Impacts of Westward Expansion
Grade 11th Grade · Social Studies · 45 min
What's Included
Learning Objective
I can analyze the social, economic, and political impacts of westward expansion on different groups in the United States.
Warm-Up Video
PBS · 9:11
The Industrial Expansion West and Its Impact | The American Buffalo | A Film by Ken Burns | PBS
Guided Notes
3 key concepts
- 1
After the Civil War, railroad companies like the Kansas Pacific hired people to hunt buffalo to feed their crews, leading to the popularization of figures like Buffalo Bill.
- 2
The Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek in Kansas aimed to establish peace between the U.S. government and several Native American tribes by encouraging white settlement north of the Arkansas River and moving the tribes onto reservations in present-day Oklahoma.
- 3
The treaties signed at Medicine Lodge Creek and Fort Laramie both contained clauses that allowed Native tribes to continue hunting outside of reservations as long as there were buffalo, but General William Tecumseh Sherman predicted that the buffalo would soon become extinct near the railroads.
Practice Questions
8 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer
Exit Ticket
Quick comprehension check
“Explain one social, one economic, and one political impact of westward expansion on Native Americans, based on the video.”
Teacher Guide
Get the complete package:
- Answer keys for all questions
- Differentiation strategies
- Extension activities
- Printable student handouts
