America's Westward Expansion

Understanding how thirteen Atlantic states became a continent-spanning nation is key to understanding our nation's first century. Conflicts between Europeans, Americans, and Native Americans, a long list of wars and battles, plus immigration and the tumultuous issue of slavery are summed up in America's Westward Expansion. This excellent tape covers the first eighty years of the Republic and includes important concepts such as the different views of land ownership held by Native Americans and whites, the dismal record of broken treaties, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Indian Removal Act, and Manifest Destiny (the 1840's view that God destined the United States to reach from ocean to ocean). Concerns about the expansion of slavery into the new territories helps viewers understand the prelude to the Civil War. Using archival material from ten museums and collections, employing top-drawer production values, and including an excellent teacher's guide, this tape is highly recommended for school and public libraries, despite there being no mention of Florida's entry to the union or the Gadsden Purchase. Aud: I, J, H, P. (R. Reagan)