V.Hepner

Luperon H.S.

During the 18^th and 19^th centuries settlers from the east coast spread westward across the continent. They build farms, cities and towns and vast ranches. This process of development often brought the new settlers into conflict with Native American Indians. In many cases there were cultural conflicts which resulted in violence and even a series of wars.

American Indian nations have traditionally fought to defend themselves. Anyone threatening their families, cultures, and lands was viewed as the enemy, whether that was another tribal group or the new settlers from the United States. As a result of these wars with the United States, many tribes were forced off their lands, relocated, or confined to reservations where they endured poverty, racism, and attempts to erase their traditional cultures.

Since Indians were generally confined to reservations, they were viewed as wards of the government. The U.S. government developed a series of programs and policies to deal with the Indian peoples. This resulted in many philosophical viewpoints being applied and different approaches being undertaken.

In many cases the resulting policies were controversial, and of mixed success. Your job in this project will to review and these policies, many of which still impact the nation today.

Task:

With your group members, you will critically analyze one of the policies that affected the Native Americans. You will create a detailed report of your findings in which you will describe the causes and results of a policy that affected Native Americans. You will analyze this policy to determine its effectiveness and its impact on the nation. The report that you return with to the present day will include a visual aid such as a graph, map, political cartoon, drawing, or chart that will detail your findings. Your report will be sent to the United States Congress that will review it and see if policies and programs should be developed today that might address some of the problems created by past laws and governmental actions.

Process:

Step 1: The class will be divided into seven groups of five students each. Each of the different group will focus on one of the following policies that have affected Native Americans. Click on your group’s issue to read a description of how that policy affected the lives of Native Americans. Additional online resources where you can find more information are listed below under Resources.

1. The Wounded Knee Massacre

2. The Trail of Tears and The Indian Removal Act

3. The killing of buffalo by white colonists

4. The establishment of Indian Reservations

5. The Dawes Act and subsequent laws

6. The establishment of Indian Boarding Schools .

7. The Indian Appropriations Acts

Step 2: Within your group, each student will have a different role to complete. The first four students will research and complete a different step to contribute to the report. Each step has a link to a worksheet, which the student must complete according to instructions (either in English or in Spanish.) The student will then use his/her completed worksheet to write one of the four paragraphs of the report that will be sent to the United States Congress Student #5 will be responsible for both organizing the four

paragraphs of the report and finding a visual graphic such as a map, chart, photograph, painting, drawing, graph, or political cartoon. This student will report his/her group’s findings to the entire class when all projects are complete.

Student 1:

A.) Find out information about how your group’s policy affected Native Americans by researching the list of Resources.

B.) Identify the problem by completing either

Worksheet1: "Defining the social problem"(MSWORD) or

Hoja de Trabajo 1: "Defina el problema"(MSWORD)

C.) Write a detailed paragraph that identifies the problem. Use the worksheet that you completed to help you organize your main ideas and details.

Student 2:

A.) Find information about how your group’s policy affected Native Americans by researching the list of Resources).

B.) Gather the evidence by completing either

Worksheet2: "Gathering evidence of the problem"(MSWORD)

or Hoja de Trabajo 2: "Reuna las evidencias"(MSWORD)

C.) Write a detailed paragraph that shows the evidence of this problem. Use the worksheet that you completed to help you organize your main ideas and details.

Student 3:

A.) Find out information about your group’s policy that affected Native Americans by researching the list of Resources.

B.) Identify the causes by completing either

Worksheet3: "Identifying the cause of the problem"(MSWORD) or

Hoja de Trabajo 3: "Identifique las causas"(MSWORD)

C.) Write a detailed paragraph that identifies the causes of the problem. Use the worksheet that you completed to help you organize your main ideas and details.

Student 4:

A.) Find out information about your group’s policy that affected Native Americans by researching the list of Resources.

B.) Evaluate the policy by completing:

Worksheet4: "Identifying the cause of the problem"(MSWORD)

C.) Write a detailed paragraph that evaluates the policy that was used and analyze how effective the policy was. Also consider if another policy might have been more successful, explaining the reasons for the group’s viewpoint.. Use the worksheet that you completed to help you organize your main ideas and details.

Student 5:

A.) Find out information about your group’s policy that affected Native Americans by researching the list of Resources.

B.) Find and print out a graphic such as a map, chart, photograph, painting, drawing, graph, or political cartoon that you feel best describes your group’s policy toward Native Americans.

C.) Organize the four paragraphs of your group members into a report to the U.S. Congress that will identify the problem, show the evidence, explain the causes, evaluate the policy that affected Native Americans, and describe how your group believes the policy and related programs should be addressed today.

Be prepared to report to the class.

Resources:

Specific issue readings:

1. The Wounded Knee Massacre

2. The Trail of Tears and The Indian Removal Act

3. The killing of buffalo by white colonists

4. The establishment of Indian Reservations

5. The Dawes Act and subsequent laws

6. The establishment of Indian Boarding Schools .

7. The Indian Appropriations Acts

Other Sources:

1. Trail of Tears: http://kingwoodkowboy.com/trailoftears.html

2. Boarding Schools: http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/codetalkers/

Evaluation:

Criteria

Points

	1	2	3	4
Group Work	Students do not collaborate. Students work individually or fail to compromise on group issues. Not all students complete task.	Students occasionally collaborate and compromise. Almost all students participate.	Students collaborate and compromise. All students participate.	Students work well with one another, collaborate and compromise frequently and all complete individual and group tasks	____
Research - PPA Worksheets	Research is of poor quality and does not logically support argument	Some research is appropriate and supports argument	Research is of good quality and supports argument	Research is of high quality and clearly supports argument	____
Writing - Analysis	Position Paper is woefully unclear or does not support argument	Position Paper makes logical analysis of some research and proposes simple solutions	Position Paper makes logical analysis of research and proposes thoughtful solutions	Position Paper makes complex analysis of research and proposes thoughtful and sophisticated solutions	____
Visual Document	The visual document has poor quality. The graphics are difficult to understand.	Some portions of the assignment are clearer than others. Assignment demonstrates developing skills.	The visual document is clear and the graphics are easy to understand.	The visual document is sophisticated, demonstrating mastery of use of graphics.	____
Presentation	Few members participate. Members do not present their position forcefully. Members are unable to respond clearly to questioning.	Some arguments are presented more forcefully or clearly than others. Some members are able to respond to questioning.	Most members present arguments clearly and forcefully. Most members can respond logically to questioning.	All members present arguments in clear, concise and cogent manner. All members can respond logically and forcefully to questioning.	____
				Total---->	____

GRADING SCALE: 18-20 = A, 16-17 = B, 14-15 = C, 12-13 = D, 0-12 = F

CONCLUSION:

You and your group have learned about the issues faced by Native Americans during the periods in United States History of westward expansion during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. You should have a better understanding of the clash of cultures that resulted in the Indian Wars of the late 19^th century and their effects on the nation even today. In considering the laws and policies undertaken by the U.S. government you should have developed an understanding of the motivations and philosophies behind them. You also may have developed some strong feelings and opinions that may prompt you to become more involved in the development of public policy. You have taken a first step toward becoming a public policy analyst, congratulations!

Standards:

Social Studies:

Standard 1:   History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.