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Early Politics & Western Expansion
American politics from the Jefferson Administration and continuing with the theme of Western Expansion.
Planning this mini-unit
Early Politics and Western Expansion is the first mini-unit of Unit 4: Sectionalism. This mini-unit is taught after “New Nation: Federalist Presidents” the second mini-unit in Unit 4: Sectionalism and before “Economic and Social Differences Expand” the second mini-unit of Unit 4: Growing Sectionalism. Click 
HERE to get a copy of my pacing guide.
Pacing
Teachers should plan three to five days to teach this unit on a traditional schedule with one-hour class periods. However, for those on a block schedule with 1 1/2 hour classes, teachers should plan for 2-3 days. An effective way to structure this unit includes:
Openers
- The U.S. Supreme Court
- The Election of 1824 and the Corrupt Bargain
- Transportation Developments
- Western Expansion and Manifest Destiny
- The Oregon Territory
This FREE resource includes 5 openers to use in order to supplement this unit. Begin each class with an opener question. Opener questions can be found on this webpage as an image (see “opener questions” at the bottom of this webpage) or free on TpT (see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding.
see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding. 
Lessons
After the opener, begin the Google Slides lesson. Students can take notes on paper using the note-taking guide provided with the Google Slides lesson, or they may take notes digitally with the electronic version (also included with the Google Slides).
- TEACHER TIP: I post a PDF version of the Google Slides to Google Classroom so that students can review their notes if they are absent. To do this, click “File, Download, PDF” on the Google Slide.
- TEACHER TIP: Some teachers post Google Slides in their Google Classroom and digital note-taking guides for students to complete as homework.
- TEACHER TIP: When pressed for time, I will edit the note-taking guides to include answers for some boxes or delete boxes and slides entirely. Teachers should feel free to modify the lesson to meet their students’ needs and individual learning targets.
- After teaching a concept, take a break from the lecture and show a quick review video to reinforce the concepts. Suggested videos to enhance the lesson are on this webpage.
- Mix up your unit by having the students complete the PROP (Point, Reason to lie or distort, Other sources, Public/private) analysis. For a free resource that reviews PROP, click HERE.
- TIP TEACHER: Group students together to complete this activity. This strategy sparks conversation and encourages critical analysis. Discussed as a class.
- Review additional suggested activities found on this webpage:
- FREE: Andrew Jackson and Indian Removal from Bill of Rights Institute
- FREE: A Deep Stain on the American Character: John Marshall and Justice for Native Americans from Bill of Rights Institute
- FREE: Louisiana Purchase from Stanford History Education Group
- FREE: Lewis and Clark from Stanford History Education Group
- FREE: Manifest Destiny from Stanford History Education Group
- FREE: Texas Revolution from Stanford History Education Group
- FREE: Evaluating Historical Sources on Juana Briones from Stanford History Education Group
- FREE: The Gold Rush and San Francisco from Stanford History Education Group
5. Print the Prove It activity included in the Google Slides lesson at the end of the unit. Students read statements and determine if they are true or false. If the statement is false, they correct it. This lesson encourages students to review their note-taking guide.
key terms to know
People to Know
- Thomas Jefferson
- Captain Meriwether Lewis
- Sacagawea
- Henry Clay
- John Marshall
- Andrew Jackson
- James K. Polk
Key Terms
- Federalists
- Democratic-Republicans
- Revolution of 1800
- Manifest Destiny
- Westward Expansion
- Missouri Compromise
Events
- Marbury v. Madison
- Worcester v. Georgia
- Louisiana Purchase
- Missouri Compromise
- Indian Removal Act / Trail of Tears
- Oregon Trail
- Texas and the Alamo
- Bear Flag Revolt
- Mexican-American War
- The Gold Rush
Essential Questions
1. Outline the central platforms of the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
2. What is significant about the Revolution of 1800?
3. What precedent was set in the US Supreme Court Case of Marbury v. Madison?
4. Explain Manifest Destiny and the effects of Westward Expansion.
5. To what extent did the Missouri Compromise settle the political discussion surrounding slavery?
6.Explain the political justification of the Trail of Tears and the impact on Native Americans.
7. Explore the various factors that caused a surge in westward migration across the United States.
8. Why was Texas referred to as the “Lone Star State”?
9. What are the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War?
10. How did the Mexican-American war affect the debate about slavery in the United States?
11. What is the Gold Rush, and how did it impact California?
38 Slides (editable) with graphic organizer note-taking guide and summative assessment worksheet. This Google Slides reviews early American politics starting with the Jefferson Administration and continuing with the them of Western Expansion
This Google Slides:
- Editable
- Has checks for understanding/thinking questions throughout the Google Slides
- Interesting and varied graphic design
- A variety of different sources to catch your students’ attention and engage them with the content: maps, charts, primary sources, quotes, timelines, etc.
- Major Concepts Reviewed:
- Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
- Revolution of 1800 (election)
- Marbury v. Madison
- Louisiana Purchase
- Manifest Destiny
- Missouri Compromise
- The Trail of Tears
- Worcester v. Georgia
- The Oregon Trail
- Texas and the Lone Star State
- The Bear Flag Revolt
- Mexican-American War
- The Gold Rush
Note-Taking Guide with a Teacher’s Key:
- Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document, or handwrite)
- Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
- Great for IEP, 504, EL students or students who need modifications
- Helps students be accountable for information during lecture
- Comes with print and digital notetaking guides.
Post-Notes Analysis Worksheet with a Teacher’s Key:
- Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document or handwrite)
- Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
- Has a True/False checking for understanding
- Includes a document that connects to information from the slides.
- Comes with print and digital post-notes analysis guides.
- Students are asked to ” Prove It,” “Analyze It” “Personalize It” and “Explore Limitations.”
Helpful Videos for Your Students
Unit Activities
Click on the images below to access these suggested resources
Andrew Jackson and Indian Removal
BRI: Bill of Rights Institute
A Deep Stain on the American Character: John Marshall and Justice for Native Americans
BRI: Bill of Rights Institute
Lewis and Clark
SHEG: Stanford History Education Group
Manifest Destiny
SHEG: Stanford History Education Group
Texas Revolution
SHEG: Stanford History Education Group
Evaluating Historical Sources on Juana Briones
SHEG: Stanford History Education Group
The Gold Rush and San Francisco
SHEG: Stanford History Education Group
The Louisiana Purchase
SHEG: Stanford History Education Group
quick links
hey there
Thank you for stopping by Teacher Bistro. I created this place as a resource for educators who wanted a easy way to find resources. In my first ten years of teaching I can’t tell you how many hours I spent gathering lesson plans, video guides and lectures. Hopefully, you have added this site to your bookmarks, and this place can make teaching a little bit easier.