Topic of Discussion – Native Americans

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Topic of Discussion – Native Americans Discussion 10-3 US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Native Americans Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages The Columbian Exchange The Jefferson Era (1800-1816) Moral Responsibility Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office Pages 338-343 Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration Pages 344-351 Manifest Destiny Section 3 ~ The War of 1812 Pages 352-358 Imperialism Jacksonian Democracy Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups. The treatment of the Native American people by the 2. Taking the land. 3. The individual versus the state. European culture has been a tragic story. 4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc. 5. Sectionalism. 6. Immigration and Americanization. The US government has continually pushed Native 7. The change in social class. 8. Technology developments and the environment. Americans off their lands and have broken many trea- 9. Relations with other nations. ties. 10. Historiography, how we know things. Talking Points I Introduction 1. The History of Native Americans is both fascinating and in many ways, tragic. Estimates range from about 10 – 90 million Native Americans inhabited America at the time of the European arrivals. They had lived in the land many, many years before white man set foot on their soil. It is believed that during the ice age, they had traveled a land- bridge across the Bering Sound, from Siberia into what is now Alaska. They had gradually migrated across the land and southward into Mexico and beyond. The name “Indian” was given them by Christopher Columbus who mistak- enly believed he had landed in the Indies. They have been labeled Indians, American Indians, and the now pre- ferred Native Americans. They migrated to all regions of the land and were formed into many different tribes or nations. These were a people who adapted well to their particular regions and made wise use of all natural re- sources available. They believed in respecting the land and the abundance of gifts it offered. They became profi- cient fishermen, hunters, farmed crops such as corn, and built homes with whatever available resources their terri- tory provided. Some of these included animal skins, sun-dried brick for adobes, or lumber for long houses depend- ing on the regions. II Europeans and Disease 1. The Native Americans of the east coast met the new 16th and 17th century visitors from Europe with enthusiasm. They regarded these bearded white men as strange but were delighted with the steel knives, mirrors, copper kettles, and other intriguing novelties. The indigenous tribes were more than accommodating and hospitable. Questions to Think About Supporting Materials How do people justify the moral judgment made by US Empire of the Summer Moon by Gwynne government? The Earth Shall Weep: A History by Wilson Native American History by Nies How are we to look back at this mistreatment of the The Heart of Everything That Is by Drury Native Americana and not repeat the same mistakes? Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Brown Discussion 10-3 US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Native Americans Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages The Columbian Exchange The Jefferson Era (1800-1816) Moral Responsibility Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office Pages 338-343 Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration Pages 344-351 Manifest Destiny Section 3 ~ The War of 1812 Pages 352-358 Imperialism Jacksonian Democracy Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups. The treatment of the Native American people by the 2. Taking the land. 3. The individual versus the state. European culture has been a tragic story. 4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc. 5. Sectionalism. 6. Immigration and Americanization. The US government has continually pushed Native 7. The change in social class. 8. Technology developments and the environment. Americans off their lands and have broken many trea- 9. Relations with other nations. ties. 10. Historiography, how we know things. Talking Points Without their aid, the first waves of settlers would not have survived in the land they knew little about. But in time the Europeans disregarded all respect for the valued land and resources and instead displayed insatiable greed and arrogance. The Europeans soon pursued their intent to conquer this new continent with brutal attacks and invasion. The Native Americans soon realized that the invaders would arrive in overwhelming numbers, as many “as the stars in heaven.” Initially, the people of this land tried to co-exist with the Europeans. But many more problems arose. With all their intriguing gadgets, the white men brought deadly diseases to the Native Americans. The colonists and explorers brought measles, smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, and many more devas- tating diseases. This drastically diminished the Native American population and annihilated entire villages. In addition to this, the arrogant attitude of the ever-growing whites led to the Indian Wars, the Indian Removal Act (1830), and in 1890 one of the worst massacres ever -- Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Here warriors, women, and children alike were ferociously slaughtered by the U.S. Cavalry. The U.S, government began Relocation Pro- grams and the now famous Trail of Tears march where hundreds of Cherokee died from starvation, exposure, and illnesses. The Native American peoples were not only reduced in number but taken from their homes, stripped of their customs, and even forbidden to speak their native languages. Their children were taken from them and sent to schools to “civilize” them, forced to abandon every aspect of their heritage. In January 1876, the U.S. government forced them to live on ‘reservations’ where the majority of Native Americans still reside today. Questions to Think About Supporting Materials How do people justify the moral judgment made by US Empire of the Summer Moon by Gwynne government? The Earth Shall Weep: A History by Wilson Native American History by Nies How are we to look back at this mistreatment of the The Heart of Everything That Is by Drury Native Americana and not repeat the same mistakes? Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Brown Discussion 10-3 US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Native Americans Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages The Columbian Exchange The Jefferson Era (1800-1816) Moral Responsibility Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office Pages 338-343 Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration Pages 344-351 Manifest Destiny Section 3 ~ The War of 1812 Pages 352-358 Imperialism Jacksonian Democracy Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups. The treatment of the Native American people by the 2. Taking the land. 3. The individual versus the state. European culture has been a tragic story. 4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc. 5. Sectionalism. 6. Immigration and Americanization. The US government has continually pushed Native 7. The change in social class. 8. Technology developments and the environment. Americans off their lands and have broken many trea- 9. Relations with other nations. ties. 10. Historiography, how we know things. Talking Points III Conflict with the United Sates Government 1. In 1783, the United States was a new nation of about 3 million people living, for the most part, along the Atlantic seaboard. Native Americans, perhaps numbering around 600,000, controlled most lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. By 1890, a bit more than a century later, the United States stretched from coast to coast and was home to some 66 million people. Only 250,000 Indians remained, most of them living on reservations holding just a fraction of the land they once controlled. 2. In the century between, waves of western settlers pounded against the borders of Indian lands. Yet the course of events that led to this narrative of conquest was not inevitable. America's first president, George Washington, and his Secretary of War Henry Knox claimed to respect Indian rights and promised to secure Indian lands for white settlement only through treaty and purchase. Later, politicians and philanthropists also rose to oppose Andrew Jackson's removal policies during the 1830s. Still, by 1840, the great majority of the Eastern Indians had been relocated to lands west of the Mississippi River. And in the second half of the nineteenth century, home- steaders, miners, and railroad companies, assisted by the United States Army, encroached on the lands suppos- edly set aside for the Indians into perpetuity. 3. At most every turn, Native Americans found themselves overwhelmed by Anglo-Americans' financial and military resources. But their response to events was neither one-dimensional nor defeatist. Some tried diplomacy. Oth- ers turned to religion. Still others tried to deflate white antagonism by embracing the economic and cultural val- Questions to Think About Supporting Materials How do people justify the moral judgment made by US Empire of the Summer Moon by Gwynne government? The Earth Shall Weep: A History by Wilson Native American History by Nies How are we to look back at this mistreatment of the The Heart of Everything That Is by Drury Native Americana and not repeat the same mistakes? Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Brown Discussion 10-3 US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions E Lundberg Topic of Discussion – Native Americans Related Topics Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages The Columbian Exchange The Jefferson Era (1800-1816) Moral Responsibility Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office Pages 338-343 Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration Pages 344-351 Manifest Destiny Section 3 ~ The War of 1812 Pages 352-358 Imperialism Jacksonian Democracy Key Ideas Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes 1.
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