Unit 3: Expansion and Progress

Unit Description

This unit explores how inventions and industrialization impacted Americans during West Expansion, the Industrial Revolution, and the Great Migration. Students learn how changes in technology affected the country’s development through an economic lens.

After the Revolutionary War ended, our young country began to expand. As America gained more land in the West, American settlers started moving westward in hopes of new opportunities and a better life. As the United States grew, there was also a need to still stay connected through efficient trade and transportation routes. New inventions during Westward Expansion began to increase the speed in which people and goods were able to move across the country.

However, westward expansion also had a negative effect on oppressed populations. This migration had life changing on Native Americans who already inhabited these lands. As conflict took place between settlers and Native Americans in the west, an even bigger conflict began between the North and South over the issue of slavery.

Through the advancements made during the Industrial Revolution, more jobs were created, and cities in the Northeast experienced an incredible amount of economic growth. Cities also became more diverse as a result, leading to the United States being known as a “melting pot” of cultures. Immigrant workers also faced poverty in cities and dangerous working conditions.

Progress and change also affected the African American community during the Great Migration. Driven from their homes by unsatisfactory economic opportunities and harsh segregation laws, many African Americans headed north, where they took advantage of the need for industrial workers that first arose during the First World War. As Chicago, New York and other cities saw their black populations expand, migrants were forced to deal with poor working conditions and competition for living space, as well as widespread racism.

This unit explores how changes led Americans to make tough economic decisions throughout 3 distinct American periods. Why do people choose to move? What risks and sacrifices do people take in order to make money? How do businesses profit at the expense of immigrants and minorities? Americans throughout these periods, including Americans today, have to make hard economic decisions, like leaving their families to join factory workers, fighting for workers’ rights, and deciding how to spend their limited money.

Essential Question

Why do nations expand and grow and how does it affect people's lives?

Themes

We rely on e perspectives to construct accounts of the past.
Nations expand their land in order to increase power and improve their lives, which often has negative consequences on the lives of oppressed people.
People make economic decisions based on needs and wants.
When people migrate, cultures mix together and change.
Nations enter conflicts to increase their power and defend their way of life.
New inventions change the world and how people live in it.

Standards Addressed

4.2.3 Explain the voluntary migration of people and its significance in the development of the boundaries of the United States
4.2.4 Draw conclusions about the relationship of significant events in the history of the United States to the expansion of democracy in the United States
4.2.5 Use the concepts “melting pot,” “salad bowl,” and “cultural mosaic” to explain the impact of immigration on population growth and diversity in the United States
4.3.1 Explain how inventions and new processes affected the lives of people, migration, and the economy of regions of the United States
4.9.1 Develop a logical argument to support the choice of a particular want after all needs are met
4.9.2 Identify examples of human, natural, and capital resources and explain how these resources are used to produce goods and provide services
4.9.3 Define the terms profit and risk and explain how they relate to each other
4.9.4 Investigate the relationship between supply, demand, and price
4.9.5 Describe how government pays for goods and services through taxes and fees
4.9.6 Summarize the roles of households, businesses, jobs, banks, and governments in the economy
4.9.7 Explain why individuals and businesses engage in barter and trade
4.9.8 Differentiate between money (currency), checks, debit cards, and credit cards and identify advantages and disadvantages of each type of monetary exchange
4.9.9 Define budget, income, and expense and explain the benefits of making and following a budget
4.9.10 Analyze the benefits of increasing skills and knowledge in order to meet needs and want.

Unit Outcomes

Students will know:

Westward Expansion:

The causes of Westward Expansion
The effects of Westward Expansion on both the lives of colonists and the lives of Native Americans (the Trail of Tears, Indian Removal)
The concept of Manifest Destiny and how it led to the expansion of territory
How important inventions of the 1900s affected the lives of people and the economy of the United States

Industrialization and Urbanization:

the effects of industrialization on the economy, jobs, and settlement patterns in the United States.
industrial hubs were located in cities in the Northeast United States because of proximity to water and trade routes.
Industrialization made production cheaper and faster, making consumer goods more accessible to average Americans.
industrialization impacted where people lived and what they did for work.
the rise of factories created jobs in cities, leading to rapid urbanization in the North.

