the Mississippi.
The Louisiana Purchase is
not only the most
important event of Thomas
Jefferson’s presidency but
one of the most important
events in all of U.S. history.
In one action, the U.S. doubled in size, removed
France as a competitor to
the U.S., and gave the U.S.
complete navigation of the
Mississippi River.
You have procured an immense
and fertile country; and all these
great blessings are obtained
without bloodshed.”
Thomas Jefferson
U.S.
-
From 1804 to 1806, the
expedition of Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark
traveled approximately
7,000 miles exploring the
area between St. Louis,
Missouri and the Pacific
Ocean. This journey allowed for a greater understanding of what lay ahead
for westward expansion.
HISTORY
KEY QUESTIONS:
1.
What were the obstacles to purchasing the Louisiana
Territory from France?
2.
What were some of the impacts of purchasing the
Louisiana Territory?
3.
What role did Sacagawea play in the Lewis and Clark
Expedition?
4.
How did the Lewis and Clark’s Expedition fuel the
western expansion of the U.S.?
2
PAGE
REASONS FOR THE WAR OF 1812
“It is the story of a childish nation
which, but for the grace of God,
and a few soldiers, sailors, marines
almost never has the chance to
reach maturity.” -Steven Abolt
(historian)
The War of 1812 seems like an
after-thought in most U.S. History
classes. Sandwiched between the
American Revolution and the
Civil War, the War of 1812 rarely
receives the attention that it
deserves.
The causes of the conflict stem
from unresolved issues from the
Revolutionary War which
occurred thirty years prior.
One of the main causes of the war
was the British policy of
impressment, or taking American
sailors and making them work for
the British Navy. In many respects,
this was tantamount to a death
sentence because life in the British
navy was a very harsh existence.
This was one aspect of American concerns about freedom of the seas and
desire to freely trade with Europe without interference from warring nations
such as Britain.
The other main cause for the tensions
was the fact that the British were still a
fixture in North America. Students often
think that the colonial victory during the
Revolution meant the end of British influence. This is simply not true. British forts
continued to exist on the Western frontier and British officers frequently supplied weapons to the American Indians.
KEY QUESTIONS:
1.
What were the main reasons for the
War of 1812? Were those reasons
enough to justify a war?
2.
What was impressment?
3.
The War of 1812 is sometimes referred to as “America’s 2nd Revolutionary War”.
Why would this be the case?
“British cruisers have been in the continued
practice of violating the American flag on the
great highway of nations, and of seizing and
carrying off persons sailing under it, not in
the exercise of a belligerent right founded
on the law of nations against an enemy, but
of a municipal prerogative over British
subjects.”-President James Madison
AFTERMATH OF THE WAR OF 1812
poem that was written near the end of the conflict.
Although Scott’s poem is about a specific battle, the
sentiment behind it demonstrates the growing sense of
American nationalism. The generation who fought in
the War of 1812 grew up on stories of
George Washington and the Revolutionary War.
This war was their opportunity to make a statement to
foreign powers that the U.S. was strong and
independent. One can only imagine how proud they
must have felt knowing that they did their job to keep
America a sovereign nation.
The U.S. fought the War of 1812 to
gain respect and maintain indepdence
from the British crown. Once the war
was over, the problems between the
two nations began to fade and a new
era of amicable relations began.
The aftermath of the war should be
taught as the final separation
between the U.S. and Britain.
During the post-war era, the U.S. was
able to develop on its own with
minimal foreign involvement. This final
separation was monumental in helping
shaping a national identity for the
young country.
Our national anthem, “The Star Spangled
Banner” comes from a Francis Scott Key’s
" Star Spangled Banner Flag
National American History Museum
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. How did the War of 1812 help foster
American nationalism?
2. What were the main outcomes of the
War of 1812?
3
THE RISE OF NEW YORK CITY (ERIE CANAL)
During the War of 1812, t he British
blockade of the seas crippled the U.S.
economy because there were so few
roads and other forms of
transportation across the U.S.
After the war, American leaders knew
that they had to remedy this problem
and construct the necessary roads and
canals to spur economic growth and
commercial trade. " Arguments over
how these "internal improvements"
should be funded led to some states,
such as New York, to proceed with
their own projects."
The Erie Canal is arguably the most
important of these internal
construction projects because it
connected Albany on the Hudson
River to Buffalo on Lake Erie.
In doing so, the canal fostered the
emergence of New York City as a center of economic activity .
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. How did the War of 1812 lead to construction projects like the
Erie Canal?
2. How did the Erie Canal help foster economic growth of the U.S.?
3. How did the Erie Canal help make New York City a center of
economic activity?
Lockport, New York, Hulton Archive/Getty Images
THE MONROE DOCTRINE
The theme of this entire section of the course
is expansionism, and that is why the Monroe
Doctrine serves as a perfect capstone to this
unit. In this doctrine, the U.S. officially
announces that it is a world power.
Earlier events such as the Louisiana Purchase
and the War of 1812 were international
events, but they had their greatest impact on
the domestic stage. The Monroe Doctrine
differs in that it tells European powers that the
U.S. will be a player on the international stage
and a leader in shaping global events.
Newspaper cartoon from 1912
describing the Monroe Doctrine
This topic is especially relevant as we teach
our students today for two reasons. As mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter, students today are accustomed to a nation that is
constantly embroiled with foreign affairs, conflicts, and disputes. They need to be made
aware that this was not a change that happened overnight but was a gradual process
that began with the Monroe Doctrine.
Analysis of the Monroe Doctrine
allows classroom discussion/debate
as to the pros and cons of U.S.
interventionism into foreign affairs.
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. What were some of the
implications of the
Monroe Doctrine?
2. Could the U.S. really “back
up” its warning to Europe
about further colonial
expansion to the Americas?
3. What are some of the pros
to the U.S. intervention in
foreign affairs?
4. What are some of the cons
to U.S. intervention in
foreign affairs?
Created by Alan Bowers