The Great American West

It's "Cowboys and Indians" time, APUSH Gang! Yee-haw! This week, we will look at the time after the Civil War when the United States government made a concerted effort to push west to the Pacific, eventually displacing thousands of natives along the way in the name of economic prosperity and civilization.

On my McKeel website, you will find the five documents that make up "This Land Is Ours" from the "A Place at the Table: Struggles for Equality in America" curriculum from the Southern Poverty Law Center. This episode details the story of the Ponca tribe of Nebraska, who were threatened with expulsion from their ancestral home in the 1870s. As you read their story, answer the following questions on a Microsoft Word document and submit them to me by Friday, February 4th:

“This Land Is Ours” – Chapter 4 from “A Place at the Table: Struggles for Equality in America”

1.) What factors contributed to the U.S. government’s policy of forcibly removing Native Americans from their ancestral lands?

2.) Explain the title of this story – “This Land Is Ours.”
a.) What are some other possible interpretations?
b.) Do you see a possible irony in the title? If so, explain what it is.

3.) How did the legal principle of habeas corpus advance the cause of the Ponca? What arguments did the government use against it?

4.) How much did you know about the story of Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca before you read “This Land Is Ours”?
a.) What reasons can you give for your answer?
b.) What do you know about the other Native American chiefs and leaders mentioned in the story?

5.) How has our society’s understanding of the phrase “all men are created equal” changed since it was first written in the Declaration of Independence?
a.) How does the Ponca’s story contribute to that understanding?
b.) Are there limits to our understanding of the phrase today? Explain.

Also, we will be looking at a DBQ on the Old West this week in class. All DBQ essays are due on Tuesday, February 8th.