This 1-hour documentary presents a portrait of William Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill. A western frontier legend in the 1880s, his Wild West Show travelled the globe making the American West into the American story.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Richard White describes the transformation the American West makes during the two decades in the twentieth century being one of the most critical times in U.S. history. [1:53]

Students watch biographical accounts of three artists of the West: Charlie Russell, George Catlin, and Evelyn Cameron then compare and contrast the focus and perspectives of each of the artists.

From shrinking habitat for the pika to reduced water supplies for cities, rapid climate change threatens living things across the American West. This Nutshell offers a brief look at the issues a warming West faces. [2:32]

Learn about the challenges faced by pioneers as they traveled west on the Bozeman Trail, a shortcut to the newly discovered goldfields of Montana Territory. In the accompanying lesson plans (found in the Support Materials), students will learn it was a singular road that changed this part of the American West forever. [10:34]

U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

Lewis and Clark
The Missouri Crisis
Independence for Texas
The Mexican-American War, 1846–1848
Free Soil or Slave? The Dilemma of the West

Learn how the long life of Chief Washakie bridged a century of change in the American west-from the time of nomadic tribes following buffalo herds, to the period when tribes relinquished their claims to vast tracts of land in the West. In the accompanying lesson plan (found in the Support Materials) students will understand the character traits of Chief Washakie. [57:49]

This lesson invites students to create a ŇDriverŐs LicenseÓ for characters that have made a contribution to western expansion in the United States.