Alabama Social Studies SS24.4.11

SS24.4.11 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• SS24.4.11a

  Locate states admitted to the United States between 1812 and 1860 and categorize these states as either “free” or “slave” states.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students explain how the Mexican-American War, new transportation, wagon trails, and the 1849 Gold Rush changed U.S. borders and settlement. They locate states admitted from 1812 through 1860 and identify whether each entered as a free or slave state.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can explain why people took the Oregon Trail and why the Gold Rush drew people to California. They can find states added during this period on a map and label their free or slave status at admission.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think the Gold Rush gave the United States California, though the land was acquired from Mexico before the rush. They may assume every western state entered as a free state or confuse admission with the arrival of the first settlers.

04

How to Assess It

On a blank map, have students label Maine, Missouri, Texas, and California as free or slave at admission. Ask them to write one sentence explaining how the Gold Rush changed California's population.

1. 01

   Give pairs a blank U.S. map and admission cards dated 1812 to 1860; have them place each state and shade it free or slave.

2. 02

   Ask: Why did families take the Oregon Trail despite the risks? Have students use a trail map to support one reason.

3. 03

   Play a card match pairing steamboats, the Mexican-American War, and the Gold Rush with river travel, new territory, and California settlement.

4. 04

   Put an Oregon Trail map beside a current road map; have students mark one river crossing and compare how travelers would cross it.

• SS24.US2.1e

  Summarize the events and factors that led to the United States entry into World War I.

• SS24.US1.5

  Explain causes, courses, and consequences of United States’ expansionism and the rise of Manifest Destiny ideology prior to 1848.

• SS24.US1.5c

  Describe how scientific and technological advances helped facilitate expansion prior to 1848.

• SS24.4.17

  Describe the social, political, and economic impacts of the conflicts, legislation, and treaties that led to the United States acquiring additional territory af...