Lesson 1: Territorial Expansion

What were the causes and effects of westward expansion from 1844-1877?

The Monroe Doctrine changed the United States and the balance of power in the Western Hemisphere. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams' attention to the issues European nations aimed to manage through the Holy Alliance helped to strategically make a move on Europe's future as a colonial power in the Americas.

The United States continued to acquire territory in the West from direct conflict, cession from Britain and Spain, as well as purchase to further its economic goals.

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"Manifest Destiny"

What beliefs characterized Manifest Destiny?
Why did the United States go to war against Mexico?
What were the key principles of American foreign policy prior to the Civil War?
Was the early United States an empire?
Did American growth help or hinder national unity?

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century belief prevalent in the United States that its settlers were destined to expand across North America, often accompanied by the conviction that this expansion was a God-given right.

Manifest Destiny

Enlarging the National State

On a google doc in the appropriate shared drive folder, recreate the table in the PDF "Enlarging the National State" and fill in the data accordingly.
Map the territories listed in the table. Include the acquisition date next to the label. Use different colors to differentiate the territories.

Expansionism CCOT.pdf

Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War

To what extent did the Mexican War promote the national interest?

Make a google doc in the appropriate shared drive folder.
Read the documents and summarize the arguments for or against American expansion.
Organize your summaries to be either for or against American expansion.

Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War.pdf

Skills Packet

"Interpretation: Mexican War"

"Causation: Manifest Destiny"

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