This book, telling the story of westward expansion in the words of the people who lived it, presents seventeen full or excerpted documents that provide a wide range of perspectives on this period in history.

Explains the hazardous challenges of daily pioneer life, such as finding the food, water, and fuel that people needed to survive.

In March 1846, about 4,000 U.S. soldiers arrived at the Rio Grande. According to the U.S. claim, this river marked the southern border of Texas. But the area was actually controlled by Mexico. Mexico's leaders were upset. They believed the United States had invaded their country. Building Our Nation is a series of AV2 media enhanced books. A unique book code printed on page 2 unlocks multimedia content. These books come alive with video, audio, weblinks,...

"Gossamer Network presents a new history of the American state and its efforts to conquer, occupy, and integrate the western United States between the 1860s and early 1900s. The success of this project depended on an unassuming government institution: the U.S. Post. As millions of settlers rushed into remote corners of the region, they relied on the mail to stay connected to the wider world. Letters and newspapers, magazines and pamphlets, petitions...

See how Manifest Destiny came about with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory and holdings from Spain. Learn of the conflict with Native American tribes and the Mexican-American War. As the U.S. redefined its borders, it faced issues over resource ownership and treatment of native peoples. Also, the Oregon Trail and the California Gold Rush.

Chronicles the final decades of the American frontier from the time of the Gold Rush until after the last gasp of the Indian wars at Wounded Knee.

"This magnificent arch rises on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri. The nation's tallest monument is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, honoring Thomas Jefferson's vision of westward expansion. Mired in controversy in the beginning, this amazing structure is now a national treasure and symbol of the nation's reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific."--