Event/Person Highlight

Today is February twenty-third, I am John Smith and I am on of the Rebels fighting for the Alamo. I don’t know if I’m going to see tomorrow, the odds are agents us one thousand six hundred strong verses a good four or five thousand. Plus most of us were volunteers and didn’t have much military training. As I was waking up I see one of my buddies who had gotten sick with the flue sleeping. His name was Jason Lee and he was a good guy but a very annoying character. I didn’t want to get near him because I didn’t want to get sick or anything so I threw a rock at him. He didn’t move. I throw a little bit bigger rock, he still didn’t move. I go over to his bead side and see that he must of died last night when he was sleeping. I tried to keep my amoushions in but in the corner of my eye a tear slipped out. I now had to win not only for Texas but also for the loss of my beast friend. I new that the Mexicans were on their way so I get up and go get ready. It’s about ten-thirty and its getting really intense and scary waiting for the massive army coming for us; I go looking around for something to eat. As I’m eating it hits us. Off in the distance we all heard it, the yelling of hundreds of them, the floor was rumbling it felt like an earthquake. Knowing that they were closing in on us we all scrambled to are stations getting ready for the battle of are life. I was one of the field men witch is where you just go out there and go for it. They were about two hundred yards away form the Alamo and they were look-in mean and dangerous. We were all inside of the Alamo waiting for them to attack us. I took about twenty minutes for the first wave of them to come. As they started to charge all I could think about was the fact that we were most likely going to loose and what the hell am I doing here? Captain Almeron Dickinson gave the order to never give up and to give them one hell of a fight. His words were inspiring and thought full. Then they hit us with a booming noise they shot at the wall of the Alamo. We had some men out there and at first they were doing pretty good killing a couple hundred but they were getting tired and slowly their number got smaller and smaller. The Mexican army was insane they just kept coming and coming strong. Caption Dickinson told my group that we were up next, I was nervous but I new I had to do this, not just to stay alive but also for Texas and for Jason. I put my helmet on and made my way out side. The first thing I saw was one of my fellow soldiers gets shot in the face by one of them. Rush and I freak out them I get to them and just start to stab all of them, they were astonished that I had the guts to get up there and do that. I kill about twenty people and someone finally shoots me in my arm knocking the knife out of my hand. I then rushed back towards the Alamo and get my arm bandaged up; by the time I get my arm bandaged up they had gotten in and later taken over. We have lost, a sad day in Texas and in history.

9 Step Lesson Plan - Westward Expansion

1. Westward Expansion Lesson

2. Manifest Destiny

3. What is Manifest Destiny? How did this topic change the United States?

4. Connection: Quick Write- Have you ever gotten into a fight with someone over territory or property?

5. Direct Teaching: show poster and talk about Westward Expansion

6. Step-by-Step: Explain and show example of activity

7. Student-Centered Activity: Creating Comics

8. Assessment: Walking around, checking group work.

9. Closure: Students share their comics and comprehension check

Westward Expansion Summary and Timeline

Westward Expansion Summary

The westward expansion was basically the west side of America (in the 1800s) expanding, separating, and gaining more land. It started in the 1800's, and it started out with a newspaper. John O' Sullivan, a newspaperman, stated that it was America's "manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent". Which meant that it was America's manifest destiny (meaning obvious fate) to expand the land and own more for the country.

That first sparked the "Louisiana Purchase". The U.S. First wanted Port City of New Orleans (near the mouth of Mississippi). But there were thousands of farmers settling the land. They needed that area to load crops onto ships for Europe, or for other cities on the East Coast. The farmers depended on being able to move their crops freely along this route. Louisiana was then given to Spain after the French/Indian War. Then in 1800, French ruler Napolean Bonarte convinced Spain to return Louisiana to France. He had plans for Louisiana, those including hoping to settle territory with thousands of French farmers. Those farmers would raise food for slaves who had wasted on France’s sugar plantations in the Caribbean. The plans for it alarmed the frontier farmers. If Napolean closed the port, farmers would have no way to get the crops to the market.