Changing Face of Cities:

life for immigrants coming to the United States during the early 20^th century was difficult.
the rise of factory jobs during industrialization led many European immigrants to come to the United States in search of economic opportunity and that millions of Immigrants left their countries of origin for a variety of reasons including famine, lack of economic opportunity, or persecution around the turn of the 20^th century (early 1900s).
the influx of immigrants contributed to a more diverse culture, but it also created problems with overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in urban centers.
some Americans saw immigrants as a threat to American jobs and treated them poorly as a result.
women worked to improve the conditions for people living in rapidly growing cities by pushing for reform and creating settlement houses.
understand the experience of African Americans during the period of rapid urbanization and that as African Americans faced more violence and discrimination in the South, many migrate to Northern cities in search of a better life.
how African Americans contributed to city culture during the Harlem Renaissance.
the causes and effects of the mass migration of African Americans from the rural South to urban North.

Innovation:

inventions and technology impacted peoples’ everyday life.
technology has helped people to live longer because advancements in medical technology dramatically increase the life expectancy of people.
knowledge of basic health and sanitation, particularly lacking during industrialization, have also kept people from getting sick.
new household inventions make domestic life easier and more convenient, as well as impact supply & demand and the consumer economy.

Students will be able to:

Annotate documents
Source documents
Contextualize sources
Close read sources

Writing:

Strong body paragraphs
- ToSEEC
- Topic Sentences
- 2 types of evidence
- Context
Strengthening evidence
- Transition Words
- Introducing Text Evidence
- Elaboration
Strengthening Elaborations
- Elaboration
- Concluding Sentence
- Context part

Potential Misconceptions

Students may confuse descriptions of life in the North and the South
Students may confuse timelines of specific events in United States History.
Many events in this unit happened simultaneously. Kids may confuse the order in which we cover stuff with chronological order.
Kids may think that technology = electronics. Make sure you define for them what technology means and tell them that all of the inventions of the 1900s were considered technology.
Students may confuse international immigration to the Northeast with the Great Migration of African Americans from the Southern United States
Students may confuse the term “The Great Migration” with other terms such as Westward Expansion, Voluntary Migration, or Involuntary Migration that have already been taught
Students may confuse the terms profit and risk
Students may mistake the term “barter” as a synonym for trade
Students may confuse the term Industrial Revolution with American Revolution
Students will not know that “20th century” really means the 1900s.
Students may think that when supply goes up, demand always goes up (or vice versa)
Students may confuse the purposes of credit cards, debit cards, and checks.

