Chapter 7: As Long As Grass Grows or Water Runs

Chapter 7: As Long as Grass Grows or Water Runs
For this chapter you will draw connections from Native American history as Zinn covers From Indian Fighter to President. By looking at the role of various presidents played in the genocide of Native Americans in particular President Andrew Jackson. We further explore The Terrible Choice as we look at the role of imperialistic expansion by means of manifest destiny. As the U.S. government promotes the marginalization, the pushing and killing of Native Americans as they are removed from their land. And lastly by looking at the resistance that was taken up by Native Americans in Fighting for Freedom we will gain an understanding of how the Native Americans succeed in fighting back.

Between 1845 and 1893, the American West was lost and won--and brought within the dominion of the United States--while along the way, the lives of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans were violently disrupted. This six-hour documentary series from acclaimed filmmaker Ric Burns chronicles the final decades of the American frontier, from the time of the Gold Rush until after the last of the Indian wars at Wounded Knee.

By: Mumia Abu Jamal
Mumia Abu Jamal was Minister of Information for the Philadelphia Black Panthers at a very early age. At the time of his arrest in 1981, he had worked as a print and radio journalist who had aired on National Public Radio and National Black Network. He was one of very few reporters in Philadelphia willing to cover the activities of the radical Black organization MOVE, which was under heavy police repression since the mid 1970's. Mumia Abu-Jamal is now facing the most serious threat of execution in his fourteen years of imprisonment, with newly elected Republican Governor Tom Ridge promising to immediately begin executions. Mumia's name is second on the list of death-row prisoners facing the electric chair.
The following Audio is Mumia's piece of the U.S. Genocide on American Indians:
American Indian Genocide

Native American Women:
A look at Athur, Environmentalist and Activist
Winona La Duke
Taking her experiences and the advice she has received from her colleagues, Winona LaDuke has made her way to become one of leading Native American rights activists of our age. LaDuke is a member of various organizations that strive to gain rights for indigenous peoples and preserve the environment. Her goals are noble as well as numerous, including to regain stolen Native American lands, promote better education and health, and make sure that the future of our world is sustainable. She travels all over the country, stirring the minds of millions with her speeches on environmentalism and the necessity of preserving ancestral lands.

The following links are videos of Winona speaking:
Winona on Land
Winona Speaking
http://www.facinghistory.org/campus/reslib.nsf/0/e4eafc23d9ed8b3b85257181006d2ab8?OpenDocument

Suggested Activities for Native American Citizenship

Indian Policy.
Review the "U.S. Indian Policy Timeline" chart developed by Mr. Trimble and other sources and answer the following questions:
Approximately how many years did the Indian Wars last?
What is a treaty?
How many years was the treaty making era?
What does allotment mean? How many years did the allotment era last?
When was the Dawes Act and what were its provisions?
What methods were used by the federal government to regulate American Indians between 1800 and 1930?

Voting Rights.
Read the interviews with Henry Mitchell that relates to Indian citizenship and Indian voting rights.
Who is Henry Mitchell?
Does Henry thinks it is important for Indians to have the right to vote? Why or why not?
Why does he say Indian representatives to the Maine State Legislature are not paid the same as white legislators?
When was the interviewed conducted?
When were all American Indians granted citizenship? Did all American Indians receive the right to vote at the same time? When do you think all Indian Americans should have been declared citizens and had the right to vote?

Indian Policies.
Analyze the chart developed by Charles Trimble titled "U.S. Indian Policy Timeline" and related sources.
(Found on the Link for Nebraska Studies)
Explain the purpose of the following policies adopted by the federal government to regulate the American Indian:
Treaties
Indian removal
Reservations
Indian wars
Allotments
1924 Indian Citizenship Act
Indicate the dates for the Burke Act and World War I.
Evaluate how each occurrence relates to Federal Government Indian policy.
Explain how each affected the American Indian.

Viewpoints.
Students will be assigned to one of the following groups and do research to support an oral and written presentation on one of the following viewpoints concerning federal government

Indian policies:
1. Treaty-Making Policy
* Non-Indian view point
* Indian viewpoint
2. Indian Removal
* Non-Indian view point
* Indian viewpoint
3. Reservation
* Non-Indian view point
* Indian viewpoint
4. Allotment Policy
* Non-Indian view point
* Indian viewpoint

Students will cooperate in completing a written analysis expressing the viewpoints of their assigned group.
Each group will select one person to give an oral presentation highlighting the key points of the written assessment.
Students can then engage in an open discussion period where any individual student can question the comments made by speakers of the various groups.
The teacher or assigned students can moderate the discussion.

All the materials and lesson plan can be found on Nebraska Studies the link is located on the right hand side of the blog.