Identity Crisis: Are Indians, American?

Evan Kobosko

Introduction/Rationale

"In the end I tell my children, there's no way I can tell you how to be an Acoma, how to be an Indian. You have to experience it."1

-Stanley Paytiamo, Acoma Pueblo

Located in Wilmington Delaware, Conrad Schools of Science (CSS) is a science/biotechnology magnet school operating within the Red Clay Consolidated School District. With a student population of nearly 1200 in grades 6 – 12, CSS is the district’s largest school.2 CSS finds its diverse student population hailing from areas throughout New Castle County. At CSS, high school students have the opportunity to focus on one of the many rigorous science/biotechnology oriented pathways. These pathways include Biomedical Science, Biotechnology, Animal Science, Nursing Technology, Physical Therapy & Athletic Healthcare, and Computer Science.

Furthermore, CSS provides high school students with the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses in all core subjects. I have the honor to teach one of these courses, AP U.S. History. This school year will be the second time I am teaching this course, which is predominantly taken by juniors at the high school level. Students who score exceptionally well in AP United States History Examination, which is taken in May, have the opportunity to earn college credit. CSS offers two sections of this course, fitting seamlessly within our school’s block schedule system.

Although my involvement with DTI began recently, I am confident that the assigned seminar readings, videos, research, and my participation in ‘Indians Are Americans!’ has helped me create an exceptional unit. It was evident from the beginning what type of unit I would write. When I first saw the title of this seminar, I was intrigued. Although it resonated with my beliefs, it inspired me to question what an American even is. So naturally, I googled it! Nevertheless, my brief moment of inquiry fell short. My findings determined that there was no clear-cut definition of the term American; the meaning is fluid.

This Unit seeks to challenge students in my Advanced Placement course to determine how Native Americans see themselves ‘fitting’ into student definitions of ‘American Identity’ by igniting their critical thinking abilities through rigorous content. Students in this course largely focus on analyzing and interpreting American history through their own perspective. The creation of this Unit, which students would experience after they take their AP exam in early May, would give them the opportunity to analyze how Native Americans fit into this ambiguous identity. Prior to doing this however, students will

need to formulate their own definitions of what it means to be an American. In addition, they would need to determine the origin of the American identity.

Content Objectives

This Unit will be divided into three parts: (1) Defining American Identity, (2) tracing how Indians have become closer to or further from the American Identity (in accordance to individual student definitions) by analyzing social, economic, and political factors throughout the nine Periods that we have studied in our AP U.S. History course, (3) identifying a point where Indians feel the most American, in the sense of their identity. This curriculum will not only meet Delaware State History Standards, but address National Council for the Social Studies Standards as well: D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.3

Additionally, several Delaware State History Standards have been woven within this curriculum. In this Unit, the following Delaware State History Standards will be represented: (1) 9-12a: Students will analyze historical materials to trace the development of an idea or trend across space or over a prolonged period of time in order to explain patterns of historical continuity and change, and (2) (9-12b: Students will examine and analyze primary and secondary sources in order to differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations).4 Thereby, students will explain what it means to be an American using historical materials, analyze the relationship between Indians to the concept of ‘American’ throughout time, and lastly assess the pivotal moment where Indians are most interconnected with the American identity.

Using a combination of personal background knowledge, drawing connections, identifying themes and developing conclusions based on fact and reason, students will synthesize a combination of texts (written, oral, and video) to determine the relationship between Indians and the American Identity. In both independent and group settings, students will be tasked to read, listen, or view a multitude of texts. This includes our AMSCO U.S. History textbook, Federal and State legislation, YouTube Videos, newspaper articles and excerpts from the book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States.

A critical first step to ensure the success of this Unit is by creating the opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the term identity, prior to defining ‘American Identity’. Once students become comfortable with the concept of identity, they will be asked to reflect upon what it means to be an American. Students should not only think about their own personal experiences, but also consider how social networking platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, news media, and institutions such as Hollywood influence what it means to be an American. Students should cultivate a list of criteria that establishes their concept of American Identity. Once this is done, students will be placed into groups of four, where they will share their definitions. Each group will need to

formulate their own definition of American Identity. Since formulating a single definition of American Identity in which the entire class would have to adopt may be too challenging and complex given everyone’s differences, group definitions are sufficient in order to further this unit to the next step. These first steps are pivotal since they will be utilized and reflected upon throughout the remainder of this Unit.

