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Social Studies: Social Studies Week of 2/13: The Texas Cattle Industry & Cattle Drives in Texas The students will be reading about this history of the Texas Cattle Industry which began in the 1500s when Spanish explorers brought horses to new world. After the Civil War, more herds were brought to Texas. The industry expanded, and ranchers sold cattle all over the U.S. They had to take herds on cattle drives to the closest railroad in order to ship them to the desired city. Cattle Drives continued until the 1880s when fences began popping up on the "open range." The students will take notes on the industry which will be used to pen a "Cattle Drive Journal" which chronicles a cowhand's journey on a cattle drive. Week of 2/6: Causes and Effects of wars that involved Texas - The students will be reading about 3 wars that Texas participated in during the 2nd half of the nineteenth century. These wars will be discussed in the context of their causes and their effects. The United States and Mexico at War - After Texas declared independence from Mexico, the Mexicans did not give up the fight for that land. Now that Texas was a state in the United States, they no longer had to face Mexico alone. The Mexican War lasted from April 1846 to February 1848 when U.S. soldiers took control of Mexico City. Reasons for fighting: 1. U.S. wanted to expand its borders (under President Polk). 2. Mexico and the U.S. disagreed over the boundary between Texas and Mexico: U.S. - Rio Grande River and Mexico - Nueces River. Results of the war: 1. U.S. paid Mexico $15 million 2. The boundary between Texas and Mexico was now the Rio Grande River. 3. The United States acquired more than 1/2 million square miles of land. This land included present-day California, Nevada, and Utah, as well as parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. The US Civil War 1861-1865 and The Indian Wars 1870s The students will learn: Who was involved? What happened during the war? When did the war take place? Where did the war take place? What caused the war to happen? How did the war end? What were the effects of the war? Week of 1/30: The New Republic of Texas - The students will learn about the newly formed country called the Republic of Texas. The focus of this unit will be on the opportunities the new country offered, as well as the challenges it faced. The country only lasted 9 years, so the challenges definitely outweighed the opportunities/positives. The United States Annexes Texas - The United States annexed the Republic of Texas after only 9 years as an independent country. Texas became the 28th state in the Union on December 29, 1845. A state constitution was written to replace the Constitution of 1836. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
