"The concept of historical truth is a sticky and difficult one—which makes
it even more worthwhile to contemplate and discuss among teachers and students".
Dr. Pulda, social studies teacher
How Could Things Have Been Different?
Bob Charlo took the (above) image used in this five-part documentary that tells the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective. Over the years, when asked what the photograph represented and how viewers should interpret the American flag above the teepee, Charlo said, "To me it represents that we - Native people - are still here and still vibrant. We are NOT a conquered people. We are a contributing people."
In a small way, I feel a part of that contributing nation. My maternal great-grandfather was the child of a German immigrant and a Native woman from Pennsylvania. Overtime, much has been lost about this story, but I remember the pride my mother placed on my high cheekbones and knew that my grandfather and uncles in Pennsylvania still hunted on family land. As someone who has a personal interest in the history of discrimination and racism, I am always investigating what the tipping point was that led to the conflict between groups of people. The first part of the documentary called, After the Mayflower, ends by stating, "It's hard to see how conflict could have been avoided and how the outcome of that war (King Philip's War) could have been different. (But) looking at the generation before this war, there is at least a moment, where things were different". So I ask, "Should we not say that the history of racism in this country began with the genocide of American Indians?"
In my current university course, we've talked about thematic units in social studies. I have a high school curriculum from a NCSS conference that discusses the plight of Native Americans under the heading: Discrimination. The essential question asked for the unit is: What is the responsibility of the government in ensuring equality for all citizens? The lessons covered are as follows:
In a small way, I feel a part of that contributing nation. My maternal great-grandfather was the child of a German immigrant and a Native woman from Pennsylvania. Overtime, much has been lost about this story, but I remember the pride my mother placed on my high cheekbones and knew that my grandfather and uncles in Pennsylvania still hunted on family land. As someone who has a personal interest in the history of discrimination and racism, I am always investigating what the tipping point was that led to the conflict between groups of people. The first part of the documentary called, After the Mayflower, ends by stating, "It's hard to see how conflict could have been avoided and how the outcome of that war (King Philip's War) could have been different. (But) looking at the generation before this war, there is at least a moment, where things were different". So I ask, "Should we not say that the history of racism in this country began with the genocide of American Indians?"
In my current university course, we've talked about thematic units in social studies. I have a high school curriculum from a NCSS conference that discusses the plight of Native Americans under the heading: Discrimination. The essential question asked for the unit is: What is the responsibility of the government in ensuring equality for all citizens? The lessons covered are as follows:
- Manifest Destiny
- Trail of Tears
- 13th/14th/15th Amendments
- Ku Klux Klan
- Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Rosa Parks
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Susan B. Anthony
- Gold Rush
- Battles of Wounded Knee
- Jim Crow Laws/Black Codes
- Brown v. Board of Education
- Malcolm X
- Little Rock, Arkansas (Central H.S.)
- 19th Amendment
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