Way Out West

1. Way Out West You are going to begin the study of the changes that occurred in the United States between 1830 and 1890. This lesson focuses on: The acquisition of Florida, the annexation of Texas (you know about this!), the outcome of the Mexican War, further westward expansion, the acquisition of Alaska and Hawaii, the telegraph, and the transcontinental railroad. 

2. Vocabulary Transcontinental:  going across a continent. Telegraph:  a device that has an operator at one station that sends words or signs by means of a current of electricity, generated by a battery and transmitted over a wire to another receiving station. Homestead Act:  act passed by Congress in 1862 which offered free land to pioneers who wanted to start new farms designed to encourage people to move to the plains area of the west. Manifest Destiny

3. Animated Atlas • Animated Atlas • Create a timeline from the website in your ss notebooks. Make sure you include the following important events: • The treaty with Britain in 1818 gave the United States what is now the northern part of North Dakota and Minnesota. • In 1819 Spain agreed to sell Florida to the United States, and Mexico allowed US citizens to begin settling in Texas. • The Texas Revolution and the creation of the Republic of Texas.

4. Interactive Timeline • US Timeline • http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/timeline_flash.html • US Mexican War – Background • http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/

5. Highlights • - In 1845 Texas was annexed, or added, to the United States by Congress under President James K. Polk’s encouragement. This angered Mexico and the Mexican War began in 1846. Upon the conclusion of the war in 1847, the United States paid Mexico $15 million dollars receiving what is now California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. • - 1842 a treaty with Britain gave us the northern tip of Maine. • - The US gained the Oregon Territory in 1846 by signing a treaty with Britain. • - In 1853 the United States paid Mexico an additional $10 million dollars for what is now southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. This was called the Gadsden Purchase. • - In 1867, Russia sells the Alaska territory to the United States for $7.2 million dollars • - In 1898, Hawaii annexed by the United States.

6. More Info • The start of the Industrial Revolution in England brings changes. See textbook pages 409-413. Pages 538-552 cover the Transcontinental railroad, time zones, and the Homestead Act of 1862. • Make notes on these important developments. • Far & Away Oklahoma Land Rush Scene • The American Frontier

7. Homesteading • Homesteading in the West • Homestead Act

8. Transcontinental Railroad • Transcontinental Railroad • Railways

9. Telegraph • Telegraph - What's Next? • The electric telegraph is a now outdated communication system that transmitted electric signals over wires from location to location that translated into a message. • While a professor of arts and design at New York University in 1835, Samuel Morse proved that signals could be transmitted by wire. He used pulses of current to deflect an electromagnet, which moved a marker to produce written codes on a strip of paper - the invention of Morse Code.

10. The Monroe Doctrine • Take a look at page 403 in your SS textbook. What is the “Monroe Doctrine.”

11. Life on the Prairie • Shelter on the Western Frontier • Living on the prairie was much different to how we live today. • Use the above link to find a picture of a house on the Western Frontier that you would like to live in. Draw it in your SS textbook. Give it a title – use the information from the website to write a caption about your illustration.

12. What’s Going On? •  In 1862 The U.S. government encouraged people to move to the Great Plains by passing the Homestead Act which offered free land to pioneers willing to start new farms. • The draws for some people who moved west were to have their own land, to look for gold in California, and to be part of the cattle industry that was on the increase. • It was very difficult to get across the United States in the 1850s. • Railroads were mostly in the eastern part of the country. • Stagecoaches became a new way to cross the country. • The Pony Express, started in 1860, became a way for mail to cross the country in 10 days.

13. Stage Coaches • Stage coaches were the major form of transportation during he 1850’s. • Stage Coaches heading West • Take notes on the video in your social studies notebook. • Compare taking a road trip in the 21st Century to taking a road trip in the 19th Century. What are differences.

14. Covered Wagons • Life in a Covered Wagon

15. Pony Express • The Pony Express was founded by William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors. Plans for the Pony Express were spurred by the threat of the Civil War and the need for faster communication with the West. • The Pony Express consisted of relays of men riding horses carrying saddlebags of mail across a 2000-mile trail. The service opened officially on April 3, 1860, when riders left simultaneously from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. • The first westbound trip was made in 9 days and 23 hours and the eastbound journey in 11 days and 12 hours. The pony riders covered 250 miles in a 24-hour day.

16. Pony Express • The Pony Express

17. Chain of Events Timeline You are going to create a timeline of the significant events that occurred in the US from 1800 – 1850. Start with Jefferson being elected to the presidency in 1800 and finish with California becoming a state. What happened in between? Lots! Be detailed, use your SS textbook to help yourself out. Write one sentence for each significant date. Good Luck!