President Thomas Jefferson understood these food concerns with the farmers. So in 1803, he sent a James Monroe to France with an offer to buy New Orleans for 7.5 million. Years later, a slave named Toussaint L’Ouverture led a slave rebellion in Haiti. Former slaves then defeated the French troops who tried to take back the colony. Napolean no longer needed Louisiana. France and Britain were nearly at war, so Napolean knew that he might lose Louisiana to the British. So James Monroe signed a treaty giving Louisiana to the United States in April 30^th, 1803 in exchange for 15 million.

Most people thought that the Louisiana Purchase looked like the greatest land deal in history. The new territory could double the country’s size. Others thought that it was hard to govern such a large country. Politicians in the East Side, thought they would lose power. People thought that it was too much land, but they had too little money now. People accused Thomas Jefferson of “tearing the Constitution into tatters”, and there was an argument that the purchase was unconstitutional. Late 1803, the senate voted to approve the plan of the Louisiana Purchase treaty. The farmers were delighted.

In 1800, Florida already had a diverse population of Seminole Indians, Spanish colonists, English traders, and runaway slaves. In 1804, Jefferson sent two diplomats to buy Florida, but Spain denied. Many Americans in the South East wanted to take over Florida.

Having runaway slaves angered slave owners (particularly in Georgia). Slaves would run away to Florida, and usually got accepted and welcomed by the Seminole Indians that lived there. Georgia was upset about the Seminole raids. And over the years, Spain’s control of Florida weakened, the Spanish government couldn’t do anything.

In 1818, James Monroe sent Andrew Jackson to Georgia with orders to end raids. They sent 1700 troops. Over the few weeks, they captured every military post in the colony. They also arrested and executed two British subjects. Spain then demanded for them to go back to Washington and be punished for the illegal invasion. In 1819, the Spanish government agreed to yield Florida to the United States.

Most new immigrants showed little respect for Mexican culture, and usually had no intentions of becoming citizens there. So the Mexican government closed Texas to immigrants. The government sent troops to Texas to enforce the immigration laws. Americans resented the actions, calling for a revolution. A William Travis and a Stephen Austin led this. Moses Austin (banker and businessman) dreamed of starting an American colony someday. When Moses died in 1821, his son Stephen took over. They asked to reopen Texas to immigration and make it a separate Mexican state. In 1833, Austin traveled to Mexico and presented the Texan’s demands to the new head of the Mexican Governor, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (who was a power hungry dictator). Santa Anna tossed him in jail without bargaining with him. After Austin was released in 1835, Texas got mad. Santa Anna had 6,000 troops over.

In February of 1836, part of the army had already gotten to San Antonio. About 180 Texans defended the town, the Texans took over the Alamo (an old mission). They sent messengers to other towns in Texas. For reinforcements and not abandoning the Alamo, unfortunately, none came. By March 6^th,, an order came from Santa Anna to storm the fort. Every Alamo defender was dead. Sam Houston (commander of Texas army) understood the Texans’ rage. Their only hope was to retreat. On April, Santa Anna caught up with Houston. Santa Anna expected the Texans to attack at dawn, and the general kept troops awake at night. When no attack came, the Mexicans relaxed, and Santa Anna took a nap. The Houston troops staged a surprise attack, and finally won independence.

Most Texans were Americans who wanted Texas to be part of the United States. But Texas remained independent for about 10 years. The 1844 presidential campaign was influenced by question whether to expand the United States, or not. Texas was finally then admitted as the 28^th state.

In 1819, Oregon was claimed by four different nations, Russia, Spain, Great Britain, and by the United States. Although, Russia dropped out, as well as Spain, over the years. There were very many main reasons why so many nations claimed Oregon. The fertile soil and the towering forests there attracted many settlers. The weather was always sunny, there were unknown diseases, thick trees, and free farms, as well. In 1843, a thousand pioneers headed for Oregon. A year later about twice as many came. Then the United States annexed all of Oregon.

There was a war that broke out in Texas when America decided that they wanted Texas they came to Mexico. America and Texas could not decide on a border for Mexico. Mexico wanted the border of Texas to be at the Nueces River about hundred and fifty miles away from the northwest of Rio Grande. On April 25, 1846, Mexican troops had killed 16 Americans. Two days after that, the congress had declared war on Mexico. A couple of months later, a general by the name of Stephen Kearny led an army to New Mexico. Their mission was to occupy it and then continue to California. In 1848, the United States and Mexico signed a treaty that agreed that America got Texas and a big region known as Mexican Cession which had the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.