Social Studies Resources
Westward Expansion
Overview www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/countries/us/california/190928-ca-hss-review/grade-5/westward_expansion.pdf?la=en
U.S. Explorers (1675-1800) map
Westward Expansion Slideshow
Interactive Westward Expansion map
Cumberland Gap history and pictures
Cumberland Gap NPS video
Cumberland Gap Smithsonian Daniel Boone Wilderness Road video
Daniel Boone Biography
Sacajawea - TEDed Lesson video
Online Resources for Westward Expansion Research
Treaty of Paris
1. https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-revolution/treaty-paris/
2. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-revolution/end-revolutionary-war/
3. http://revolution.mrdonn.org/treatyofparis.html
Immigration to the United States
1. www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/migration/migration_trends_rev2.shtml
2. www.emigration.link/push-pull-factors-english-migration.htm
3. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/ellis-island/
4. www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/countries/us/california/190928-ca-hss-review/grade-5/immigration.pdf?la=en
The Erie Canal
1. National Geographic – Creating Canals (video)
2. History.com – videos: Building the Erie Canal (2:39) (video)
3. mrnussbaum.com/history-2-2/erie/
4. www.eriecanal.org/locks.html
The Gold Rush
1. PBS.org – map of the largest strikes (map)
2. History.com – The Gold Rush (2:37): (video and article)
3. www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/CalGoldRush/CalGoldRush.htm
4. Gold Rush Facts
5. Primary Source Mary Ballou - Letter
6. Primary Source William Swain - Letter
The Homestead Act
1. PBS.org – Frontier House video clips: (video)
Lewis and Clark
1. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/explorers/lewis-and-clark/
2. Discovering Lewis and Clark: (website)
3. National Geographic: (website)
4. National Geographic: Sacagawea: (website)
5. History.com- videos: (video and articles)
6. Lewis and Clark Expedition (1:46): (video)
7. Lewis and Clark Campsite (2:57): (video)
The Louisiana Purchase
1. Louisiana Purchase Discover Kids with Infographic online.kidsdiscover.com/infographic/infographic-the-louisiana-purchase?ReturnUrl=/infographic/infographic-the-louisiana-purchase
2. Louisiana Purchase mrnussbaum.com/history-2-2/lapurchase/
3. Library of Congress – Primary documents: (documents)
4. Avalon Project at Yale Law Library – Primary documents: (documents)
5. WatchKnowLearn.org: Louisiana Purchase in a Nutshell (1:11): (video)
6. History.com – LA Purchase Doubles Size of America (1:24): (video)
7. Jefferson Expands Presidential Power (3:36): (video)
Zebulon Pike
1.www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/digital-colorado/colorado-histories/beginnings/zebulon-pike-explorer/
2. www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/p/pike.shtml
John Fremont
1. www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/biographies/john_fremont.html
2. factcards.califa.org/exp/fremont.html
Narcissa and Marcus Whitman
1. www.nps.gov/oreg/learn/historyculture/history2.htm
2. bluebook.state.or.us/notable/notwhitman.htm
Brigham Young - Mormon Trail
1. www.nps.gov/mopi/learn/historyculture/history2.htm
2. mrnussbaum.com/mormon-trail/
California Trail
1. mrnussbaum.com/california-trail/
2. www.tchistory.org/TCHISTORY/WestwardMovement.htm
Oregon Territory
1. http://mrnussbaum.com/oregon-territory/
2. www.ducksters.com/geography/us_states/oregon_history.php
The Oregon Trail
1. WatchKnowLearn.org – videos: In the Wake of Lewis and Clark (5:39): (video)
2. Oregon Trail - (website)
3. Pioneer Families Museum - (blog)
4. www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/Dangers.htm
5. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-west/wagon-trains/
California Territory
1. kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/california/
The Pony Express
1. National Geographic – map and photographs: (map and photographs)
The Trail of Tears
1. “We Shall Remain” (5:27) from PBS Learning Media: (video)
The Transcontinental Railroad
1. PBS.org – photo gallery: (photos)
2. Primary Source www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkd/sources/bkd_template.jsp?name=transconrail2
3. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-west/transcontinental-railroad/
4. History.com – videos:
The Transcontinental Railroad (3:27): (video)
Evolution of Railroads (4:20): (video)
New Mexico
1. kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/new-mexico/#new-mexico-white-sands.jpg
Santa Fe, New Mexico
1. santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_Fe/Plan_Your_Trip/History/index.html
Mexican American Culture
1. Anasazi - historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/anasazi.html
2. Anasazi - newsela.com/read/elem-hist-native-american-anasazi
3. American Indian Influences on culture - www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_024206.pdf
4. Vaqueros - www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/campfire-stories/vaqueros
5. Immigration - newsela.com/read/lib-mexican-immigration-history-united-states/id/30861/
The Texas Revolution
1. http://www.american-historama.org/1829-1841-jacksonian-era/texas-revolution.htm
2. kids.kiddle.co/Texas_Revolution
3. kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/texas/#texas-alamo.jpg
4. 1836 Sam Houston - www.sanjacinto-museum.org/The_Battle/Fate_of_Nations/#Pane1
The US–Mexican War
1. www.factmonster.com/world/united-states-war/mexican-war
2. www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/
