Shawnee Indians

Activity #2: Who Gets the Land?: Competing Visions of Abbott, Bluejacket and Black Bob

Materials Needed:

• Worksheet
• “Land Hunger” section from Johnson County 1825 – 2005: A Pictorial History.
• Primary Source Packets for Abbott, Bluejacket and Black Bob. Included in the packets are:
  • Historical Photos (if available)
  • Atlas excerpts
  • Newspaper articles
  • 1874 Atlas map
• Primary and Secondary Source sheet

Curriculum Objectives:

7th grade – Kansas History Standard, Benchmark 3, Indicator 1:  The student describes reasons for tension between the American Indians and the United States government over land in Kansas (e.g. encroachment on Indian lands, depletion of the buffalo and other natural resources, the Sand Creek massacre, broken promises)
7th grade – Kansas History Standard, Benchmark 7, Indicator 2: The student analyzes different types of primary sources in Kansas history and analyzes them in terms of credibility, purpose, and point of view. (e.g. census records, diaries, photographs, letters, government documents)
7th grade – Kansas History Standard, Benchmark 7, Indictor 3:  The student uses at least three primary sources to interpret the impact of a person or event from Kansas history to develop a historical narrative.
6th-8th grade – National Standards for History, Standard 1B: The student is able to explain and evaluate the various strategies of Native Americans such as accommodation, revitalization, and resistance (compare and contrast differing sets of ideas). (Source: National Center for History in the Schools)

Instructions:

There are two options for teaching this lesson:

Option 1 – Group Work

1. Read or review the “Land Hunger” excerpt from Johnson County, Kansas: A Pictorial History, 1825 – 2005, along with the Primary and Secondary Sources handout.
2. Divide the class into several groups of 3-4 students. Each group will have one of 3 people or groups to study: James Abbott (land speculator), Charles Bluejacket (Shawnee chief) and Black Bob (traditional Shawnee tribe).
3. Print off and distribute the corresponding packets for each group; or having them view the packets online.
4. As a group, have the students fill out the worksheet for their person or group.
5. At the end of the activity, leave time to have each group discuss their subject’s view of how to use the land and how the Shawnee should live in the Kansas Territory.

Option 2 – Individual Work

1. Read or review the “Land Hunger” excerpt from Johnson County, Kansas: A Pictorial History, 1825 – 2005, along with the Primary and Secondary Sources handout.
2. Assign each student a person or group who had a role in the land hunger and the Shawnee Indians: James Abbott (land speculator), Charles Bluejacket (Shawnee chief) and Black Bob (traditional Shawnee tribe).
3. Print off and distribute the corresponding packets for each student; or have them view the packets online.
4. As a group, have the students fill out the worksheet for their subject.
5. At the end of the activity, leave time to have each group discuss their person or group’s view of how to use the land and how the Shawnee should live.
6. Additional Activity: Have the students write a one-page paper from the point of view of Abbott, Bluejacket or Black Bob defending their vision of how to use the land.

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