Name _____________________

Understanding Antebellum Western Expansion through Maps

Objective: Students must know the major land acquisitions, including Louisiana, Oregon, Texas, and the Mexican
Cession; from whom, why, and how these lands were acquired; their location on a map; as well as their impact on
individualism, sectionalism and democracy.

Go to https://www.tes.com/lessons/-AC1ZWL4xiIkRw/edit

1. Look at the map in the first tile. Describe what you see. What do you notice first?
A lot of land to the west was gained in just a span of about 70 years

2. What is the overall narrative of this map? What message is it conveying?

This map is showing the rapid growth of the US, conveying that we gained land at an alarming rate.

3. Make a timeline to put the major land acquisitions described in the objective above, in chronological order. Be
sure to include all 4 acquisitions and their dates. Oregon country
1846 Mexican cession
1848

Louisiana Purchase Texas Annexation

1800 1803 1845 1850

Go to the next tile, “The Nation Expands: Introduction”

4. What happened to double the size of the US in 1783?

Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, giving the US a lot of land to the west.

Go to the next tile, “The Nation Expands: The Louisiana Purchase, 1803”
France
5. What European government originally controlled the territory? __________________
6. How was Louisiana acquired by the US government?
It was bought from France

7. What happened once the territory was acquired?

America nearly doubled in size again.

Go to the next tile, “The Nation Expands: Texas Annexation, 1845”

Mexico
8. What European country originally colonized the area? ________________
 9. What initially made the thousands of Anglo-Americans (white Americans) angry with the Mexican government?
the white slave owners didn't like the slave free Mexicans
10. Complete the following sentences:
Annexation
a. In 1836, they declared Texas an ________________________________, called the Republic of Texas.

USA
b. In 1845, the Republic of Texas voluntarily asked to become a part of the _______________________,
let them into the nation.
and the government of the United States agreed to ___________

Go to the next tile, “The Nation Expands: Oregon Country, 1846”

Washington
11. What other country jointly occupied Oregon with the US? ___________________

12. Why were anti-slavery Northerners strongly in favor of acquiring as much of the territory as possible?
The northerners wanted more land against the slave states

Go to the next tile, “The Nation Expands: The Mexican Cession, 1848”

13. What did the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo do?

it marked a large cession of Mexico

Synthesis – Bringing it all together

Based on what you learned about western expansion today, both from the map activity and your notes, answer the
following questions.

14. Individualism is the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant and favoring freedom of action for
individuals over state control. Which acquisition do you think did the most to further individualism? Explain why.
I think the Texas annexation had the most individualism because Texas asked to join the Union, and Texas had the most
say instead of the entire union.

15. Sectionalism is excessive or narrow-minded concern for local or regional interests as opposed to the interests of
the whole and thinking of your region instead of thinking of your nation. Which acquisition do you think did the
most to further sectionalism? Explain why.
I feel as the Oregon Country from Great Britain was the most Sectionalist because the North was the ones that wanted that
land the most.

16. Democracy is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from
among themselves to form a governing body. Which acquisition do you think did the most to further
democracy? Explain why.
The Oregon Country land was also the most Democratic because it took the say of the states and the people.