Lesson Plan

A Map Changed by Destiny

Men on horses
Grade Level:
Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Subject:
Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
30 Minutes
State Standards:
Kansas Eighth Grade Social Studies Standard Five.
Kansas Seventh Grade Social Studies Standard Six
Missouri Middle School American History, Theme Five, Expansion
Thinking Skills:
Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.

Essential Question

How can we learn to get along with people who are different?

Objective

Identify positive and negative impacts of westward expansion for the United States, Mexico, and Native American nations.

Background

In the 1840s, westward expansion proceeded at a rapid pace. Promises of wide-open spaces and inexpensive land with rich soil enticed many people in the East to pack up their possessions and head West. As the population of Americans on the West Coast increased, so too did the nation's desire to actually own the land that these Americans were settling. The phrase "Manifest Destiny" was coined to describe the philosophy shared by many that the United States had a divine right to become a transcontinental nation. To that end, the 1840s became a decade of rapid territorial acquisition and expansion.

Dragoon soldiers from Fort Scott participated in many activities that contributed to westward expansion. They provided armed escorts for parties on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, surveyed unmapped country, and maintained contact with Plains Indians. Each summer, from 1843-45, several companies of dragoons, including Company A, 1st U.S. Dragoons, from Fort Scott, participated in military expeditions along the overland trails. The purpose of these expeditions was to protect travel and trade along the trails and to keep the Plains Indians at peace.

 

Preparation

  1. Watch the video about dragoon soldiers under additional materials
  2. Have students read the following two articles from our website  https://www.nps.gov/articles/pifront.htm
    https://www.nps.gov/articles/draggonexped.htm

Materials

Lesson Hook/Preview

Think of a time that you have moved. Why did you move? Did you find yourself with new neighbors? How did you get along with new neighbors? Were they different from you?

Procedure

  1. Have a discussion on dragoons and their horses. Show the 360 image of the stables and the tackroom from the fort's websiite https://www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualstables.htm
  2. Ask student to look for an item that they think would be most importatn to take on a trip.  What do you do to get ready for your own trip? Why did you pick this item as being essential for the well-being of the dragoons?
  3. Have a map staged of the Permanent Indian Frontier with location cards : Missouri, Texas, Indian Territory, Santa Fe-New Mexico, Oregon Territory, Mexican Cession
  4. Students role play duty of soldiers on the frontier.Six students-one infantry, one dragoon,-two settlers, two Native Americans.
  5. Dialogic Questions Why might neighbors argue? When is it ok not to enforce laws?
  6. Students role play characters of westward expansion taking appropriate positions on the map. Five students Santa Fe Trader, Texan Freebooter, Oregon pioneers-male and female,
  7. Dialogic Questions Who has the right to determine who lives where?

Vocabulary

Dragoon soldiers-soldiers who fight on horseback and on foot.

Additional Resources

Dragoon Video

Contact Information

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Tags: fort scott nhs history westward expansion native american history dragoons settlers

Last updated: September 30, 2021