Expansion and Reform: 1801-1861
U.S. History: Expansion and Reform: 1801-1861
Library of Congress Resources Used:
Unknown. (1857). Passengers from Washington for the West…. Library of
Congress: American Memory, An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Printed Broadsides and other Printed Ephemera.
Unknown. (1842). Negroes for sale. Will be sold at public auction, at Spring Hill…
Library of Congress: American Memory, An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Printed Broadsides and other Printed Ephemera.
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www.PrimarySourceLearning.org
Introductory Activity:
Brainstorm contemporary U.S or world leaders who have entered politics with an agenda to manipulate the masses for their own benefit.
Extension Ideas: (based on primary sources)
1. Group Discussion:
Study each of the flyers. Discuss how each flyer represents the U.S government’s attempt to seek material gains in order to expand their sphere of influence.
2. Individual Response:
Respond to the following: How is your reaction to the mid 19th century U.S government different after reading the contrasting flyers? Record your views then share in a small group.
3. Action:
Place yourself in the mid-19th century, at the scene of one of the flyers. Take the role of either a train passenger seeking a new life out west or as a slave preparing to be auctioned. Present your 1-2 minute skit in small groups. Then, discuss as a class, the contrasting effects of the U.S government’s material and political gains. Did these gains help or hinder the U.S government’s quest to widen their sphere of influence?