An important term for students to keep in mind and comprehend is ‘Americanization’. This is the process of making something American in character.5 For this unit, students will decide what the term ‘America’ or ‘American’ is in reference to. The most seeming choice is to associate the term with the United States. However, a grander breakdown of the word could reference the European ‘discovery’ of the New World. One could even stretch it further and claim that the term references a period prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Provide students with the opportunity to question and determine what this term should reference. Having students list American values would work really well to further this process. While one student may associate American values with the unalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence [Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness] others may not feel the same way based upon their own personal experiences.6 To incorporate technology into this activity, create a menti poll where students can list these values and common responses become more clear.

The overall goal of this Unit is for students to identify a single point or period of time where they can claim that Native Americans can identify as an American using reason and evidence to support their assertion. To ensure the success and efficiency of this process, both the educator and the students should approach this task as if it were a Case Study. Each group of students should choose one Native American tribe or nation that piques their interests and inspires inquiry. I recommend the Cherokee, Iroquois, Lenni Lenape, Lakota, Navajo, or the Acoma as potential Case Study groups for this Unit. However, substituting or selecting an additional Native American Nation or Tribe in your locality may be a more suitable option, depending on where you live. Having students focus on one specific tribe or nation rather than ‘Native Americans’ as a collective group encourages stronger familiarity with their tribe/nation and promotes an array of findings. This seeds opportunities for discussion and deliberation amongst the class.

As students progress through this Unit with the passing of each lesson, they should examine how their Case Study group has changed socially, politically and economically. Providing students with at least three 90-minute class periods, they should concentrate their efforts researching the three factors mentioned in the previous sentence. Having students divide the work will likely be more efficient (i.e. Student ‘A’ researches information relating to the politics of their Native American Nation while Student ‘B’ takes a closer look at the economic aspects). This will provide students with enough time to gather, examine, and reflect upon the findings of their investigation by closely examining the content that they gathered or have been provided with. Additionally,

students will use this time to make connections, identify themes, and form conclusions relating to their inquiry.

By the end of this unit and after a great deal of consultation with their peers, students will be able to effectively answer the following questions: (1) What does it mean to be an American? How does your definition relate to others in the classroom? Others in the country? (2) Have Indians been open to assimilate and become ‘American’? Were they forced to become ‘American’? and (3) What are examples of how Indians fit into your definition of an American throughout the nine Historical Periods we studied? How do they not fit?

Students will understand that today, the United States has a total population of over 331 million people. Around 2.9 million individuals identify as American Indian or Alaska Native alone, while an additional 5.9 million people identify as American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination with another race.7 Many of these people are members of one of the countries 574 federally recognized Indian Nations.8 With no two nations being the same, generations of culture and traditions have been influenced by factors including but not limited to, location, access to resources, war, and trade. Furthermore, students will understand that one’s identity is determined by a variety of factors including: culture, ethnicity, skills and abilities, physical traits and attributes, gender, occupation, beliefs, and hobbies. In association with this, American identity is fluid; after all our nation is known as ‘The Melting Pot’ because of its fusion of nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures. Lastly, students will understand that Native Americans are American; that Native American cultures and traditions are just one of the many pieces that construct ‘American Identity’.

Teaching Strategies

Simply, I have always been fond of group work – not only because of its practicality, but since it is realistic to life. Studies have found that students who are engaged in group work enhance their communication skills, improve cooperative learning, increase individual achievement, and heighten professional development skills compared to students working alone.9 Given that students in my classes have experienced working in group settings throughout the school year, this Unit will be no different. Naturally, the majority of the teaching strategies that are planned will be tailored towards a group setting.

