Summary
A song about the country's westward expansion as settlers moved across the continent seeking 'elbow room,' capturing the push west in the 1800s.
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All ages
This 1970s song tells westward expansion only from the settlers' side - pause to add that this land was already home to Native nations.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
A song about the country's westward expansion as settlers moved across the continent seeking 'elbow room,' capturing the push west in the 1800s..
- Why did settlers move west?
- What challenges did pioneers face on the journey?
- Whose land were settlers moving onto as they went west?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: expansion, pioneer, frontier.
Try it: Explain what 'elbow room' meant to settlers moving west.