U.S. History / Westward Travel Brochure/Pamphlet 

This week we will be studying westward expansion, beginning with the settlement of the Kansas-Nebraska Territory up to the Mormon Trek and the California Gold Rush.  As we begin our study of these areas, you will be given one of the routes west.  Your responsibility is to familiarize yourself with your “Trail”.   You will become an expert on your assigned route.  You will create a travel brochure in which you will attempt to persuade residents of the eastern United States of the benefits of relocating to the west, following your particular route. Each brochure will provide an informative overview of the trail in question.  This overview should include also information persuading the easterners of the values of moving west.  You need to include the following items:

·         Economy/Trade of the West
·         Religion if applicable
·         Social/cultural characteristics of the West
·         Climate
·         Education (remember the Land Ordinances of the 1780’s)
·         Relations with local Native American population
·         Other interesting events you choose to include

Brochures should be colorful and aesthetically pleasing.  They should include adequate information about the trip west, and the information should be accurate.  Remember that you need to be both encouraging to the emigrants, but also realistic in your pamphlet.  A map of the Trail is always encouraged as well as pictures/drawings that highlight the particularly good qualities of the end destination.  Brochures should be completed on 8 ½ by 11 paper, and the paper can be either folded over once or twice.

Since you will want pictures and maps of the Trails and the sites along the way, you will have to use the Internet.  But you must also use your textbook and three Reference encyclopedias.

Any information that you take from the Web or the textbook, or any Reference encyclopedia must be noted in quotations in your brochure.   ALL sources must be properly cited in a bibliography (Chicago Manual Style) that you will hand in with your pamphlet.  No bibliography, no credit!