American West

Land : Conflict and Manifest Destiny

Wilfs

• To understand how settlers and Indians attitudes to land are different

• To annotate sources to explain Manifest Destiny

• Analysis of sources and evaluation of the importance of the idea

Starter

• "Some of our chiefs make the claim that the land belongs to us. It is not what the Great Spirit told me. He told me that the lands belong to Him, that no people owns the land; that I was not to forget to tell this to the white people when I met them in council."

Main Learning

• Look at Sources 3, 4 and 5 on page 49

• With a partner jot down ideas of the problems these different views may cause

• Complete question 1 from the worksheet and the extension if you finish in the time

• 15 minutes

Manifest Destiny

• Whatever Indians said or did, settlement of the West was going to be inevitable as people flooded into the USA looking for a better life

Westwards we go!

• Page 50• Read the quote in italics• What does John L. O’Sullivan

mean?

What does the idea mean?

• That the USA was destined to dominate the continent

• Filling up land with US citizens as parts of USA claimed by other countries- see map

• Americans believed their country was an excellent example of freedom loving people whose blessings should spread across the whole of the USA!

Plenary

• Write down your understanding of Manifest Destiny

• Evaluate what you have learned and explain why this idea is important

• How is it linked to the Humanitarian and Hardliner attitudes?

Homework

• Complete the questions from the worksheet on Manifest Destiny