OKH 2-4

Oklahoma Academic Standard 2. The student will evaluate the major political and economic events that transformed the land and its people from early contact through Indian Removal and its aftermath. 

Objective 2.4  Describe the consequences of Indian Removal on intertribal relationships with western nations, such as the Osage, Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne and Arapaho.

In a Nutshell

 Students should understand that the relocation of the Five Nations to Indian Territory displaced tribal groups presently residing there. Southern Plains tribes were also relocated to reservations in western regions of present-day Oklahoma, particularly as a consequence of the Five Nations’ alliances with the Confederacy.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Provide students opportunities to evaluate the impact of constitutional rights and human rights on addressing issues in society such as the consequences of removal on tribal relationships.

• Assist students in analyzing spatial patterns of human and physical environments, using geographic technology, from contemporary and historical perspectives concerning the shifting physical geography as a consequence of Indian Removal specifically concerning the western nations, such as the Osage, Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne and Arapaho. 

• Actively engage in asking and answering questions by acquiring, organizing, and analyzing multiple sources of data and information concerning the shifting political environment as a consequence of Indian Removal.

• Evaluate the impact of the powers exercised by state, tribal, and national institutions on public policy related to Indian Removal.

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• tribal groups historically residing in Indian Territory as well as groups that were relocated to Indian Territory; forced negotiations with the newly arrived Five Tribes over land claims and borders 

• land tensions leading to the creation of additional military outposts, including Ft. Coffee, Ft. Wayne, Ft. Washita, Ft. Arbuckle, Ft. Cobb

• inter-tribal conflicts exacerbated by the rising tensions between the United States and Mexico

• Students often do not consider the presence of other indigenous groups in Indian Territory and consider removal to be a process that only affected the Five Southeastern Tribes.

• Some students may be unaware of the growing border conflict between the United States and the newly formed Mexico and that Indian Territory occupied for over two decades.

Instructional Resources