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We Will:

Analyze and describe the effects of westward expansion and subsequent federal policies on the  American Indian tribes in the Western states and territories.

 Discuss the impact of colonization on American Indian tribal lands in the West, such as aboriginal and/or ceded territories, and numerous Treaties from 1855 on into the 1900's.

Essential Question

How well did President Andrew Jackson promote democracy?

Andrew Jackson:

Common Man and Contradictions: A Mock Trial of Andrew Jackson

OVERVIEW

The election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 marked a change in American politics. For the first time a presidential candidate had been elected from west of the Appalachian Mountains, marking an end to the streak held by wealthy eastern elitists. Jackson represented the emergence of a new middle-/working-class America. The war hero from the Battle of New Orleans who did not have a college education, chewed tobacco, and dueled with pistols to defend his wife’s honor reflected the ideals of the western portion of the United States. The appeal of Jackson to the ordinary man helped lead to the new period known as “the common man era.”

As president, Andrew Jackson embraced the role of protecting “common men”—his decisions in matters such as the rotation of office holders can be argued as being in their interest. By limiting a federal office holder’s tenure to one term, Jackson could make room for another deserving candidate, promoting the concept that one man is just as good another. However, some might argue that rotating office holders left room for government corruption, as party loyalty played an important role in the replacement of office holders from previous administrations.

President Jackson’s title as “the common man president” often detracts students from looking further into his decision-making to unveil contradictions.

 

The question we must ask is to what extent was Andrew Jackson truly a common man? Was he a reflection of the new democracy emerging in the country?

 

How might he have influenced this new ideology himself? How do we measure Jacksonian Democracy in light of his treatment of groups such as Native Americans?

Through participation in a mock trial of Andrew Jackson, we will analyze primary sources and participate in role-playing activities in an effort to lead them to an informed decision of whether or not Andrew Jackson was truly representative of “the common man.”

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Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce

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Click the on For the Text Reading on the Nez Perce:

Students review and answer questions about a Nez Perce chief’s various speeches he gave in the mid 1800s in order to gain insight into how the United States government and white settlers were affecting American Indian lives. 

Lesson summary:

Students review and answer questions about a Nez Perce chief’s various speeches he gave in the mid 1800s in order to gain insight about how the US government and white settlers were affecting American Indian lives. 
 

This lesson  examines the resources, opportunities and freedoms that lured different groups west. Emphasis will be placed on how the arrival of newcomers presented challenges to those already settled in territory.

Learning objectives:

 1. Analyze and describe the effects of westward expansion and subsequent federal policies on the  American Indian tribes in the Western states and territories.

2. Discuss the impact of colonization on American Indian tribal lands in the West, such as aboriginal and/or ceded territories, and the Treaties of 1855 and 1863.

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