Directions for the Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation Project

Driving Question: How did the United States expand its borders from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean?

Overview of the project: You will become a member of a consultation group that has been asked by the

U.S. government to assess the means of acquisition of certain parts of the country during the era of

territorial expansion, also known as Manifest Destiny. Your final assessment should include reports (6)

on six different territories acquired by the United States between the years 1803 and 1853. To conclude

your project, you will design a report card complete with letter grades for each portion of acquired

territory.

What each report should include: Each report should have three essential elements; the basic facts as

to how the government acquired each territory; an explanation as to why your firm (group) gave it the

letter grade that you did; suggestions as to how the government could have received a higher grade.

Reports should follow the order previously stated: facts; explanation; suggestions. Each report should

contain a title with a clear letter grade. Each report should include its own bibliography (*remember a

bibliography contains both works cited and works consulted). To make things easier, I suggest using

ezbib.com for completion of bibliographies.

Specifics of each report: You’re probably wondering how much detail you need to include and how long

each report should be. The answer: it’s up to your group. You need to include enough detail for the

reader to gain a clear understanding of how each territory was acquired. For example, when dealing

with the Mexican Cession Area, do not begin with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, instead, explain the

causes of war with Mexico that eventually led to the treaty. As far as the length of each report, it

depends on the territory addressed. However, each report should be at least 1 ½ pages. Guidelines for

the layout of each report are as follows: 1 inch margins on top, bottom, left and right; 12 point font; 1 ½

line spacing.

What to consider when giving a grade: There are several factors to consider when giving a territorial

acquisition a grade. What did it cost the United States to get the territory (i.e. dollars, lives lost in war)?

How did it affect international relations? Did the acquisition violate moral standards? What were the

benefits of gaining the territory?

What the final product should look like: The final product should be an assessment of the government’s

territorial expansion between the 1803 and 1853. What this means is that all six reports should become

part of one document. The document, or the assessment, must have a title page that includes the name

of the group (what is the name of your firm?) and the names of each group member, as well as a title for

the assessment. The assessment should have a table of contents, which should be the first page of the

assessment. Then, each report should be included according to the table of contents. I suggest putting

the reports in chronological order, beginning with the Louisiana Purchase and ending with the Gadsden

Purchase. The final assessment should then be adhered to the side of a trifold presentation board.

Your group will then design a large report card to be placed in the middle of the trifold presentation

board. You can make the report card however you like, but it should be clear to the reader which grade

you gave each territorial acquisition with a map that details each acquisition. On the last side of the

trifold presentation board, you should include the portion of the project that is to be completed in your

math/science class.

Dividing up the work: Your group can divide up the work however you like. You can assign territorial

acquisition reports to specific group members. You can also divide up the reports if you like (one person

researches the facts, one writes the explanation of the grade, and one writes the suggestions). I suggest

you all work on Google.docs so your work is always saved and that each group member always has

access to the assessment. Remember, one group member is the owner and must invite the rest of the

group, with editing powers.

Presenting to the class: Yes, you will be presenting your findings to the class. Presentations will focus on

why your group gave each acquisition the grade that it did, and the suggestions put forth in the reports.

Your group may include a multimedia presentation (i.e. Powerpoint, Prezi).

Due Date: The final product (completed trifold presentation board) will be due Wednesday, April 23.

Your group will be presenting either April 23 or April 24.

**Remember: Always research your territory before writing about it.