PSA: Westward Expansion – Was it a Time of Development or Disaster?

The story of America’s westward expansion never ceases to capture the imagination. Perhaps this is because of our movies that show sweeping vistas accompanied by orchestral music. Perhaps it is the variety of endangered pioneer families, gunfights, scrapes with natives, bank heists, and train robberies. Perhaps it is the appeal of the age-old tale of good versus evil, where the good guy whips the bad guy without losing his hat or getting dirty. Perhaps we simply connect with the hope felt by generations who moved west seeking a better life. How historically accurate is our image of Westward Expansion? Was it as exciting and lucrative as popular fiction would have us believe? This PSA explores the truth behind America’s giant push to the west coast. Was it a Time of Development or Disaster? Examine the evidence and you decide!

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Primary Source Analysis Collection (20 Units)

Bundle Includes 20 Units:
Exploration
Colonization
Road to Revolution
American Revolution
Articles of Confederation
The Federalists
The Jeffersonians
Lewis and Clark
Industrial Revolution
Andrew Jackson
Manifest Destiny
Mexican-American War
Westward Expansion
Slave Narratives
Social Reform
Oddball Presidents
Civil War
Reconstruction
The Closing of the West
Florida History