Think, Pair, Share

This strategy is instrumental during the composition of the class definition of ‘American Identity’. After students independently formulate their own definitions, they will be paired into groups of four. At this time, each student should share their idea with the group. Once this is done, each group should craft a group definition for ‘American

Identity’. Next, a class discussion will take place which serves as an opportunity for the students to draw a consensus. Once the students can decide on a class wide definition of ‘American Identity’, this will be used throughout the remainder of the Unit for reflection. This adapted form of ‘Think, Pair, Share’ fosters a comfortable classroom environment and promotes students’ social skills.10

Inquiry-Based Instruction

In just over a year, most students in my AP U.S. History Courses will be furthering their educational careers at the higher level. This implies that the content needs to be rigorous, thus Inquiry-Based Instruction will be an essential component of this Unit. By posing numerous compelling questions in order to inspire interest and curiosity among the students, this teaching strategy will lead to individual and group based inquiry in order to respond to the unit objectives and questions. This teaching strategy instills college level skills and strengthens student understanding of the topics we are covering.11

Socratic Seminar

Within recent years, Socratic Seminars have become increasingly popular within our schools as an alternative to debating. The reasoning is simple; students have the opportunity to facilitate their own discussion regarding a specific topic. Students benefit through this exercise by refining their listening skills and creating community within the classroom.12 The Unit will end with a class wide Socratic Seminar where students will use their findings relating to a specific group of Indians to answer the Unit questions outlined earlier.

Close and Critical Reading

Sharpening student literary skills has been an imperative goal of mine, since I began my professional career. Throughout this Unit, students will analyze, interpret, critique and make connections to texts (assigned and unassigned). As students progress through the Unit, they will identify the relevance within each text, and determine how each text relates to the larger context. It has been proven that close and critical reading has encouraged students to develop a deeper understanding of the text.13

Technology

Google Chromebooks and Schoology have become integral tools used by students in my classroom. The Chromebooks, which are small laptops, allow students to access the web, complete virtual assignments, and utilize their email accounts. Since CSS is a 1:1 School, every student is fortunate to have their very own Chromebook that they can take to and from school. Additionally, Schoology is an online platform that our school district has adopted. It serves as a place for Teachers to create virtual assignments, link online

resources, send announcements, and connect with students virtually. Both Google Chromebooks and Schoology will be utilized in this Unit as a way to connect with students, provide opportunities for online inquiry, and provide essential resources and documents on a digital platform.

Classroom Activities

The Hook

Setting the stage, so to speak, is a critical first step in addressing the significance and spawning interest in relation to this unit. Stories have long been a critical part of Native American culture. For generations, narratives that signify the relationship between indigenous peoples and the earth have been used to explain the connection between man and the natural world.14 Nevertheless, these stories are often forgotten or ignored by our academic institutions. To bring light to these stories and why they should be studied, students will view the Ted video: The danger of a single story. This Ted Talk is done by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer whose message warns of the dangers relating to hearing only a single story about one person or country. Adichie believes that if more people are aware of other stories, this will prevent critical misunderstandings from taking place. The basis of her claim is rooted upon her own experiences growing up in Nigeria and studying at a university in the United States where she found her own, “authentic cultural voice”.15 After students view this video, a class discussion will take place reviewing Adichie’s message and predicting what this unit will entail using evidence from the video.

One Nation, Many People

Understanding identity is pivotal to the success of this unit. To begin, students will create personal identity charts. These charts can be made on a piece of paper, with the students’ name in the middle and with words or phrases webbing out (similar to a spider’s web). Students will keep in mind the question, “Who am I?” as they complete this activity. They should mention hobbies, interests, accomplishments, family roles, and personal background information (e.g. race, nationality, religion, place of birth, and where they live) on their diagram.16 Once this is done, have multiple students share out, if they are comfortable with expressing themselves amongst their peers. Afterwards, students should create an additional identity chart, this time replacing their name in the center with the word, ‘American’. Ask students write words or phrases relating to, “what does it mean to be an American” on the outside of their chart. Afterwards, place students in groups and ask them to identify any connections or resemblances with their peer’s charts. Furthermore, challenge students to identify how their personal chart relates to their American chart. Allocate some time for students to share their responses. By the end of

this, students will not only enhance their understanding of themselves, but what it means to be an American.

Getting to Know Your Nation

One of the most notable resources to review if one would like to further their understanding of what a specific nation values is by taking a hard look at its constitution. Often, constitutions outline specific principles and precedents that a nation and its citizens have to adhere to.17 I have found that the HIPPO Document Analysis tool is one of the best primary source analysis resources to use at the secondary level. HIPPO Stands for: Historical Context, Intended Audience, Point of View, Purpose, and Organization/Use in Argument. This analysis tool can easily be created into a worksheet; however, I will provide a link to a pdf version that is available online in the Resources section later on. As students read over their Native American Nation’s constitution, they should complete this analysis worksheet thoroughly.

