NATIVE AMERICANS AND WESTWARD CULTURES AND CONFLICTS is a single volume divided into two separate sections. The first section continues the story begun in an earlier book (titled Westward Expansion Before the Civil War) and focuses on the causes and effects of the westward movement of Americans in the later 1800s. Topics include the lure of gold and silver; the Homestead Act; transcontinental railroads; the myths and realities of cowboy life and the “Wild West;” the purchase of Alaska from Russia; and, the late-nineteenth century idea of the “closing of the American frontier.” The second section of this book explores the ways of life of diverse Native American peoples, and examines how their cultures were disrupted, displaced, and profoundly altered by westward expansion and American government policies and practices. Chapters introduce the diverse ways of life of Native American peoples in the Great Basin and Plateau regions, the Northern and Southern Plains, and Pacific Northwest. Students also learn how the Sioux, Nez Perce, and other Native Americans fought to maintain their lands, their independence, and their ways of life. Paperback. 145 pages. ** Part of the CORE KNOWLEDGE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY (CKHG) series in world and American history and geography, integrating topics in civics and the arts. CKHG books offer engagingly written text with many color illustrations, maps, vocabulary sidebars, and a glossary. Related materials (Teacher Guides and Timeline Cards) are also published by the Core Knowledge Foundation. In general, CKHG books are appropriate for young readers from the upper elementary grades through middle school.