Native Americans in Tennessee

Introduction

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing the "Age of Exploration". We have discussed how trade, technology, and religious missions have impacted societies in the New World. One question we haven't asked is "what does that look like in our own local area?" We have also been discussing the complicated history of Native Americans and the U.S. government through readings from the Martin Van Buren Papers. 

In this lesson, we will focus on the early periods of Tennessee's history and their relationship to Native Americans. This time frame is the Tennessee frontier. This was a time when the British and the French were exploring Tennessee territory and trading with the Native American tribes in the area. We will also be comparing our findings of Tennessee frontier relations to other U.S states and their relationships with the Local Native tribes. Some questions that need to be answered are: 

  • What tribes lived in the Tennessee territory? What was their culture?
  • How did the British and the French affect the native tribes in Tennessee? 
  • Does this transition in Tennessee history reflect similarities to the "Age of Exploration"? 
  • How do the relationships of Tennesseans and Native Americans connect to other states and their relationships with Native Americans according to the letters from the Martin Van Buren Papers? 

 

This covers standards SSP.01, SSP.02, SSP.03, SSP.05, SSP.06, TN.03, TN.04, and TN.05 

 

Task

Creating an Image:

Let's think back to the 1600s to the 1700s. What would Tennessee have looked like? Environment, climate, animals, plants, but also people, and technology are important to think about when trying to create an image in your head for this time period. Take a few minutes and try to piece together these elements to make an image of the early days of Tennessee. Once you have done that, watch this quick video to get an idea of what early Tennessee looked like. 

The first video is an overall general idea of early Tennessee:

https://youtu.be/PhHOIlIIFhw?t=6

Independent Reading: 

Now that you have done that, read over these two articles that talk about the landscapes of Tennessee and the different tribal nations that lived here: 

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2feccdf99b344a79a54c1c53f82184b3

https://tnsoshistory.com/chapter1

Once you have finished reading these articles, complete this Cloze Procedure worksheet over the letters presented on the board from the Martin Van Buren Website 

Worksheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UJ9pbUwu444hO0KzWR2_vQeQC7nCAyHr1inrIWCrkdg/edit?usp=sharing 

Group Research: 

Once you have finished doing independent reading, then get into your research groups and find an article or a section in your textbook that describes the culture and area of your Native tribe. 

Group 1- Creek

Group 2- Chickasaw

Group 3- Cherokee

Group 4- Iroquois

Group 5- Shawnee

Hint: In your groups, look for cultural elements like-

  • Social Groups
  •  Language
  • Tradition
  • Religion
  •  Art
  •  Literature
  • Government
  • Economic

Every group should have the Source Checklist 

One sheet must be turned in from each group on one of your sources. 

Discussion Video:

Now that you have found some information about one of the Tennessee Native Tribes watch this Crash Course Episode of Natives and the English: 

https://youtu.be/TTYOQ05oDOI

 

Process

Now that we have gathered our information, let's refer back to our questions: 

  • What tribes lived in the Tennessee territory? What was their culture?
  • How did the British and the French affect the native tribes in Tennessee? 
  • Does this transition in Tennessee history reflect similarities to the "Age of Exploration"?
  • How do the relationships of Tennesseans and Native Americans connect to other states and their relationships with Native Americans according to the letters from the Martin Van Buren Papers? 

Assignment:

1. Since everyone did some research, let's share by presenting our information via googleslide show!

Each member should at least create one slide with the information that was found in the group work. 

Once everyone presents their slideshows, we will come back as a class to discuss questions 3 and 4. 

2. In the class discussion, we will discuss how the "Age of Exploration" ties to the English expansion in the U.S., specifically Tennessee, and how this impacted the Native Americans. 

We will compare the impact of exploration on tries in Tennessee to the Martin Van Buren Letters along with the additional research. 

3. Once the discussion is over, for each question, students should write a paragraph summary answering each of these questions. 

4. Students will pick one of the questions and type up their response to post on the Google Classroom thread. 

Make sure you turn in your group's source checklist with your written summaries!

Evaluation

Rubric: 

Feedback Comments:

 

Slide

Presentation

Class Discussion

Source Checklist

Paragraph Summary

Google Thread

 

(20) Student had one slide prepared with written information, source, and a visual.

(10) Student showed evidence of collaboration with other group members and prepared a well-developed presentation with all groups taking turns speaking and providing evidence.

(10) Student actively participated in group discussion, providing examples from class assignments/research.

(10) Student's group provided a completed group source checklist to the best of their abilities 

(30) Student answered each question with 3 to 5 sentences with evidence supporting the question. 

(20) Student typed one question and response in Google thread. 

  

(10) Student had a slide prepared but needed more information and a source link. 

(5) Students had slides presented but did not show evidence of communicating the presentation and equal distribution of work. 

(5) Student participated in discussion. 

(5) Students' group filled out the checklist but not correctly.

(20) Student answered the questions with 2 to three sentences and somewhat provided evidence to answer the question.

(10) Student typed somewhat of a question and responded in the Google thread.

  

(0)

Student did not prepare a slide.

(0) Students did not present a slideshow or an incomplete slideshow. 

(0) Student did not participate in discussion.

(0) Students’ group did not turn in source checklist. 

(0) Student wrote one sentence or none with no evidence. 

(0) _Student submitted nothing in the Google Thread. 

  

Conclusion

Review: 

Students should have learned about the different tribes in Tennessee, including traditions and areas of origin. 

Students should have been able to tie exploration of the New World with the continuous expansion of European nations in other states in similar situations. 

Students should have learned how to analyze primary sources, provide evidence, and demonstrate research. 

Students should have learned the relations between Natives and the British/French involving concepts like trade and how that changed the tribal nations. 

This sets us up for the beginning of early government and the first settlers in Tennessee and topics of assimilation.  

 

Credits