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Unit 3.1 Reading: Westward Expansion & The Age of Jackson

Last updated over 1 year ago
11 questions
Note from the author:
Classwork Directions: Please follow along as we learn about the Louisiana Purchase and analyze John Gast’s “American Progress” painting (1872).
Classwork Directions: Please follow along as we learn about the Louisiana Purchase and analyze John Gast’s “American Progress” painting (1872).
Welcome to Unit 3: Westward Expansion & the Age of Jackson. In this unit, we are going to explore the ways in which the expansion of the United States territory set the scene for what would eventually turn into the worst crisis in our country's history: the Civil War. We are also going to look at how our government significantly changed during the presidency of one of our most controversial leaders, Andrew Jackson.
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Although we are skipping over the first few presidencies to focus on more modern parts of our history, there is one important event that we need to discuss. During _______ presidency, he made a historic deal with France, which greatly expanded the territory of the United States. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 was a land deal with France that cost the United States $15 million to _______ the size of the country for the bargain of _______ cents per acre.
For context:
  • One cent in 1803 = 73 cents today
  • One football field = 1.32 acres
1

Shade the boundaries of The Lousiana Purchase in with your favorite color on the image below.

Once the new territory of the United States was established, thousands of colonists moved to the new territory to find wealth out West. This is known as the time period of Westward Expansion. Let's take a look at a famous painting that symbolizes this era.
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Circle at least three key details of the painting that you observe. Be ready to discuss them with the class!

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Many historians believe that John Gast's painting depicts the key concept of Manifest Destiny, a term that emerged in the _______ as a widespread belief that the United States had a _______ right to "overspread" or _______ across the entire continent (North America).
STOP: The rest of this formative will be completed on your own for homework!

Homework Directions: Please read the following excerpt from Steve Inskeep's article, "Donald Trump and the Legacy of Andrew Jackson."
Andrew Jackson was the president during this important time period of United States History. Jackson was a very polarizing figure; people either loved or hated him. Today, many politicians and historians alike compare Jackson's presidency to that of Donald Trump's. Let's find out why...

By Steve Inskeep from The Atlantic

A portrait of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office.

Credit: Al Drago/The New York Times
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The main purpose of the passage is to

While President Jackson has a lengthy military background, President Trmp never served in the armed forces, receiving five deferments (got out of going to war) from the draft during the Vietnam War, four for education and one for bone spurs in his heels.
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As used in line 2 of the second paragraph, "rigged" most nearly means

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How did the U.S. political system expand in the period after 1800?

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According to this section, what do President Jackson and Trump have in common?

Political Patronage is the appointment or hiring of a person to a government position based on their political party loyalties.
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The author references the phrase "drain the swamp" to emphasize what he sees as

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According to the author, the major difference between Jackson and Trump's victory is that

Required
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On a scale of 1-3, how well did you understand this reading?

If you have any questions, please drop them in the "Show Your Work" box so we can go over them in-class!