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Model Lesson: Conflict over Land

Grade Level: 5Curriculum Focus: Social Studies Time Frame: 1 week

Model Lesson Description:

This lesson focuses on the land conflicts that developed at various points in our history between Native Americans and the European settlers. The lesson begins with the colonial period and expands to include conflicts from later periods: the Seminole War, the Trail of Tears, the Black Hawk War, and the Indian Wars.

Essential Question:

How do land disputes between the European settlers and the Native Americans continue to impact the United States today?

Focus Questions:

Why did land conflicts develop between Native Americans and the European colonists?

What methods were used to resolve these conflicts?

How did these actions significantly affect people’s lives?

Be the Historian:

When you have finished this lesson, answer this question: Are Americans still affected by the way land conflicts were handled long ago?

Learning Objective:

  • Using historical maps locate and explain the conflict over the use of land by Native American Indians and the European colonists.

Digital Assets:

Videos:

The Black Hawk War(GL)

Native American People on the Colorado Plateau (GL)

The Rocky Mountains and the Rio Grande: Colonies and Native Homes(GL)

Florida and the Seminole Indians

The Expedition of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (1542-1543)(GL)

America in 1750: A Land Reconfigured(GL)

William Penn and the Establishment of Pennsylvania (GL)

Conflicts Between the Colonists and Native Americans (GL)

Indian Wars (ABGL)

Conflicts with English Colonists (GL)

Indian Removal Act (GL)

The Colony of Connecticut, Founded in 1636 (GL)

Conflict: Trail of Tears (ABGL)

The Trail of Tears (ABGL)

The Trail of Tears & Its Legacy (ABGL)

Jamestown (GL)

Establishing a New Colony: The First Year at Plymouth (GL)

Pilgrims Found Plymouth Colony in 1620; Initial Friendly Relations with Native Americans S ... (GL)

Getting Enough to Eat (GL)

Early New England (GL)

Jamestown: The First Colony (ABGL)

Trading with the Powhatan Indians (ABGL)

Relations between Indians and Settlers (ABGL)

Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, and Tobacco (GL)

Pocahontas Saves Captain John Smith (GL)

Pocahontas Prevents a War (GL)

Indian-Settler Relations (ABGL)

Agriculture: The Importance of Corn and Tobacco (GL)

Indian Tribes (ABGL)

Colonization and Indian Wars (ABGL)

Florida: America Acquires Florida From the Spanish (GL)

Wampanoags and Pilgrims' First Harvest Celebration

The First Thanksgiving (GL)

Squanto's Story (GL)

Friends and Neighbors (GL)

Images:

Map, major Southern CA Indian tribal areas.

Map, major Northern CA Indian tribal areas.

A part of a 1639 map of Manhattan.

John White's map of Raleigh's Virginia.

A mid-16th-century map of the Americas.

Strange News from Virginia.

Colonists vs. Indians in King Philip's War.

Indians battling New Englanders, 1675.

Metacomet, chief, Wampanoag Indians.

William Penn treating with the Indians.

The attack on the Pequot fort at Mystic, 1637.

Roger Williams opposing the Pequot Indians.

Georgia and Alabama Prior to the Trail of Tears

A map of Indian land cessions, 1814-1820.

The deportation of the Seminoles.

"The First Thanksgiving."

A map of "Plimouth Colony" in the spring of 1621.

Osceola, Seminole leader, attacks.

What Do We Already Know?

When you think of Native Americans during the early period of colonial settlements, the first two thoughts that come to your mind probably are Thanksgiving and Pocahontas. Both represent peaceful times and relationships between the Native Americans and the European settlers. What else do you know about the relationship that existed between these two groups? Choose a partner and spend approximately five minutes talking about what you know about the relationship. Share your notes with the rest of the class before tucking them in your Digital Notebook Portfolio. At the end of this unit, review your notes to see what you have learned. (Allow 15 minutes)

Classroom Activities:

A: The Desire for Land Leads to Problems (group activity – about 2 ¼ hours)

After completing the activity described in the “What DoWe Already Know?” section above, divide the class into four groups. Proceed to review the directions and guidelines for the group activity.

Each group will explore and research a different element of this topic before presenting their findings to the class. Students should use digital assets and other available resources to gather information for their topic. When they have completed their research, they should work on preparations for their class presentation.

