The United States Expands

We are currently studying U.S. expansion. Instead of simply learning about how Americans came to control new areas of land, we are judging whether or not the decisions taken to gain control of these lands were right or wrong. In a “response group” activity, students play the role of American policy-makers by reading about the events that led up specific land acquisitions (Louisiana Purchase, Texas Annexation, etc.), and then making their own decisions about what the U.S. should do. Their decisions determine whether or not students can “settle” in newly acquired lands on an abstract floor map of the United States.

James K. Polk

The Battle of New Orleans

As we learned in class, the Battle of New Orleans was the biggest victory for the United States in the War of 1812. Unfortunately, the battle was completely unecessary since it took place two weeks after a peace treaty had been signed (though word hadn't gotten back to the U.S. yet).

Here is a slide show set to the song "The Battle of New Orleans" that we listened to in class on Monday:

The XYZ Affair

Here is a musical version of the XYZ Affair that we read about in chapter 12 (p. 164).

The Election of 1800

Here is what a campaign commercial might have looked like (if they had TV then) for the bitter presidential election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The song used in the commercial is from the musical Les Miserables, which is set during the French Revolution (that was supported by Jefferson).