Elementary Unit 2 US History

Office of Native Education Branding

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Corresponding Videos

Tribal Perspectives of American History in the Northwest

Independence Revolution & the U.S. Constitution in Indian Country

Historical Era

1770 to 1780

STI Unit Overview

Level 1

Students understand the how Indian involvement in the American Revolution affected the future of tribal sovereignty and homelands. Students ask questions through the remainder of the teacher's unit without prompting regarding effects of the Revolution on tribal sovereignty.

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Level 2

Students compare the similarities between the struggles for Independence of the Indian Nations and the US Colonies.

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Level 3

Students analyze the causes of the American Revolution from historical, geographic, economic, and civic perspectives by:

  • identifying the background of the conflict, including interactions among colonists, the British, French, and Spanish Empires, and Tribal Nations;
  • demonstrating causes of the conflict, including those causes related to displacement and disregard of the sovereignty of Tribal Nations; and
  • identifying on a timeline events related to the conflict, including tribal alliances with the British, French, and the newly formed United States.

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STI Essential Questions

  1. How did events leading up to the American Revolution affect tribal sovereignty?
  2. How did the United States' victory over the British affect tribal sovereignty?
  3. What are the ways in which tribes responded to the threats and outside pressure to extinguish their cultures and independence?

Guiding Questions

  1. What key events led to Colonial and Tribal hostilities and violence toward each other?
  2. How did the outcomes of those events affect tribal sovereignty and US-tribal relations?
  3. Why might tribal nations be depicted as bystanders' during the American Revolution? (More 'noble' to fight for political and religious freedom than it is to fight to take someone else's property.)
  4. Why might Indian Wars before and during the American Revolution also be considered Wars for Tribal Sovereignty or Tribal Independence? Tribes lost their land, their freedoms, and the ability to completely govern themselves and live according to their lifeways as a direct result of the American Revolution and events leading up to it.)

Standards for Social Studies, English Language Arts, Environmental and Sustainability Education, and Social Emotional Learning

OSPI-Developed Assessments for Social Studies

Unit Developed By

Shana Brown (Yakama descendent)