TEACHER’S GUI DE
TEACHER’S GUI DE
• Many people are aware of the very negative impact westward expansion
had on the Native American people. Share with your students how
enslaved Africans were also impacted and how the Civil War affected the
growth of the U.S. Share Linda Lowery’s Aunt Clara Brown (Carolrhoda
Books, 1999) and discuss opportunities the frontier held for freed slaves.
• The development of transportation was essential for United States growth.
Students can learn more about the history of roads, railroads and canals at
the Smithsonian Institution’s “America on the Move.”
americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/exhibition/
Suggested Internet Resources
Periodically, Internet Resources are updated on our web site at
www.LibraryVideo.com.
• museum.state.il.us/exhibits/athome/index.html
Illinois State Museum highlights family life in the Midwest from 1700 to
present for children.
• www.state.nd.us/hist/LewisClark/eraIntro.html
Explore the expedition of Lewis and Clark through a series of questions
and answers hosted by the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
• library.thinkquest.org/6400/default.htm
ThinkQuest offers a glimpse of everyday life for pioneers in the 1800s and
other facts about westward expansion.
Westward Expansion
in the U.S.
Suggested Print Resources
• Broida, Marian. Projects about Westward Expansion. Benchmark Books,
New York, New York; 2004.
• Davis, Kenneth C. Don’t Know Much about the Pioneers. HarperCollins
Publishers, New York, NY; 2003.
• Fischer, Laura. Life on the Trail of Tears. Heinemann Library, Chicago, IL;
2003.
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Kimberly Grieco, M.Ed.
Curriculum Specialist, Schlessinger Media
COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES
• DAILY PIONEER LIFE
• THE PIONEER JOURNEY WESTWARD
• WESTWARD EXPANSION IN THE U.S.
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
800-843-3620
Teacher’s Guide and Program Copyright 2004 by Schlessinger Media,
a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580, Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
K6863
Executive Producer:Andrew Schlessinger
V6003
Programs produced and directed by JWM Productions, LLC
All rights reserved.
Grades K–4
n the late 1700s-1800s, the continental United States of
A m e rica ra p i d ly grew in size from its ori ginal 13
colonies to a vast country spanning the North American
continent.One reason for this growth can be attributed to
the pioneers — a group of courageous men and women
who ventured into the western frontier to settle and make
a new life and home. Pioneer Life for Children examines
the events and the effects of establishing the borders of
the continental U.S., as well as the purposes, challenges
and enduring spirit of the pioneers to establish settlements in this new land.
I
Program Summary
In 1783, the United States of America was a new nation ready to grow. It began
as 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast until explorers like Daniel Boone found
a route through the Appalachian Mountains, and Lewis and Clark mapped the
Louisiana Purchase.The idea of Manifest Destiny and the chance for fe rtile
fa rmland encouraged pioneers to head west and settle. Stephen Austin led
many pioneers to the Texas Territory which won its freedom from Mexico and
was later annexed to the U.S. The U. S . gained land in Florida, the Southwe s t
and Oregon through war, treaties and purchases. Events such as the California
Gold Rush, the Homestead Act of 1862, and the development of transportation
e n c o u raged thousands of pioneers to settle the West.This settlement did not
help the once-fri e n d ly relationship between the pioneers and the Native
Americans.The Indian Removal Act, the destruction of the buffalo population,
and disagreements over land ow n e rship with pioneers fo rced many Native
A m e rican groups to relocate to reservations and to perm a n e n t ly ch a n ge their
way of life.Through this period of time called westward expansion, from the
late 1700s-1800s, the continental United States grew to stretch across the continent. Brave and determined pioneers settled and began new lives in this
frontier.
Time Line
1783 — A treaty between Britain and the U.S. officially creates the United
States of America.
1803 — The United States purchases the Louisiana Purchase.
1821 — The United States acquires the Florida Territory.
1830s — Native Americans are forced to move west in The Trail of Tears.
1836 — The Battle of the Alamo is fought;Texas gains its independence.
1845 — The United States annexes Texas.
1847 — The Oregon Boundary Treaty officially divides the Oregon Territory
between Britain and the U.S.
1848 — Gold is discovered in California; the Mexican-American War ends.
1862 — The Homestead Act is passed.
1869 — The Transcontinental Railroad is completed in Promontory, Utah.
1889 — The Oklahoma Land Rush takes place.
Vocabulary
pioneer — A person who moves into an area that has not been previously
settled.
frontier — An area of land that was unpopulated by American settlers.
Native Americans — The first people in America who arrived thousands of
years ago.
Louisiana Purchase — A large area of land between the Mississippi River
and the Rocky Mountains that Thomas Jefferson helped to purchase from
France in 1803. The purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States.
Lewis & Clark — The two men chosen by President Jefferson to explore the
Louisiana Purchase.
Indian Removal Act — A law passed by the U.S. government in 1830 that
forced Native Americans to give up their homeland in the East and move to
west of the Mississippi River.
(Continued)
Manifest Destiny — A belief during westward expansion that the U.S.
should own all of the land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
The Alamo — A fort in Texas that was the site of a famous battle fought
between Mexico and the U.S. for Texan independence from Mexico in 1836.
The Texans lost the battle, but the phrase “Remember the Alamo” inspired the
Texans to continue their fight for independence.
California Gold Rush — A period of time beginning in 1848 when the
discovery of gold in California caused thousands of people to flock to the
West in hopes of becoming rich. These people were nicknamed the ’49ers.
Transcontinental Railroad — A railroad in America completed in 1869 that
connected the east and west coasts.
immigrant — A person who comes to live in a new country after leaving his
or her home country.
homesteader — An American who traveled west in the mid-19th century
hoping to find free or cheap land to farm.
reservation — Land that is set aside by the government for use by Native
Americans.
Pre-viewing Discussion
• Who were the pioneers? Why were they an important part of U.S. history?
• Speculate about how life in the United States has changed over time.What
do you think the most significant changes have been? Why?
• Discuss characters of the “Wild West” and prairie life that you have seen on
TV, in movies or in books.What people and events do you think are portrayed accurately? Inaccurately? Why?
Focus Questions
1.Who was Daniel Boone? Why was he important to westward expansion?
2. How did the Louisiana Purchase affect the U.S.?
3.What areas of land did the U.S. gain from Mexico? Describe the events that
led to this new land and how it affected pioneers.
4.Who were the homesteaders? What were some events that encouraged
them to live in the West?
5. How did the relationship between the pioneers and the Native Americans
change during westward expansion?
Follow-up Discussion & Activities
• Discuss the concept of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny.Ask
students if this type of expansion could repeat itself, or is repeating itself in
another part of the world or even on another planet.Why or why not?
Would that be good or bad?
• Placing events in chronological order can keep historic facts organized.
Have students create a time line with dates, illustrations, and brief summaries of each major event in westward expansion.
• Historical figures from this period in history abound! Have students
research exciting heroes and heroines of the West, from Buffalo Bill to
Biddy Mason.To aid in the research process, use David Adler’s series of
books about historical figures of westward expansion, such as A Picture
Book of Lewis and Clark (Holiday House, 2003).
(Continued)