Alabama Social Studies SS24.4.17b
The Standard
- 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 after the Civil War.
Locate states admitted to and territories acquired by the United States between 1865 and 1900, and describe how these additional territories were acquired.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students find states admitted from 1865 to 1900 and places the United States gained during those years. They tell statehood apart from buying land, annexing islands, and receiving territory after a war.
What Mastery Looks Like
- On a map, a student marks Nebraska and Utah as states admitted during this period. They locate Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico and explain that Alaska was bought from Russia, Hawaii was annexed, and Spain ceded Puerto Rico after a war.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Alaska and Hawaii were already states by 1900. They may confuse admitting a state with gaining new land, or place Puerto Rico inside the mainland.
How to Assess It
- Give students a blank map with Pacific and Caribbean insets. Ask them to mark Utah, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, then label Utah's admission and explain how the other three came under U.S. control.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a blank map and event cards for Nebraska statehood, Alaska's purchase, Hawaii's annexation, and Puerto Rico's cession; have them place each card.
Ask students to write two sentences explaining why Nebraska joined as a state while Alaska joined through a purchase.
Run a card sort matching Colorado, Utah, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico to admission, purchase, annexation, or cession.
Use a current atlas to find Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico; students compare their status today with how each joined the United States.
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