Essential Questions:

1. How did expansion change America socially, economically, and politically?
2. How did Jackson’s policies challenge or extend the beliefs established by the founding fathers and our nation’s initial administrations?
3. What impact did Manifest Destiny have on the growth and development of the United States?

Success Criteria:

• Explain how America changed under President Jackson
• Explain how Westward expansion impacted America
• Understand the concept of Manifest Destiny and how it influenced policy decisions
• Analyze the impact that Manifest Destiny/Westward expansion had on Native Americans (Trail of Tears)
• Explain the changes in civil rights (women's voting rights)
• Understand the outcome of the conflicts with Mexico and Texas

Our goal is to be able to understand how progress can have both positive and negative effects, and be able to explain that progress in the context of American history.

How can you help at home?

Encourage your child to read about current events or watch kid-friendly news programs. You can find some links to kid-friendly news websites on the Useful Links page. Help them to connect historical events together in time by drawing timelines and/or associating historical events with personal/family/familiar events.

Go over the notes in their Social Studies binder and the activities on Social Studies Google Classroom. They also have access to the Discovery Education TechBook online by using their Holmdel Google account.