Westward Expansion Reading

Option A

Lexile: 1060
Word Count: 457
Vocabulary: enslave, importation, mistreatment, westward, plenty, greed, map, injustice, farming, fuel 

In the early days of America, President Jefferson and his team struck a deal with Napoleon of France to buy a huge chunk of land called the Louisiana Territory for only $15 million. This purchase was a big win because it doubled the size of the country and gave plenty of space for farming. 

To explore this new land, Jefferson sent two men known as Lewis and Clark to lead a big adventure. They traveled for two years, mapping the land, collecting samples, and meeting Native American tribes. Sacagawea, a Native American woman from the Shoshone tribe, guided and helped them a lot during their journey.   

The importation of enslaved people was banned in 1808, but the question of slavery still spread westward. Enslavers were still able to trade enslaved people that already lived and worked in the United States. Thanks to new inventions and growing demand, cotton production was growing. Growing desire for cotton increased the need for slavery in the south, especially in places like Alabama and Mississippi. 

Many southerners believed slavery was tied to their right to own property. Many other people disagreed with enslaved people being property, especially in the north. People disagreed about important American principles, like equality and natural rights, and these disagreements were becoming a very big deal. 

In 1820, to try and stop arguments between northern and southern states about slavery, an agreement was made called the Missouri Compromise. It said that Missouri could be a slave state, but Maine had to be a free state. They also drew a line in the Louisiana Territory, saying no new states above this line could have slavery. They were trying to balance the number of free and slave states in the union.  

Fueling the desire to move west was an idea called Manifest Destiny. It was a big idea that said America should expand across North America, bringing freedom and democracy with it. But at the same time, America had problems like slavery, mistreatment of Native Americans, and discrimination against women and immigrants. 

Individual people had many reasons for heading west. Some wanted a better life and cheap land to build farms, others were looking for jobs or hoping to start new communities. Some went for religious reasons, and others to escape racism. 

Moving west was not easy. The journey was long and dangerous, with extreme weather, mountains, rivers, and the threat of attacks. But despite the risks, many believed the opportunities were worth it. 

One sad part of American history is the Trail of Tears, where thousands of Native Americans were forced to leave their homes and move west. This was because of greed for land and resources, and it led to a lot of suffering and death for Native people. 

Overall, America’s expansion west brought both good and bad things. It gave opportunities to many people, but it also caused a lot of pain and injustice, especially for Native Americans. 

 

Option B

Word Count: 453
Lexile: 660
Vocabulary: true, enslaved, unfairness, plenty, farming, invention, unfair, slavery, compromise, equality 

In the early days of America, President Jefferson and his team bought land. They made a deal with Napoleon of France. They bought the Louisiana Territory for only $15 million. This buy was a big win. It doubled the size of the country. It gave plenty of space for farming. 

To explore this new land, Jefferson sent two men known as Lewis and Clark to lead a team to explore the land. They went on a big adventure. They traveled for two years. They were drawing the land. They were collecting samples. They met Native American tribes. Sacagawea, was a Native American woman from the Shoshone tribe. She went with them and helped them a lot during their journey. 

The importation of enslaved people was banned in 1808, but the question of slavery still spread westward. Enslavers were still able to trade enslaved people that were already in the United States. Growing desire for cotton increased the need for slavery in the south. 

Many southerners believed slavery was tied to their right to own property. Many other people disagreed with enslaved people being property, especially in the north. People disagreed about important American principles, like equality and natural rights, and these disagreements were becoming a very big deal. 

To try and stop arguments between northern and southern states about slavery, a deal was made. It was called the Missouri Compromise in 1820. It said Missouri could be a slave state. But Maine had to be a free state. A line was also drawn in the Louisiana Territory. No enslaved people could be owned above it. 

Manifest Destiny was a big idea at the time. It said America should grow across North America. America would spread freedom and liberty in the west. But at the same time, America had problems. It was forcing people to work without pay and not treating them as humans. It treated Native Americans badly. It was unfair to women and immigrants.  

One sad part of American history is the Trail of Tears. Thousands of Native Americans were forced to leave their homes and move west. This was because of Americans wanting land and resources. It led to a lot of pain and death for Native people. 

People had lots of reasons for heading west. Some wanted a better life and bought cheap land. Others were looking for jobs or hoping to start new communities. Some went for religious reasons. Others to escape bad treatment because of race.  

Moving west was not easy. The journey was long and dangerous. It had extreme weather, mountains, and rivers. There was the danger of attacks. But despite the risks, many believed the opportunities were worth it.  

In the end, America’s growth west brought both good and bad things. It gave opportunities to many people. But it also caused a lot of pain and unfairness, especially for Native Americans.