An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. On October 8th, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a presidential proclamation recognizing October 11th as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, marking the first time an American president had officially acknowledged this national holiday. As stated in the Indigenous Peoples’ Initiative mission statement, “the Indigenous Peoples’ Initiative was established to tell a more positive and more accurate tale of Native Americans by celebrating and recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” In what other instances have we, as a society, moved to correct a less accurate or inaccurate narrative?

Teaching Suggestion: Before reading this nonfiction work, students might benefit from thinking about the ways in which a particular narrative can influence a view of history and the positive effects of seeing from others’ points of view, which connects to the text’s theme of Viewing History from an Indigenous Perspective. If students struggle to think of other corrections to biased historical narratives, the class might engage in a group reading of “14 Big Facts That Were Left Out of History” from Readers Digest. For another example related to racial justice, you might mention the newly recognized federal holiday of Juneteenth.

• Students can read President Biden’s official “A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2021” here.
• NPR reports on Indigenous Americans’ first-person reactions to President Biden’s proclamation in “Goodbye, Columbus? Here’s what Indigenous Peoples’ Day means to Native Americans.”
• Vox’s “Why All Americans Should Honor Juneteenth” explains the origins and history of Juneteenth.

2. In this 2-minute clip published by the History Channel, historian Matthew Pinsker briefly explains the concept of “Manifest Destiny” and the 1890’s expansionism of the United States as a global power. The three basic tenets of Manifest Destiny are (1) that the American people and their institutions are special, (2) that the mission of the United States is to redeem and uplift “savage” territories and remake them in the American image, and (3) that it is Americans’ essential duty to make this happen. What do you think of this concept and rationale in modern times? Consider how this concept might have left a Legacy of Colonialist Doctrine in modern-day politics.

Teaching Suggestion: To help ground their answers in contemporary current events, explain to students that, by modern standards and laws, the colonialist takeover of the North American continent and the removal of Indigenous people would likely be considered a genocide. The concept of Manifest Destiny has led to some modern-day political touchpoints, such as American exceptionalism and U.S.-led occupations of foreign nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced learners who will benefit from thinking critically about material that espouses strong positions, students might watch this 11-minute clip entitled “Manifest Destiny Was More Messed-Up Than You Thought” and discuss the historical points presented in the video.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the book.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, stories featuring Indigenous people have appeared in pop culture elements such as movies, TV shows, comic books, and video games. What are some stories featuring Indigenous people that you have watched/read? For stories you experienced when you were younger, do you view them any differently now?

Teaching Suggestion: As students discuss stories featuring Indigenous people, you may want to review factors that signal that the tale may be problematic (e.g., including the trope of the “noble savage”; being told from a predominantly white colonialist settler perspective; featuring only or primarily white individuals as the main characters; portraying indigenous people as inept and/or primitive).

• "The Misrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in Film" by StoryMaps provides an overview of misrepresentation of Indigenous people. The article concludes with examples of filmmakers who are improving representation of Indigenous people, by portraying them in an accurate and positive way.
• React’s “Indigenous People React to Indigenous Representation in Film and TV (Pocahontas, The Lone Ranger)” (Content warning: Use of profanity is filtered out but still evident in the video.)