This lesson exposes your class to an interpretation that appeared in History Review magazine. It argues that US policy lurched between assimilating the plains Indians into Western ways on one hand and encouraging them to live their natural way of life on the other.
Were the policies of the US government up to 1851, really like this?
How far do policy and its impact on American Indians agree with the History Review’s interpretation? Did it really lurch between assimilation and encouraging their own cultural identity?
Your students will be involved in a number of activities all which combine to answer the inquiry question. This includes, cutting and sticking, tabulating and creating a visual graph of the policies.
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- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up:Word
- Worksheet 1-3: PDF