Group 1:Assume the role of royal agents who have been sent by the king to report on progress of the English colonies in the new world between the years 1607–1622. Specifically, the king is interested in relations between the colonists and the Native Americans. Your travels will carry you to two areas as you gather information for your report: the Pilgrims in New England and the settlement of Jamestown in the South. Use the information that is presented in the digital assets and in other available sources to learn about the relationships between the two groups. Use these questions to guide your research:

  • What was the relationship between Native Americans and the early colonists?
  • Why did they have this relationship?
  • Who benefitted the most from this relationship? How can you tell?
  • Name the key leaders of the Native Americans and of the early colonists.
  • Do you think the relationships would have existed if these men had not been their leaders? Why or why not?
  • Why did they have a Harvest Celebration (Thanksgiving), and why was it important to the colonists?
  • Did you find clues that suggest that these relationships might change? If yes, make a prediction based on these clues.

Present your findings to the class through a series of Digital Research Reports. Support each report with digital photographs, and locate items that can serve as artifacts (e.g. items that were part of the relationship: corn, harvested vegetables and fruit, fish, etc.).

Group 2: Assume the role of a colonial investigative committee. Your committee will investigate why relationships between New England settlers and Native Americans are getting worse. Your job is to find out what is going on and to gather information. Use the evidence that is presented in the digital assets and in other available resources to (1) determine the causes of the conflict and to (2) gather details about the Pequot War, King Philip’s War, and Bacon’s Rebellion. Use these questions to guide your research:

  • Why is the relationship between Native Americans and the colonists getting worse?
  • Could they have avoided this conflict?
  • Why didn’t a similar conflict happen in Pennsylvania?
  • How did the conflict affect the Native Americans? The settlers?
  • Who benefitted from this changed relationship?
  • What were some immediate effects of these conflicts?
  • Were there any long-term effects?
  • Could they have solved their conflict another way?
  • What recommendations would your committee make to eliminate future violence?

Present your findings to the class through an investigative television program (e.g. 20/20; Dateline; PrimeTime) or a news program. If you are unfamiliarwith the previously listed news magazines, watch this video,News Stories: China News Stories. Hosted by students like yourselves, this investigative report will provide an example for you.

Create a PowerPoint presentation that includes digital images to accompany your report.

Group 3: Assume the role of a Congressional committee that is focusing on the Seminole War that occurred between 1817 and 1818. Use these questions to guide your research as you review the digital assets and other resources that are available:

  • Why did this war begin?
  • Who were the two sides and what did each side want?
  • What were key events of the war, and who were the key people?
  • Which side benefitted from this war?
  • Did the U.S. government handle this situation well? What could it have done differently?
  • Could this war have been avoided? How might it have been avoided?
  • What happened to the key people after the war?
  • What were the long-term effects of this war?

Present your findings to the class at a congressional hearing called by the House of Representatives. Present your findings in a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the key details, includes digital photographs, and concludes with a recommendation of ways to prevent more violence.

Group 4: Assume the role of an agent from the newly created Bureau of Indian Affairs. Your task is to use digital assets and other available resources to examine the events surrounding the Trail of Tears and the Black Hawk War. Use these questions to guide your research:

  • What motives led to the Trail of Tears? How were the motives behind the Black Hawk War different?
  • What did the United States government want to do through Trail of Tears? the Black Hawk War?
  • Could either of these two conflicts have been avoided?
  • Think about what both sides wanted. Do you think there was any good alternative?
  • Who benefitted from the Trail of Tears? the Black Hawk War? What did they gain?
  • How did the government’s decision to enforce the Trail of Tears affect the lives of the Native Americans?
  • What were the long-term effects of the Trail of Tears?

Create an interview from the perspective of two Native Americans—one who survived the Trail of Tears and the other from the Black Hawk War. Develop a script for each interviewee that allows the Bureau to hear details from the perspective of the Native Americans and to hear their voices. Use the information from your research to write out what each person will say. Prepare, also, a Digital Photo Gallery of images from the Trail of Tears and from the Black Hawk War.

Present the interview to the class.

When the groups have finished their preparations, begin the presentations. Allow approximately 15 minutes for each group presentation, follow-up questions, and a summary of important points to remember.

After the four groups have presented, allow 15-20 minutes for the entire class to debrief what they have learned. Suggested questions to ask are:

  • What did you learn that you did not know prior to this lesson? (Review your notes from “What Do We Already Know” to help you remember.)
  • How does this new knowledge make you feel?
  • What patterns did you see as you listened to groups 2-4?
  • What methods were used to resolve the conflicts over the use of land?
  • What questions do you have after studying these events?
  • If you could meet one personality from this lesson, who would it be? What would you ask him/her? Why?
  • How might the United States be different today if these conflicts had not developed or if they had been resolved differently?
  • What can we learn from these events?