3. PBS Interactive timeline: (timeline)
4. 24 short video clips: (video)
5. America’s Story – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: (website)
6. Library of Congress – Photographs from the conflict with Mexico: (photos)
7. History.com – video: America: The Story of Us: The Alamo (2:37): (video)
8. History.com - video: Deconstructing History: Alamo (video)
Manifest Destiny
1. mrnussbaum.com/manifest-destiny/
2. www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/md_introduction.html
Geographic Landscapes Pioneers Faces
1. fle-5th-grade.weebly.com/a-century-of-westward-expansion-1800s.html
2. www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/Dangers.htm
3. alliance.la.asu.edu/geomath/GeoMath3/lesson_files/Loken/OREGON/LokenOregonS.pdf
4. www.californiatrailcenter.org/frequently-asked-questions/
5. www.octa-trails.org/articles/oregon-trail-mileposts
Helpful search terms and tips for students
History.com is a great place to start for short information; try searching for your Westward Expansion terms under “This Day in History”
The Library of Congress is one of the best sources for online primary source documents. http://www.loc.gov
The American Memory page from the Library of Congress is a great place to search for primary source documents and maps. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
The Smithsonian’s History and Culture Collection is another great resource for primary documents from American History: http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia/Search/History%20and%20Culture (for example: see Lewis and Clark, “Mapping the West” http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/lc/lcmapping/ )
You will probably find that a lot of your search terms overlap–as you have learned, all these ideas are connected. For instance, if you search “Louisiana Purchase,” you will also find information on Lewis and Clark. Or, if “Westward Expansion” is not giving you the results you want, try searching “Manifest Destiny.” When searching “Trail of Tears,” you should also search “Indian Removal Act.”
Search the presidents. Thomas Jefferson was president when he bought the Louisiana Territory and hired Lewis and Clark to explore it. Andrew Jackson ordered the Indian Removal Act. James K. Polk ran for president with the Manifest Destiny platform and provoked Mexico into a war over Texas.
Some subtopics are very popular and have a lot of information. For instance, under “Lewis and Clark,” you will find a lot of information about Sacagawea; or when researching the US-Mexican War, you will find that the subject of the Alamo is very popular.
Due to the popularity of the computer game “Oregon Trail,” you will have better luck finding scholarly information on that topic if you search “Oregon Territory.” You can also try searching terms like “Wagoneers” or “Homesteaders.”
Overview www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/countries/us/california/190928-ca-hss-review/grade-5/westward_expansion.pdf?la=en
U.S. Explorers (1675-1800) map
Westward Expansion Slideshow
Interactive Westward Expansion map
Cumberland Gap history and pictures
Cumberland Gap NPS video
Cumberland Gap Smithsonian Daniel Boone Wilderness Road video
Daniel Boone Biography
Sacajawea - TEDed Lesson video
Online Resources for Westward Expansion Research
Treaty of Paris
1. https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-revolution/treaty-paris/
2. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-revolution/end-revolutionary-war/
3. http://revolution.mrdonn.org/treatyofparis.html
Immigration to the United States
1. www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/migration/migration_trends_rev2.shtml
2. www.emigration.link/push-pull-factors-english-migration.htm
3. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/ellis-island/
4. www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/countries/us/california/190928-ca-hss-review/grade-5/immigration.pdf?la=en
The Erie Canal
1. National Geographic – Creating Canals (video)
2. History.com – videos: Building the Erie Canal (2:39) (video)
3. mrnussbaum.com/history-2-2/erie/
4. www.eriecanal.org/locks.html
The Gold Rush
1. PBS.org – map of the largest strikes (map)
2. History.com – The Gold Rush (2:37): (video and article)
3. www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/CalGoldRush/CalGoldRush.htm
4. Gold Rush Facts
5. Primary Source Mary Ballou - Letter
6. Primary Source William Swain - Letter
The Homestead Act
1. PBS.org – Frontier House video clips: (video)
Lewis and Clark
1. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/explorers/lewis-and-clark/
2. Discovering Lewis and Clark: (website)
3. National Geographic: (website)
4. National Geographic: Sacagawea: (website)
5. History.com- videos: (video and articles)
6. Lewis and Clark Expedition (1:46): (video)
7. Lewis and Clark Campsite (2:57): (video)
The Louisiana Purchase
1. Louisiana Purchase Discover Kids with Infographic online.kidsdiscover.com/infographic/infographic-the-louisiana-purchase?ReturnUrl=/infographic/infographic-the-louisiana-purchase
2. Louisiana Purchase mrnussbaum.com/history-2-2/lapurchase/
3. Library of Congress – Primary documents: (documents)
4. Avalon Project at Yale Law Library – Primary documents: (documents)
5. WatchKnowLearn.org: Louisiana Purchase in a Nutshell (1:11): (video)
6. History.com – LA Purchase Doubles Size of America (1:24): (video)
7. Jefferson Expands Presidential Power (3:36): (video)
Zebulon Pike
1.www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/digital-colorado/colorado-histories/beginnings/zebulon-pike-explorer/
