This course covers westward expansion, slavery and the antebellum period, and the industrial revolution. Lessons are planned using the UCLA history standards. This is the 4th in a series to cover the 9 eras of American History. They do not need to be completed in chronological order. 

This class will be a mix of lecture and interactive note-taking, discussion, and projects/games/activities that extend learning. Students will often guide their own learning by asking meaningful questions and seeking the answers through primary sources. 

PART A: EXPANDING INTO THE WEST
Lesson 1: The Early Years
--War of 1812 and its effects on Europeans and American Nations vs. those on Native Groups
--The Star Spangled Banner
--Forming a national identity

Lesson 2: Manifest Destiny
--Louisiana Purchase
--Lewis and Clark
--Treatment of Native Americans

Lessons 3-4: Westward Expansion
--Homesteading and the Oregon Trail
--Oregon Treaty of 1846
--Homestead Act of 1862
--Changing forms of transportation

Lesson 5: Gold Rush
--Beginning of the Gold Rush
--Effects of the Gold Rush
--Map a Gold Rush town

Lesson 6: Annexation of Texas
--Mexican-American War
--Alamo

PART B: TREATMENT OF NATIVE PEOPLES
Lesson 7: Forced Relocation
--Native American Removal
--Resistance and avoidance

Lesson 8: Online Game-Play to Further Understanding
--As a group, play "A Cheyenne Odyssey" by Mission U.S.

Part C: THE VICTORIAN AGE IN AMERICA
Lesson 9: Economic Changes in the United States
--Compare a colonial economy to a market economy
--Discuss changes in the way of live of northerners
--Create a "Chatterbox" of facts

Lesson 10: Market Revolution: 1820’s-1850’s
--Pick your path from a set of several different characters 

Part D: The System of Enslavement
Lesson 11: Daily Life
--Details of the life of an enslaved person in both the North and the South
--Slave auctions and ads (at an age appropriate level)
--Slave and Free states and the politics connected to it

Lesson 12: States, Laws, and Policies
--Missouri Compromise
--Fugitive Slave Act
--The enslavement of Native Peoples

Lessons 13-14: Resistance 
--Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
--Unique and common forms of resistance 

Students of all backgrounds and learning abilities are welcome in my classroom. If there is an accommodation you'd like me to make for your child, please reach out. This classroom is a safe space.