Westward Expansion

Subject: Social Studies  ·  Grade level: 5th

How the U.S. grew across the continent — and who paid the price. In the 1800s, the United States expanded from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The story includes

In this lesson

• Key events
• Manifest Destiny
• Costs & consequences

Key terms

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century belief that U.S. expansion was inevitable and justified.

Trail of Tears

The forced removal of Cherokee and other tribes from the Southeast.

Frontier

The boundary between settled and unsettled land.

Westward Expansion lesson on BrightPath

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