People and Perspectives

As the American government purchased territories and settlers pushed further west to fulfill what they believed was their Manifest Destiny, conflicts began to arise between groups.

Presidents passed various laws to acquire more territory. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803, for example, was the largest territorial gain in the United States' history. As settlers and explorers moved into new territories, their increasing numbers meant that the native people living there sometimes had to move elsewhere. This led to many conflicts.

Read more about the lives of the native people, politicians, settlers, explorers, and entrepreneurs to get an idea of how their destinies intertwined

You will research the lives of real people who lived through the westward expansion period of American history. Use the list of individuals that we give you. If you are interested in studying other historical figures not listed on this website, let your teacher or librarian know!

For this project, you will choose one Native People and one Politician.

You will also select one individual from the Pioneers category (Explorers, Entrepreneurs, OR Settlers).

In total, you will study three individuals.

While learning about the lives of these people, try to bear in mind the struggles and triumphs that their people as a whole faced.

You must consider many different perspectives during this project.

Take detailed notes on each individual and keep track of your sources with the Electronic Work Cited Worksheet.