In this lesson, students write a persuasive letter home defending their decision either to settle in Utah and farm the land, or to go on to California to seek gold.

In this lesson, students will use primary source materials to investigate significant events in American History of the 19th century.

In this lesson, students will use primary source materials to investigate significant events in Post-Civil War American History of the 19th century.

Students analyze the seal of the city of New York, use maps, and read and discuss a passage to understand how trade connected Native Americans and Dutch sailors in early New Amsterdam.

In this online interactive, students learn about the Homestead Act and its impact on the settlement of the West.

In this resource, students can learn about different waterways which were constructed during the 19th Century in the United States. This resource is connected with the Smithsonian Museums.

Students will investigate patterns in immigration through data
tables and data maps. They can also develop their own graphs to view the information in
other ways.

In this activity, students will watch and discuss a 22-minute video of a theater presentation created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The activity could also include an in-classroom simulation, extension activities, and a sing- along performance of a freedom song.

Students will read a passage, write answers to questions based on the passage, and write to explain and justify their position. This resource supports English language development for English language learners.

In this lesson, students can learn about the traditions of the Sioux, who resided in the Midwestern part of the United States. This lesson focuses on their winter traditions, including the migration patterns which they followed.

Students can learn about the traditions of the Sioux, who resided in the Midwestern part of the United States. This lesson focuses on their winter traditions, including the migration patterns which they followed.

In this lesson, students will examine the concept of Manifest Destiny as it relates to the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition through discussion, reading, and the examination of artwork and maps. Students will demonstrate their understanding of this content in a creative writing assignment in which they assume the persona of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and/or a Native American and create inferred journal entries.

This presentation is a supplemental resource to the lesson "Manifest Destiny and the Lewis and Clark Expedition." In the lesson, students will examine the concept of Manifest Destiny as it relates to the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition through discussion, reading, and the examination of artwork and maps. Students will demonstrate their understanding of this content in a creative writing assignment in which they assume the persona of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and/or a Native American and create inferred journal entries.

In this lesson, students will learn how modern day immigrants may be pilgrims in their own respect. They will learn what immigrants and pilgrims are, and be assigned to demonstrate learning about an immigrant in their ancestry.

In this lesson, students engage in a role play about life in North America from 1890 to 1930. Students will also reference maps from the era and research modes of transportation that were available at the time people were moving west. Students will also write about and illustrate the journey west, describing reasons for moving.

This lesson helps students understand the causes and effects of exploration with an emphasis on European exploration of North America. Students learn when, where, and why groups of people colonized and settled what is today the United States. Through group activities, reading and discussions, students learn the economic, social and political reasons for exploration and settlement.

Students will learn about America's first gold rush, which took place in North Carolina in the early 1800s. They will then utilize their understanding of the gold rush and its affect on North Carolina by completing a creative writing assignment.

Students will review and examine colonial North America's economic, social, and political life by participating in a 13 colonies competition. Students will be able to explain the positive and negative impact human activity had on the physical environment of the United States. This lesson will culminate with students focusing on one colony of their choice for which they create an advertisement for settling that colony.

In this activity, students can explore the history of the peopling of America through short videos, mini-activities, and practice questions in this segment of Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship. The eight questions included in this segment cover topics such as American Indians, British colonists, slavery, westward expansion, and immigration. This site was designed with the needs of recent immigrants in mind. It is written at a “low-intermediate” ESL level.

This lesson is about how people come to America. The lesson will help students see that their personal stories are part of American history by comparing their experiences with those of immigrants in the past.