U.S. Territorial Acquisitions, 1803–1853

GUIDE TO GEOGRAPHY CHALLENGE

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50° BRITISH CANADA N K

130°W

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Gulf of Mexico PACIFIC MEXICO OCEAN 20°N

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110°W 80°W 0 404000 800800 milesmiles

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USI_LG_U05_01 U.S. Territorial Acquisitions, 1803–1853 Four© Teachers’th Proof Curriculum Institute Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation 1 TCI19 83 GUIDE TO GEOGRAPHY CHALLENGE

Geography Skills 11. Had the Louisiana Territory not become part of the United States, Americans traveling to Score 1 point for each correct answer. Use the Oregon and California would have had to map on the previous page to check shading cross land that belonged to another nation. and labeling. This might have discouraged Americans from 1. Adding the Louisiana Territory in 1803 about settling in these regions. doubled the size of the United States. 2. Texas was added in 1845 and the Mexican Cession in 1848. The Gadsden Purchase was Using Scores to Inform Instruction the other territory acquired from Mexico. Geography Skills A score of 6 out of 9 or better 3. The Oregon Trail crossed the Louisiana indicates that students have acquired sufficient Territory on the way to Portland. The Santa geographic information to proceed with the unit. Fe Trail crossed it on the way to Santa Fe. The Critical Thinking A score of 6 out of 9 or better California Trail crossed it on the way indicates that students are beginning to to Sacramento. understand the relationships between physical 4. The United States added Oregon Country geography and the different ways in which in 1846. people live. 5. The western end of the Old Spanish Trail was Los Angeles. Modifying Instruction 6. Following the Santa Fe and Old Spanish trails ELL or Learners with Special Education Needs to California required settlers to cross the Consider focusing on map-reading questions Arkansas River, Rio Grande, and Colorado or limiting the number of “Critical Thinking” River as well as the Rocky Mountains and questions. Sierra Nevada. (Note: Students may not be Students with Weak Map or Critical certain about the Arkansas River.) Thinking Skills 7. The California Trail left the Oregon Trail at Assign appropriate pages from the Social Studies Fort Hall. Skills Toolkit in the back of the Lesson Masters. 8. The Mormon, California, and Oregon trails crossed the Rocky Mountains at South Pass.

Critical Thinking Questions may have more than one correct answer. Score 1 to 3 points for each reasonable answer, depending on the strength of students’ geographic reasoning. Possible answers are given here. 9. By following rivers, the trails provided travelers with a source of water along much of their journey. 10. Moving wagons over mountains, and with snow and cold weather, would have been slower than riding over flat land.