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Jump Back in Time Western Expansion & Reform (1829-1859)
 
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Photo of a miner holding a pan and a piece of gold.
A miner strikes gold in California

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Presidents Andrew Jackson, James Polk, and John Tyler, like many Americans of this time, embraced the notion of enlarging the "empire for liberty." In other words they wanted to expand the borders of America westward. While some pioneers headed west to California, others attempted to expand the idea of what "liberty" in America meant. Abolitionists opposed laws that kept African Americans enslaved, and advocates of women's suffrage argued that wives, mothers and daughters should play a more significant role in society by voting, holding office, and working outside the home.

John Stone with gold mining pan ca. 1939.
There's Gold in That Creek!
Killing the Messenger
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More Stories About Western Expansion & Reform
Western Expansion & Reform
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Art to the Rescue
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Bird Brain
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Cannon Ball Dodge
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Florida Territory Becomes Our 27th State
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Grand Old Man of Nature
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Great Gadsden Purchase!
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In What Year was the First Election Day?
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Killing the Messenger
"Elijah Parish Lovejoy Was Killed By a Pro-slavery Mob"
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Petticoat Surgeon
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Quilting A Legend
"African-American Folk Artist Harriet Powers Was Born"
Remember the Alamo!
"Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna Recaptured the Alamo"
Scraping The Skies
"Architect Daniel H. Burnham Was Born"
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"Brigham Young Settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley"
Shiver Me Timbers, Pirates Ahoy!
"U.S. Naval Academy Was Formed"
Sinking Fortunes
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Stay Out of Foreign Affairs?!
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The Raid on Harpers Ferry
"John Brown Took Harpers Ferry Hostage"
The Weeping Time
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There's Gold in That Creek!
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Who Climbs a Mountain in Bloomers?
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You May Fire When Ready, Gridley
"Commodore George Dewey Was Born"


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