American II Introduction-The West
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Big Ideas
Organizing Principle
- The Gilded Age fostered the consolidation of business, the government, and disadvantaged economic and social classes.
Essential Question
- Why did people move west? Was the destruction of Native American culture because of this movement inevitable?
Understandings
- Individuals and groups are sometimes motivated to relocate and take risks in order to improve their quality of life.
- Individual risks, aspirations and ingenuity often lead to innovation, economic development and progress.
- As a nation prospers and grows, opportunities may increase for some individuals and groups, while decreasing for others.
Knowledge
- A variety of economic, cultural, and political factors motivated people to migrate westward during the latter part of the 19th Century. This westward expansion positively and negatively impacted various groups and the environment.
- Westward migration threatened diverse American Indian groups on the American frontier, and contributed to the establishment of government policies that encouraged their movement to reservations and eventually, assimilation.
- The financial problems facing 19th century American farmers in the South and West contributed to the rise of social and political movements that permanently changed American politics (e.g., the Grange, Farmers Alliances & the Populist Party)
Skill
- Use Historical Comprehension to explain how the Gilded Age reflected a growing disparity between the “haves” and the “have nots”.
- Use Historical Analysis and Interpretation to critique competing historical interpretations of the significance of the frontier experience in American history.
- Use Historical Analysis and Interpretation to judge the relevance of the Populist Movement to contemporary political party platforms, national elections and party realignment.