Alabama Social Studies SS24.US1.5a
The Standard
- SS24.US1.5
- Explain causes, courses, and consequences of United States’ expansionism and the rise of Manifest Destiny ideology prior to 1848.
Describe how the Treaty of Paris of 1783, Northwest Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Louisiana Purchase affected American territorial expansion.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students show how U.S. borders changed in 1783 and 1803. They explain how the 1785 land survey prepared western land for sale and how the 1787 law set rules for territorial government and statehood.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can mark the Mississippi River as the 1783 western border and shade the Louisiana Purchase on a map. They can explain that the 1785 law divided land for sale, while the 1787 law set a path to statehood.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the 1785 and 1787 laws added new territory. They may mix up the 1785 survey with the 1787 statehood rules, or think the Louisiana Purchase reached the Pacific.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Match 1783, 1785, 1787, and 1803 to borders, land surveys, statehood rules, or new western territory. Circle the two events that changed U.S. borders.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs blank maps and four event cards; have them mark border changes, sketch the survey grid, and label the statehood path.
Ask students to write two sentences answering: How could the 1785 and 1787 laws change settlement without adding land?
Play a four-corner sort with effects read aloud and corners labeled 1783 treaty, 1785 survey, 1787 ordinance, and 1803 purchase.
Open an Indiana county parcel map and have students find square property boundaries that reflect the 1785 survey grid.
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Related Standards
- 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...
- SS24.6.9b
Analyze how the Treaty of Paris of 1783 affected the development of the United States, including the establishment of its boundaries.
- SS24.6.10b
Describe how the Northwest Land Ordinances of 1785 and 1787 established a foundation for future territorial growth of the United States and restricted the growt...
- SS24.4.6d
Explain how the Treaty of Paris (1783) and Pinckney’s Treaty helped set the boundaries of the United States, including the area that would become Alabama.
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