A Tradition of Warriors

Throughout time, the military as an institution and the people who embody it have long been valued across cultures. This continues to remain true amongst the Native population living within the United States. Despite suffering great losses as a direct result of US land expansion, many Native Americans actively serve in the American armed forces. In fact, Native people have the highest per-capita involvement in the U.S. military in comparison to every other population group.18 Students will investigate this phenomenon by reaching out to local Native American organizations and conducting interviews. These interviews can either be done orally on a Zoom call that is approved by the teacher or written in an email. Each group should comprise a list of questions that relate to Native American service in the United State’s Military. Additionally, the organizations students contact should relate their assigned Nation. For instance, if one group is assigned the Navajo, the Navajo Nation Veterans Administration would be an ideal organization to contact for this activity. Students will use their findings to assist in the process of determining when their Native American Nation identifies the closest to being an American.

An Analysis Boarding Schools

During the 19th and 20th centuries, there have been many instances where Native American children were forcibly separated from their parents and sent to boarding schools.19 The goal of the U.S. government was to assimilate Native Children to American culture and society. One common phrase associated with the ambitions of this type of school was, “Kill the Indian in him and save the man”.20 In essence, convert the Indian children into good Christians through the use of meticulously crafted lessons, activities, games, and songs. Using primary resources available on the Library of Congress’s website, students will analyze whether or not the efforts of Native American

Boarding Schools were successful in assimilating indigenous children using evidence to support their findings. This analysis should also assist in the process of answering the unit’s essential questions. To further this activity, I recommend initiating a discussion to take place where students can determine whether or not this process (taking and assimilating Indigenous children) was proper or right.

Road Map to Americanization

Road Maps are a fantastic classroom activity where students have the opportunity to create a detailed timeline/road map poster. Students will investigate which historical events led their Native American Nation further to or farther from identifying as an ‘American’. As an alternative to making this on a poster board, I highly recommend doing this on a Jamboard. A Google product, Jamboard is an interactive digital whiteboard where students can work in real time to create their Road Map.21 Students have the opportunity to be creative using this electronic platform with its many tools. Additionally, it is easily accessible to them on their Chromebooks. One can think of this Road Map as the final product of the unit. Students should identify 13 of the most significant events that led their Native American Nation closer to or farther from identifying as Americans. This might include battles, legislation, or civil acts of disobedience for instance. Additionally, Students should design a road/path with some symbol representing a ‘stop’ for each event. Every event should have a corresponding description and analysis of its significance. A minimum of two interesting facts and two quotes should be incorporated somewhere on Jamboard Road Map. Lastly, each group should identify a point on their roadmap where they believe their nation identifies closest to being an American with an accompanied explanation.

Socratic Seminar

Mentioned earlier in the form of a teaching strategy, students will take part in a Socratic Seminar at the very end of this unit in the shape of an activity. Prior to this formal discussion taking place, students should form a large circle or oval with their desks, and sit near their group members. During this conversation, students will have the opportunity to answer the question: Are Indians American? To begin, each group will have the opportunity to present their findings in relation to their specific Native American nation. The groups should provide a brief overview of their nation. This includes mentioning historical events, key figures, and suggesting what their nation values. Students should come with their notes and their Road Map, therefore it may be necessary to have their Chromebook in front of them. Once each group has done this, the discussion to answer the fundamental question begins. Students should make cultural, political and economic connections between their nations. For instance, despite their land claims being far from one another and culturally dissimilar in many ways, both children within the Navajo and Cherokee Nations were sent to Indian boarding schools.22 The purpose of these schools were simple: “assimilate” Indian children to American society through education.

Students should reflect whether or not this action brought Native Americans closer to or further from identifying as being an American, based on their findings. The Socratic Seminar will take an entire class period. As the teacher, try your best to refrain from intervening as much as possible. If you notice the conversation becomes stagnate or progress is not being made, you may need to ask the class questions to assist in furthering the discussion.

If students decide that Native Americans are in fact American, ask the class if they feel as if they are treated or perceived by the majority of the population, as being an American. Native Americans, like many other minority groups have long faced discrimination by American institutions and citizens. It was not until June 2, 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act, allowing Native Americans to legally become citizens of the United States.23 Yet despite these efforts, twenty two percent of American Indians and Alaskan Natives still live on reservations or other trusted lands today.24 Or, why did a diverse group of Native Americans occupy the island of Alcatraz in the San Francisco bay from 1969-1971 to raise awareness of American Indian oppression.25 With all of the knowledge the students have gained over the past month through their case studies, they should explain why occurrences like this exist.

