Westward Expansion: America's Push to the Pacific

On first glance, the Mexican-American War seems to be a simple border dispute. However, upon closer examination, it is clear that the war was also about slavery, politics, citizenship, and resources. Illuminating text explores the events preceding the war, the motivations of the key players, and the effects on Mexican, American, and indigenous people. Primary source material will bring the reader back in time to the period of westward expansion in America, when manifest destiny went from idea to reality. Colorful images, period maps, and provocative questions about the war engage young readers with this exciting period in American history.

Since the establishment of the American colonies, the frontier expanded westward steadily until the country bordered both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Soldiers, explorers, missionaries, and fur traders were the first Europeans to penetrate the country's interior. Soon, gold miners, dirt farmers, and cattle ranchers followed, blazing dangerous trails across barren lands and snow-topped mountain ranges. American Indians were too few to stop the relentless tide of pioneers, despite their efforts. Readers discover the personalities, routes, and circumstances that propelled Americans to claim the mysterious 'Great American Desert' west of the Mississippi River.

From 1800 to 1900 the territory of the United States expanded fourfold, and the population skyrocketed from about five million to seventy-five million plus. Two key innovations in technology helped this rapid development take place: steam and electricity. This easy-to-read guide traces the rail system's impact on shipping, travel, and the taming of the western frontier. Also covered are unprecedented advances in communication and other technology, such as new steel processes and improved farming tools. These changes not only ushered forth a new era of American progress but also formed the foundation of the modern world.

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson authorized the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, a vast land that doubled the size of the United States. Jefferson soon appointed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the western territory and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. The adventures of this expedition are some of the most exciting of American history. Both of these chapters of western expansion in the United States, important components of the social studies curriculum, are illuminated in this engaging volume, full of helpful maps, vibrant images, and fascinating historical facts.

The romantic myth of America's frontier that many people encounter in the media is only part of the story of the nation's expansion in the nineteenth century. This book illustrates the push by European settlers and the federal government ever westward, and its effects on indigenous peoples. Through primary source historical images and the tragic narrative of broken treaties, relocations, and armed conflict, it brings the inspiring resistance and fight for self-determination of Native Americans into the hands of your readers. It also contextualizes these struggles with modern ones, including the American Indian Movement and ongoing tribal anti-pipeline protests.

Following the American Revolutionary War, distance and difficult terrain made the western frontier of the newly formed United States seem like a world apart from the thirteen Atlantic-seaboard colonies. To better preserve the union, as well as advance the country's fledgling independent economy, a group of statesmen proposed building a canal that would connect these unified yet disparate locations. At first considered a "folly," the Erie Canal wound up achieving those lofty goals and more. Readers uncover the reasons and strategies behind the building of the canal, and the ways in which this crucial waterway facilitated U.S. westward expansion.

In this authoritative guide, readers will examine the many aspects of the California Gold Rush and the event's larger role in westward expansion. Studying the forty-niners, the Native Americans of California, gold extraction techniques, and transportation west, readers will gain insight into how the gold rush changed the region and the many developments it led to. Accessible language clarifies advanced concepts, and engrossing sidebars feature additional information. Stunning photographs add dimension to the text, and primary sources are integrated, offering an up-close examination. This book's comprehensive material is a terrific resource to supplement curricular studies.