Conquer It

The belief in manifest destiny prompted Americans to migrate west. In this activity, you will analyze a map, a chart, text information and photography to integrate information about how American migration led to the expansion of the western border to the Pacific Ocean.

Before beginning this activity, download and print the graphic organizer. This will help you analyze the information in each source and integrate this information in order to understand how the United States expanded to the Pacific Ocean.

Westward Migration graphic organizer

As you analyze each source, make a list of the information you find.

To examine a map of westward migration, click on the map to enlarge the areas of the map:

Mappery: American Expansion 1818-1853Opens a new window

To read why Americans migrated west in the 1800s:

Winchester Public Schools: Reasons for Migrating WestOpens a new window

To examine the percentage of people living in each region of the United States:

ElderWeb: U.S. Population by Region, 1790-1990Opens a new window

To examine a photograph of a family traveling westward:

First Regional Library: Journey StoriesOpens a new window

What information did you learn about westward expansion from the map?

What information did you learn about why people migrated west from the written text?

What did you learn about the population shift between 1790 and 1890 from the chart?

What did you learn about traveling west from the photograph?