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Teaching Expanding into the West

Expanding into the West

Over the course of the 19th century, the frontier—the line that marked the western edge of the United States—moved several times. The movement west was not a steady march from the Mississippi to the Rockies to the Pacific. The frontier was a region of blended cultures. English speakers, Spanish speakers, Native Americans, European and Asian immigrants, and free and enslaved African Americans all met, interacted, and worked out how they would live with one another. Westward migration led to major changes that shaped Americans’ self-image and sense of their shared past.

American Yawp
Stanford University Press

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

How did "the west" symbolize something different to different groups, including Native Americans, white men, white women, and black Americans?
STANDARDS:
RH.2 - Main Ideas, RH.7 - Visual Information, RI.2 - Main Ideas

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE (DOK) LEVELS:

2,3
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