Title: The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Westward Expansion | The Clever Teacher
Headings: The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Westward Expansion
The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Westward Expansion
The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Westward Expansion
Westward Expansion Overview
What was Westward Expansion?
Why did people move West?
Land and Technology
Manifest Destiny
US Territorial Acquisitions
The Louisiana Purchase & Lewis and Clark
The Texas Revolution
The Mexican-American War
California Gold Rush
Westward Expansion Trails & the Oregon Trail
Indian Removal Act
Removal Treaties & Forced Removal
Westward Expansion & Slavery
Westward Expansion Timeline
Teacher Resources for Learning about Westward Expansion
Westward Expansion Pacing Guide
Westward Expansion Simulation and Game
3-Week Pacing Guide
Free Westward Expansion Map Lesson
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Westward Expansion Primary Sources
American Progress Painting (1872)
Description of Primary Source:
Class Discussion Questions:
Resources for this Primary Source:
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Westward Expansion Videos
The “Indian Problem” (Smithsonian NMAI)
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Westward Expansion Picture Books
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
Book Description:
Ideas for Using this Book:
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Westward Expansion Unit
Westward Expansion Interactive Lesson Plans
What’s included in the Westward Expansion Unit?
Westward Expansion Unit Table of Contents
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

Content: As competition grew, anti-immigrant feelings spread. Some believed the gold should be for white Americans only. They tried to drive out non-white miners through violent racist attacks. California passed anti-foreigner laws and taxes that targeted Native Americans, Chinese immigrants, and Mexicans. The Gold Rush had many important effects. It made California’s population boom, and California became a state in 1850. The money from the Gold Rush helped finance the Transcontinental Railroad and spread to other countries’ economies. This is also why California is known as the “Golden State.” Unfortunately, the Gold Rush also had negat