How did the treatment of Native American Indians in Massachusetts compare to the National politics regarding Indians during the presidency of Andrew Jackson?

The American Indians in Jacksonian America curriculum is intended to be a supplement to the study of United States History during the Jackson Administration. It explores the different points of views Americans had concerning Indians in earl 19th-century America. Through primary sources, such as, speeches, newspaper articles, and Congressional Records, along with secondary materials, students will analyze significant events and issues that helped shape our modern American views.

The interactive curriculum will take the student from examining some of the national policies and viewpoints from Andrew Jackson and the Indian Relocation Act of 1830, to New England, specifically Massachusetts and the Mashpee Indian Revolt of 1833. The unit concludes with the article “What it means to be a Native American today,” a contemporary look at American Indians by Cheryll Toney Holley, a member of the Nipmuc Nation in Massachusetts.

This curriculum unit contains:
1. Unit overview including a list of the lessons

2. Lesson Plans that include
Lesson Content:

• Overview
  
• Grade level
  
• Goals and Objectives
  
• Assessment suggestions
  
• Keywords (when applicable)
  
• Connection to National Standards

Lesson Activities:

• Directions
  
• Activity Sheets (when applicable)
  
• Primary Source Documents (when applicable)
  
• Papers and Articles (when applicable)
  
• Teacher Resources (when applicable)

Middle, High School

This unit will provide students the opportunity to read, analyze, and investigate primary source materials, gain an understanding of different points of view, weigh issues, and make connections to the present day. Using sources from Old Sturbridge Village collections, students will explore the Native American experience during President Andrew Jackson’s administration and compare national and local views of Native Americans. By examining the Indian Relocation Act of 1830 and the Mashpee Indian Revolt of 1833, students will explore national views and their influence on local politics.

• Student participation in class discussions.
  
• Completion of Primary Source Document Activity Sheets.
  
• Writing assignments.