Lesson Ideas

Inquiry Tasks

• Provide an opportunity for students to create a print or digital timeline chronicling important legislation pertaining to tribal sovereignty and evolving relations with the United States. Advise students that their timelines should include a synopsis of the the importance of each act. Suggested entries on the timeline might include the Indian Removal Act, Removal Treaties, Medicine Lodge Treaty, Dawes Act, Curtis Act, Indian Citizenship Act, Indian Reorganization Act.  

• Ask students to research how an individual may attain citizenship within a federally recognized American Indian tribe today. Ask students to create a flow chart depicting the process. How do the different processes reflect a level of sovereignty retained by American Indian tribes regarding citizenship? How do the processes compare to the naturalization process for immigrants to the United States?

• Encourage collaborative groups to analyze the Indian Reorganization Act (edited version) using a structured strategy, such as those recommended by the National Archives and Records Administration. Ask groups to consider each of the quotations from Indian leaders, government officials, and the public, found in Perspectives toward the Indian Reorganization Act. Ask students to note if each statement is a Fact or Opinion related to the Act. Encourage groups to review the statements a second time, assume the role of a tribal council member. Ask groups to note any ways the Act could provide support for tribal independence, economic stability, or cultural identity. Conduct a concluding discussion regarding the intent and impact of the Act on tribal sovereignty. 

Primary Sources 

Secondary Sources 

• Indian Reorganization Act, full text from the US Government Publishing Office; useful excerpts readily available at the beginning of the document. 

• The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, National Archives and Records Administration. 

• Tribal Enrollment Process from the U.S. Department of the Interior.