Oklahoma Academic Standard 4. The student will analyze the formation of constitutional government in Oklahoma.

Objective 4.1  Compare the governments among the American Indian nations and the movement for the state of Sequoyah.

In a Nutshell

In an effort to stave off removal attempts. many of the American Indian nations had established governments similar to the United States government.  Still other American Indian tribes retained their more traditional forms of government as an attempt to protect inherent tribal sovereignty.  Students should understand how past experiences motivated leaders of the Five Nations to work toward the establishment a separate American Indian state. 

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Guide students to assess the significance and impact of individuals and groups related to the movement for an Indian state.

• Provide opportunities for students to analyze how the state of Sequoyah was perceived as a means to promote the common good while protecting the individual rights of American residents of present-day Oklahoma. 

• Analyze the impact of constitutions, laws, and treaties, including the concept of sovereignty to compare similarities of state, national, and tribal governments.

• Gather and evaluate information regarding local problems to assess individual and collection actions taken to address problems such as the attempt to preserve Indian sovereignty through a proposal for an Indian state. 

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• Pleasant Porter, Alfalfa Bill Murray

• Five Nations Governments

• Shawnee Convention

• Statehood committee for an Indian State

• Sequoyah Convention

• Some students may mistakenly assume that this era has no bearing on current events in Oklahoma History; whereas, Indian sovereignty is still an issue of concern to many Oklahomans.

• Students may lack prior knowledge or exposure to the principle of tribal sovereignty.

Instructional Resources