B: Finding Events on a Map (individual activity – 45 minutes)

This activity is mapping explorations that will help students locate geographically the sites of conflict over land that they have studied. Provide students with electronic versions of outline maps of North America or of the thirteen original colonies. Students should use editing software and available map resources to label the names of the colonies and the oceans. Each student should create a digital map that locates the areas where conflicts over land developed between Native Americans and the settlers. Their notes from Activity A will help them identify the areas that need to be identified. Use the digital assets and other resources such as atlases to assist you. The conflicts to locate on maps are:

  • The Pequot War
  • King Philip’s War
  • Jamestown Massacre
  • Bacon’s Rebellion
  • Seminole War
  • Trail of Tears
  • Black Hawk War

Instruct students to create a symbol for each conflict, and use the symbol to mark the location on their maps. Their maps should have a key that includes:

  • A title
  • A compass
  • The name for each conflict matched with its symbol
  • The date of the conflict

Classroom Connections:

A. Cause and Effect (class/group activity – 45 – 60 minutes):

The days of warfare and removal of Native Americans have ended, but the legacy of what happened remains.

  • What are the long term effects of America’s Indian policy in your opinion?
  • How do these policies impact us today?
  • If you were Native American, how might you feel today when you think about outcome of early conflicts over land?
  • What have you learned about conflict resolution that can help you if you find yourself in a situation that could potentially lead to conflict?

As a class, identify a conflict that your class experienced and settled or a conflict that you think needs to be settled. Can you use what you learned in this lesson to help you explain the steps that you should follow to settle the conflict? Create a Digital Plan for resolving this conflict. If you have more than one conflict, divide the class into groups and assign one conflict to each group.

B. Using the Past (class activity – 30 minutes): This lesson has demonstrated that conflicts can arise over the ownership and use of land. Such conflicts have existed not only between Native Americans and settlers, but among other groups as well. For example, during the 1870s and 1880s, conflicts erupted between the cattle ranchers, sheep ranchers, and farmers. These conflicts were called the Range Wars and included many incidents of violence.

How has the history of these conflicts over land influenced our lives today? For example, how are conflicts over land ownership and use settled today? Invite a local government official who works with local land policy and regulations to visit your class to explain how conflicts over land ownership and use are handled by your community. Before the official arrives, brainstorm a list of questions that you would like to ask during the presentation.

Humanities Extension—Connections:

C:The Trail of Tears, an integral part of American History, was an historical event affecting the lives of Native Americans. Divide the class into four groups with each group studying the video chapter ofThe Trail of Tears as well as other resources. Instruct each group to provide a digital retelling of the event with each group focusing on one of the following: the opposing sides, the issues, the actual event, and the outcomes for the different Indian tribes and the settlers.

D: You are a young Native American, and you have always lived in one place, free to hunt and roam as you please. Your tribe is now going to be moved to another area of the country. Your land has been taken away. The government has ordered the resettlement—there is no choice. Your entire tribe must pack, leave, and travel many miles to a new home.

On your trip, keep a Digital Journal of the day by day events of the move. Include:

  • how you feel
  • how your family members feel
  • the problems that are encountered, illnesses, deaths—anything that happens in the lives of the tribe members

When you reach your destination, describe the new place where you will permanently live and describe your reaction to the new location.

Use a Venn Diagram to show comparison and contrast of the two living areas. Scan the Venn Diagram to use as a digital presentation for the class as you show them how you were treated.

Projects:

Students may select one of the projects suggested below or may propose their own. Teachers may opt to provide class time to complete this project, or they may choose to assign it as homework.

A: In this lesson, you learned that warfare and Indian removal were the common solutions for dealing with the “Indian problem.” Did these problems end following the Trail of Tears and the Black Hawk War? Where there other desirable lands and resources under the control of Native Americans? Did new conflicts develop?

Use digital assets and other available resources to research the Indian Wars from 1860–1900. The Sioux War, Sitting Bull, General Custer, Geronimo, Chief Joseph, Ghost Dance, and the Battle of Wounded Knee are some key names and events to help you locate information. The following questions will guide your research:

  • Where did these wars take place?
  • Why did the settlers want this land?
  • Who were the major personalities on both sides?
  • What were the major battles?
  • How did this series of wars end?

Create a Digital Photo Gallery that presents images from the wars, including the major personalities; include a thumbnail caption for each image. Open your gallery for the class to view; ask each student to choose one person about whom they would like to learn more. Share responses and reasons after the gallery walk.