If students determine that Native Americans are in fact, not American, have them decide whether this occurrence is the result of social, political or economic reasons (or a combination of them all). Students should elaborate on this by addressing specific evidence from the research and through classroom activities that supports their claim(s).

Resources

American Indian Constitutions and Legal Materials. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.loc.gov/law/help/american-indian-consts/index.php

Serving as the research arm for Congress, the Library of Congress holds a collection of American Indian Constitutions that can be utilized by students throughout this unit.

“Creation, Migration and Origin Stories.” Legends of Indigenous Peoples. Accessed October 17, 2020. http://indians.org/indigenous-peoples-literature/legends-of-indigenous-peoples.html.

This website offers a diverse collection of Native American literature, including a large assortment of origin stories.

Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm), Films Media Group, and Public Broadcasting Service (U.S.), dirs. 2009. Trail of Tears : We Shall Remain -- America through Native Eyes. Films Media Group

This nearly hour and a half long live action documentary offers insightful information relating to the forced relocation and division between members of the Cherokee Nation.

HIPPO Document Analysis. PDF File. December 6, 2020. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/597595b5d482e9419b1cec20/t/59a5fccfb8a79bfcfdabc838/1504050383860/HIPPO+Document+Analysis+Worksheet.pdf

This is the document analysis tool described in the ‘Getting to Know Your Nation’ in the Classroom Activities section of this unit.

“Home: Indigenous Governance Database.” Home | Indigenous Governance Database. University of Arizona. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://nnigovernance.arizona.edu/.

The Indigenous Governance Database provides primary and secondary sources such as tribal constitutions.

IDA Treaties Explorer. Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://digitreaties.org/treaties/.

Created by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this online explorer is a fantastic resource for students to use to discover treaties made by their assigned Native American Nations.

“Interactive Presentation Software.” Mentimeter. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://www.mentimeter.com/.

An interactive online platform where teachers can have students respond to polls and questions via their cellphones or Chromebooks.

Lesiak, Christine, and Stacy Keach. 1997. In the white man's image. [Alexandria, VA]: PBS Video.

This PBS documentary tells the story of how American Indians were assimilated into white culture through special schools. This documentary focuses on addressing how the Carlisle School for Indians attempted to wipe the remnants of Indian culture from its students’ identities.

Mendoza, Jean, Debbie Reese and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. 2019. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People. Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press.

A counter to the often Eurocentric view of American history, this book provides an analysis of the roles that settler colonialism and American Indian genocide have played on American Identity.

Native American Boarding Schools: Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress: Library of Congress. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2020, from https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/native-american-boarding-schools/

This collection of primary documents includes photographs and literature relating to Native American Boarding Schools.

Newman, J. J., & Schmalbach, J. M. (2018). United States history: Preparing for the advanced placement examination. New York, N.Y: Amsco School Publications.

Our course textbook. This concise textbook provides a narrative of American history that aligns to the format and structure of the Advanced Placement United States History Course with the goal of preparing students for the final exam.

TEDtalksDirector. (2009, October 07). The danger of a single story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

This Ted Talk video available on YouTube addresses the importance of hearing different stories in order to prevent grave misunderstandings.

“Treaties Between the United States and Native Americans.” Accessed November 21, 2020. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/ntreaty.asp.

The Avalon Project from Yale hosts a collection of material relating to law, history, and diplomacy. It provides an extensive collection of Native American treaties.

Appendix: Implementing District Standards

National Council for the Social Studies Standards. Students will analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.26

Furthermore, our district and state also adheres to Common Core Standards. This unit addresses Determining Central Ideas or Information of Primary or Secondary Source CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.27 Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to formulate their own understanding of when their Native American Nation identifies closest to being an ‘American’.

The following Delaware State History Standards will be represented: (1) 9-12a: Students will analyze historical materials to trace the development of an idea or trend across space or over a prolonged period of time in order to explain patterns of historical continuity and change, and (2) (9-12b: Students will examine and analyze primary and secondary sources in order to differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations).28 During out sessions, students will investigate and explain what it

means to be an American and describe the relationship between Native American identity and American identity utilizing historical materials to support their claims.

Attachments