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8th grade · Social Studies · Unit 8 of 10

Westward Expansion

Jackson, Indian removal, Texas and the US–Mexican War

What your child practices

Jacksonian democracy, the Indian Removal Act, Worcester v. Georgia and the Trail of Tears, Manifest Destiny, Texas annexation, and the causes and effects of the US–Mexican War. The Cherokee Nation and other nations are described as living, self-governing nations.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 8.5(G); 8.5(H); 8.6(B); 8.6(C); 8.10(A) · the election of Jackson, Cherokee removal, westward growth, and the US–Mexican War

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Under Andrew Jackson, the Indian Removal Act forced Native nations west; the Cherokee’s forced march in 1838 is called the Trail of Tears.
  2. Texas won independence from Mexico in 1836, after the defeat at the Alamo, and joined the US in 1845.
  3. The US–Mexican War (1846–48) added more land; many opposed it as a land grab that would spread slavery.

Example: Who defeated the Texan defenders at the Alamo in 1836? The Alamo was a mission in San Antonio. Texas was fighting for independence from Mexico. Mexican troops led by Santa Anna won there. Answer: Mexican troops under Santa Anna

Westward Expansion in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 8 of 10 in 8th grade Social Studies, after A New Nation and before A Nation Divided.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Jacksonian democracy expanded voting to…

    • most white men, without property requirements
    • enslaved people
    • all people
    • women

  2. Question 2

    The Trail of Tears was…

    • A trade route to Mexico
    • A route to the gold fields
    • A railroad
    • The forced removal of the Cherokee from their homelands, where thousands died

  3. Question 3

    In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the Supreme Court ruled that Georgia's laws…

    • did not apply in the Cherokee Nation
    • ended Cherokee self-government
    • could remove the Cherokee
    • created a new state

  4. Question 4

    One cause of the US–Mexican War was a dispute over whether the Texas border was the Nueces River or the…

    • Mississippi River
    • Rio Grande
    • Sabine River
    • Red River

  5. Question 5

    The California Gold Rush began in…

    • 1897
    • 1812
    • 1776
    • 1848–1849

  6. Question 6

    In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the Supreme Court ruled that…

    • Treaties don't matter
    • The Cherokee must leave
    • Georgia owned the Cherokee
    • Georgia could not make laws over the Cherokee Nation

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