NCSS.D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras. NCSS.D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context. NCSS.D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras. NCSS.D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives. NCSS.D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past. NCSS.D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument. NCSS.D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
If students have not studied the Seven Years' War prior to this lesson, it will be helpful to review the role of Native Americans in that conflict. It will also be helpful if students have an understanding of the way European control of the land changed after that war. The British received all the French lands in Canada (except two small offshore islands) and all the French lands east of the Mississippi River. Spain took over Louisiana. Consider these resources for background as well as some primary voices that can be used in a more extensive review lesson of the Seven Years War:
Students will also benefit from a geographical awareness when considering interactions among different groups of colonists and indigenous peoples. You might consider using this Map of Native American Tribes in 1783 from Mapping History. The page also provides other resources you might find helpful.
Begin with the Journals of the Continental Congress, Speech to the Six Nations, July 13, 1775. This document is a request made by the Americans to the Iroquois, asking for their neutrality. It is interesting that in this document, while the Americans are officially asking the Native Americans to stay out of the conflict, they dedicate a great deal of the speech to making their case for independence. The symbolism of the "family quarrel" is repeated throughout many of the documents. The language, including the idea of a "covenant chain" and addressing the Iroquois as "brothers," is significant. You may choose to introduce a section of the text without date or context to prompt inquiry. Consider the following passage:
While reading or during discussion, students might consider the following questions:
Working in small groups or as a whole class, read and analyze the full text. This can provide a model for analysis as well as help in framing some of the questions different indigenous groups might have entertained. Ask students to speculate on the following:
Activity 2.Invite students to analyze several sources that document decisions made by Indigenous people to side with the British, ally with the Americans, or remain neutral. Students might complete this activity working in small groups, with each group investigating one or two documents, then come together as a whole class to compare findings. To support your students in this work, consider using Document Analysis Worksheets from the National Archives Educator Resources. The following documents offer a range of Native perspectives. Remind students that these primary sources were usually transcribed by Europeans, and the documents often reflect European ideas of Native American speech.
As a whole group or in smaller groups, review with the students their annotations and develop a Venn Diagram of key arguments for choosing sides.
As part of the discussion of these documents, help students to analyze and evaluate. The following questions might be used to guide this aspect of the discussion:
To demonstrate their understanding of the context surrounding the alliance decisions made by Indigenous peoples during the Revolutionary War, invite students to use the primary documents and their Venn diagrams to address the following questions:
Students should also be encouraged to consider what questions these documents do not answer. What information or perspectives are missing that would present a fuller understanding of these events?
What happened to these Native American allies after the American Revolution? Students could explore the post-revolutionary experiences of the different Native American tribes in the United States and Canada. How did their experiences differ from what the treaties signed with the new United States had promised? What factors (i.e. location/geography, tribal leadership, their Revolutionary allegiances, relationships between the various Native American tribes) played a role in the post-Revolutionary experience of the different Native Americans? Students could take their research one-step further: where are those Native American groups today? See the U.S. Census Bureau's American Indians and Alaska Natives Map. The Continental Congress was quite involved in Native American affairs during the War. The Library of Congress offers classroom materials on the Home Front during the Revolutionary War with several documents and discussion.
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