2. www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/p/pike.shtml
John Fremont
1. www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/biographies/john_fremont.html
2. factcards.califa.org/exp/fremont.html
Narcissa and Marcus Whitman
1. www.nps.gov/oreg/learn/historyculture/history2.htm
2. bluebook.state.or.us/notable/notwhitman.htm
Brigham Young - Mormon Trail
1. www.nps.gov/mopi/learn/historyculture/history2.htm
2. mrnussbaum.com/mormon-trail/
California Trail
1. mrnussbaum.com/california-trail/
2. www.tchistory.org/TCHISTORY/WestwardMovement.htm
Oregon Territory
1. http://mrnussbaum.com/oregon-territory/
2. www.ducksters.com/geography/us_states/oregon_history.php
The Oregon Trail
1. WatchKnowLearn.org – videos: In the Wake of Lewis and Clark (5:39): (video)
2. Oregon Trail - (website)
3. Pioneer Families Museum - (blog)
4. www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/Dangers.htm
5. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-west/wagon-trains/
California Territory
1. kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/california/
The Pony Express
1. National Geographic – map and photographs: (map and photographs)
The Trail of Tears
1. “We Shall Remain” (5:27) from PBS Learning Media: (video)
The Transcontinental Railroad
1. PBS.org – photo gallery: (photos)
2. Primary Source www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkd/sources/bkd_template.jsp?name=transconrail2
3. www.dkfindout.com/us/history/american-west/transcontinental-railroad/
4. History.com – videos:
The Transcontinental Railroad (3:27): (video)
Evolution of Railroads (4:20): (video)
New Mexico
1. kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/new-mexico/#new-mexico-white-sands.jpg
Santa Fe, New Mexico
1. santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_Fe/Plan_Your_Trip/History/index.html
Mexican American Culture
1. Anasazi - historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/anasazi.html
2. Anasazi - newsela.com/read/elem-hist-native-american-anasazi
3. American Indian Influences on culture - www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_024206.pdf
4. Vaqueros - www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/campfire-stories/vaqueros
5. Immigration - newsela.com/read/lib-mexican-immigration-history-united-states/id/30861/
The Texas Revolution
1. http://www.american-historama.org/1829-1841-jacksonian-era/texas-revolution.htm
2. kids.kiddle.co/Texas_Revolution
3. kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/texas/#texas-alamo.jpg
4. 1836 Sam Houston - www.sanjacinto-museum.org/The_Battle/Fate_of_Nations/#Pane1
The US–Mexican War
1. www.factmonster.com/world/united-states-war/mexican-war
2. www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/
3. PBS Interactive timeline: (timeline)
4. 24 short video clips: (video)
5. America’s Story – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: (website)
6. Library of Congress – Photographs from the conflict with Mexico: (photos)
7. History.com – video: America: The Story of Us: The Alamo (2:37): (video)
8. History.com - video: Deconstructing History: Alamo (video)
Manifest Destiny
1. mrnussbaum.com/manifest-destiny/
2. www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/md_introduction.html
Geographic Landscapes Pioneers Faces
1. fle-5th-grade.weebly.com/a-century-of-westward-expansion-1800s.html
2. www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/Dangers.htm
3. alliance.la.asu.edu/geomath/GeoMath3/lesson_files/Loken/OREGON/LokenOregonS.pdf
4. www.californiatrailcenter.org/frequently-asked-questions/
5. www.octa-trails.org/articles/oregon-trail-mileposts
Helpful search terms and tips for students
History.com is a great place to start for short information; try searching for your Westward Expansion terms under “This Day in History”
The Library of Congress is one of the best sources for online primary source documents. http://www.loc.gov
The American Memory page from the Library of Congress is a great place to search for primary source documents and maps. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
The Smithsonian’s History and Culture Collection is another great resource for primary documents from American History: http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia/Search/History%20and%20Culture (for example: see Lewis and Clark, “Mapping the West” http://www.mnh.si.edu/education/lc/lcmapping/ )
You will probably find that a lot of your search terms overlap–as you have learned, all these ideas are connected. For instance, if you search “Louisiana Purchase,” you will also find information on Lewis and Clark. Or, if “Westward Expansion” is not giving you the results you want, try searching “Manifest Destiny.” When searching “Trail of Tears,” you should also search “Indian Removal Act.”
Search the presidents. Thomas Jefferson was president when he bought the Louisiana Territory and hired Lewis and Clark to explore it. Andrew Jackson ordered the Indian Removal Act. James K. Polk ran for president with the Manifest Destiny platform and provoked Mexico into a war over Texas.
Some subtopics are very popular and have a lot of information. For instance, under “Lewis and Clark,” you will find a lot of information about Sacagawea; or when researching the US-Mexican War, you will find that the subject of the Alamo is very popular.
Due to the popularity of the computer game “Oregon Trail,” you will have better luck finding scholarly information on that topic if you search “Oregon Territory.” You can also try searching terms like “Wagoneers” or “Homesteaders.”