Historical thinking is reading, analyzing and writing about the past. Take into consideration multiple accounts or perspectives. Look at your primary sources. What interests were at stake?Question, question, question your sources. Are they reliable? What was the ideology of the day, who was the audience? What connection can be made by the use, time period, the people that created the object or document?

When using objects have the students first think about what it is made of, how it was made, who might have made it and for what use. Could it be used in another way? Think about the larger picture such as the objects significance economically, socially or even culturally. Studying objects of the past helps students have a better understanding of what happened in the past and how the objects significance could play a part in the world in which we live today.

The shoes were hand made which put an enormous strain on the federal gov't. to meet the demand. Not only shoes but other equipment that soldiers would need such as blankets, uniforms, tents, and bandages.

Not to mention the amount of food that was needed to feed the troops. So a picture of food used by soldiers. Women also had changing roles especially if their sons, husband and brothers were all going off to war.The federal gov't. now was more involved with citizens than it had ever been.

Boundary stones were symbols of a place that was being designed that would unite the country. Washington, D.C. was created as a compromise between the North and South. It was hoped to be a place to unite the states under the Constitution. D.C. was supposed to represent the nation, not just a city or a section. Washington, D.C. was the spot because it was close to ports that were used as centers of trade, including slavery. But it was far enough inland that George Washington felt it could be protected from coastal invasion by foreign power. Slaves were used to build the majority of the buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C.. Northerners were disturbed by the slave trade that was taking place but Congress did nothing to stop it. Alexandria was the major city for slave trading and asked to be put back in Virginia so that slave trading could continue there once it was banned in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, slavery continued to divide the nation leading up to the Civil War.

Boundaries, not physical ones, have changed with more equality for women, African Americans and others. Still there needs to be more change with all of these groups. Boundaries have changed the way territory has been divided. Boundaries have changed the way political parties have been set up.

Nails were not always mass produced.Before the late 18th century they were rare and costly. Blacksmiths had to make nails one at a time. In 1646 it was illegal to burn down your house just to get the nails if you were leaving a settlement or moving westward. In the 18th century log cabins came into being and did not use the expensive nails and instead used notched tree trunks to join walls together. Then later came the brick or stone homes, but building materials had to be transported over long distances and were much more expensive. A third type of home, poster Beam homes were durable but required skilled laborers. After the rapid westward expansion from 1790-1840 it became expensive and time consuming to erect new houses and it limited the speed and manner in which the new nation could move westward. Mass produced nails in the 1830's made the building process cheaper and quicker an homes could even be ordered in kit in a catalogue.

Other explanations for westward expansion are the hope for gold.
Colonists wanting to move away from crowded cities.
Manifest Destiny, that it was Americans rights to extend from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast.
Monroe Doctrine, right to claim independent lands in the New World.
Forced removal of Native Americans to lands that were appropriated by the federal government.
Slavery, maintaining a balance between free and slave states.