Read Kansas! - H-5 The Work of William Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs
This lesson focuses on American Indian removal from western lands. Primary source documents will be analyzed by students to develop historical questions. The students will interpret historic letters to Superintendent of Indian Affairs William Clark, in order to understand the day-to-day issues related to Indian removal and forced assimilation. The lesson is written for three class sessions but can be adjusted to meet individual classroom needs. Select each image to see a PDF with the front and back of each card.
Kansas History, Government, and Social Studies Standards:
Standard #3: Societies are shaped by beliefs, ideas, and diversity.
- 3.2: The student will draw conclusions about significant beliefs, contributions, and ideas, analyzing the origins and context under which these competing ideals were reached and the multiple perspectives from which they come.
Kansas College and Career Ready Standards:
- RH.11-12.1: The student cites specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
- RH.11-12.2: The student determines the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source, provides an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