Vocabulary

Thomas Jefferson - 3rd president of the US; purchase the Louisiana Purchase from France
Napoleon- leader of France, sold the Louisiana Purchase to the US
The Louisiana Purchase- Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon of France. It doubled America’s size for only $15 million
Lewis and Clark- led the first expedition into the territory gained by the Louisiana Purchase; opened the door for westward expansion.
Manifest Destiny- the belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable (they had the right to do it, and it was going to happen no matter what)
The Homestead Act- law that allowed United States citizens to buy land in the West at a very cheap price.
homesteaders- people that owned land in the west from the Homestead Act
pioneers- a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area.
frontier- land that isn’t yet settled yet; the American West during this time period
economic opportunities- ways to make money
innovation- a new idea or product
steel plow- an invention that helped homesteaders grow crops more easily
The Oregon Trail- a roughly defined route that led people from the Eastern United States to the West in search of better lives in the west
Gold Rush- a time when Americans rushed westward to find gold in California
westward expansion- after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, almost 7 million Americans migrated west in hopes of securing land and riches
Trail of Tears- the forced removal and relocation of Native Americans by the US government from their homelands
“Indian reservations”- small areas where the US forced Native American tribes to live following their removal from their homelands
The Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 - an event that led US troops to fire on the peaceful tribe, killing dozens of Native American men, women, and children.
cotton gin - an invention that led to an increase in cotton production and a boom in the population of enslaved population in the US
production- the action of making something
demand- how many people want a product
economy- the system of how money is made and used within a particular country or region
profitable- making money off something
Erie Canal - built in 1817 for boats to be able to travel more directly; stretched over 300 miles across the state of New York
National Road - the first highway in America; made travel and transportation faster and cheaper
steamship- a boat powered by steam that increased the speed of travel and transportation on water
Transcontinental Railroad - first railroad to connect the West Coast settlers to the population of the East Coast; made travel and transportation faster and cheaper
Industrial Revolution-A period of major advancements in manufacturing, technology, and jobs that took place during the late 1800s and early 1900s in the United States.
industrialization: the change from an agricultural economy to manufacturing
manufacture: to make something on a large scale using machinery
agrarian - economy based on farming; agricultural; rural
steamboat - new boat technology that made shipping materials faster and cheaper
spinning wheel- a machine for spinning thread; made cloth-making faster and cheaper
assembly line- a system of workers and machines in a factory that assemble one product
price - goods and services; determined by supply and demand
supply-the amount of a good available to purchase
demand-the amount of a good or service people want to buy.
consumers-buyers who spend money on goods and services
producers-people or companies that provide a good or a service
transportation - ways of moving people or goods from place to place
natural resource - useful materials that come from the earth (lumber, oil, gold)
human resource- a person who makes products or provides services; also known as producers
capital resource- things needed to produce goods and services (computers, tools, money)
Industrial Revolution - the switch from making things by hand to making things with machines
industrialization - the change from an agricultural economy to manufacturing
manufacture - to make something on a large scale using machinery
profitable - making money from
rural: countryside
urban: city
urbanization-when many people move to cities and increase the population
industrial - factory-based
immigrant - someone who comes to live permanently in a new country
economic opportunity - new way to make money
tenement - narrow, low-rise apartment buildings in 19th century cities that many immigrants lived in
budget- a plan for how an amount of money will be spent in order to meet all needs and wants
need-something a person cannot live without.
want-something a person would like to have, but can live without.
good - something you buy that you can feel and touch (bicycle, hamburger)
service - work someone does for someone else
barter - an exchange of goods or services without using money; trade
credit- loaning money
income- money made from a job
expenses - money you need to spend
profit- money made after all expenses are paid
risk-the possibility that something bad or unpleasant (such as losing money) will happen.
savings - money a person earns but does not spend right away
credit card- a small plastic card that allows you to make purchases without having themoney right then; the credit card company pays for you now, you pay the credit card company later with an additional fee.
debit card- a small plastic card that allows you to buy things by electronically taking your money directly from your bank account
check- a piece of paper that takes money directly from your account once it is deposited
career - a job in a specialized field that someone does for a long time
job requirements - things you have to know in order to do the job.
Harlem Renaissance - a movement in the 1920s and 1930s in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City where many African American artists and activists created an explosion of art, culture, and influence.
The Great Migration-the migration (movement) of 6 million African Americans from the rural farms of the South to the Urban cities of the Northeast for jobs and better opportunities.
segregation- the separation of people by race
Civil Rights Movement- a mass popular movement to secure equal rights for African-Americans
desegregate- to end a policy of racial segregation
Martin Luther King Jr. - the leader of the Civil Rights Movement
activist- a person who campaigns for some kind of social change
non-violent resistance - refusing to follow certain laws as a peaceful form of political protest
protest - a statement or action objecting to something
boycott- when a group of people refuse to buy from a company
sit-Ins- to occupy a place as a form of protest
Montgomery Bus Boycott- African Americans boycotted the segregated public bus system and desegregated the buses
Rosa Parks - activist who refused to give up her seat to a white person and sit in the back of the bus; started the Montgomery Bus Boycott
lunch-counter sit ins - a tactic used to desegregate restaurants
The March on Washington - large protest for civil rights for African Americans in 1963
"I Have a Dream" - Martin Luther King Jr’s speech at the March on Washington in which he called for an end to racism
citizen - a native or naturalized person of a country who has rights and responsibilities
democracy- a government run by the people. Each citizen has a say (or vote) in how the government is run.
citizenship - the status of being a citizen; gaining the full rights and protections of a citizen
literacy tests- device used to prevent African Americans from qualifying to vote; did not actually test literacy
poll taxes- extra money required to vote; device used to prevent African Americans from voting
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - outlawed and criminalized discrimination and segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
discrimination- unjust treatment of people based on race, age, or sex
Voting Rights Act of 1965- Civil Rights law that eliminated literacy tests and poll taxes.
technology: new ideas and inventions that change work and quality of life
innovation - a new method, idea, product, etc.