TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Westward Expansion CHAPTER 2 The First Children of the West IN THEIR OWN WORDS Zitkala-Sa CHAPTER 3 An Overland Journey CHAPTER 4 Orphans in the West CHAPTER 5 Settling on a Homestead IN THEIR OWN WORDS Mollie Sheehan CHAPTER 6 Work and Play CHAPTER 7 Changes in the West Focus on Children on the American Frontier Glossary To Learn More Index
CHAPTER 1 WESTWARD EXPANSION When the United States declared its independence in 1776 the new nation was made up of 13 states However many US leaders wanted the country to expand westward In 1803 the nation doubled in size due to the Louisiana Purchase This vast territory stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains In 1846 the United States gained the Oregon Territory This piece of land was in the Northwest A group of riders get their first view of the Sierra Nevada range as they head west in the 1800s 5
