Design. This lesson plan is designed to follow a historical, social, and political discussion about the Civil Rights Movement and political activism during the 1960s and 1970s. Because it provides a case study of American Indian activism before, during, and after the Civil Rights Movement, it is essential that students already understand the goals and accomplishments of Civil Rights activists. The optimal length of this plan is 11-12 hours, or 11 to 12 class days, but it may be shortened or lengthened according to teacher need and student interest. The lesson is divided into three parts:

• Part I: Introduction and Historical Analysisis a two-day lesson which places the goals of the Red Power Movement chronologically and ideologically in context with the goals of the Civil Rights Movement curriculum, and which introduces students to basic issues associated with contemporary American Indians.

• Part II: Nineteenth and TwentiethCentury Relations among the Federal Government and American Indian Nationsis a two-day lesson that seeks to provide students with an historical context for the Red Power movement.

• Part III: Red Power Yesterday and Todayis a seven-to eight day lesson that uses a series of historical case studies to illustrate the course of Indian activism during the Red Power era; illustrates the impact of the Red Power Movement on Indian Country over the past several decades; and explains the extent of and the issues surrounding contemporary Indian activism.

This lesson plan coincides with at least two components of the California History - Social Studies Standards:

• 11.10.5,students will analyze the agendas, strategies, and effectiveness of the quest of American Indians…for civil rights and equal opportunities.

• 11.11.6 students will analyze the persistence of poverty and how different analyses of this issue influence welfare reform, health insurance reform, and other social policies. (Contemporary Indian activism is centered around issues of ongoing poverty and the continuing exercise of sovereignty.)

• Overheads: A series of contextual overheads that can be reproduced for the overhead projector.

• Assignments: Suggested assignments that can be used with the lesson plan.

• Journal Topics: Journal topics that can be assigned each day of the lesson plan. The instructor may choose to give students a journal assignment every day for the duration of the two week lesson plan. This will allow the students individual time to contemplate the content of the lesson from the previous day, encourage them to think about what will be discussed during the day’s lesson, and may also be used as a quick assessment tool. Ideally, these journal writings should be as brief as possible, lasting no longer then the first five of the class period (for a 50-minute period). For the purposes of convenience, three journal topics will be supplied for each day of the lesson plan. The students can either be given one of the three topics to write about or they can be given a choice among all three suggestions for the day.

• Assessment: An assessment of Part II can be used to assess student understanding at the end of this two-day lesson. Additionally, a final assessment of the project is included at the end of Part III.

• the historical context of the Red Power Movement of the 1960s and 1970s by examining the relationship among American Indians and the federal government;

• various case studies of Indian activism during the Red Power Movement;

• the goals, demands, and actions of American Indian activists of the 1960s and 1970s;

• the legacy of the Red Power movement; and

• the contemporary issues that continue to engage Indian activists.

• The Red Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s consisted of organized Indian resistance to almost 200 years of federal policies that attempted to destroy Indian culture and spirituality; to assimilate Indians into the non-Indian political and economic structure; and to dismantle Indian sovereignty.

• The influence and successes of the Red Power movement is apparent in the continuing activism of American Indians throughout the United States.

Before you Begin...

1. You might be interested in knowing that the majority of the quotes used for the journal suggestions come from two books:

• Lakota Womanby Mary Crow Dog. (Canada: Theytus Books, 1990.) Phone: (250)493-7181; FAX (250)493-5302; e-mail gyoungin@vip.net. Also available through Amazon at http://www.amazon.com
•  Slashby Jeanette Armstrong. (NY: HarperPerennial, 1994). Available through Amazon.
While Slash deals with subjects that may be deemed inappropriate (violence and drug use) for high school students, either of these books can be used to supplement the lesson plan and are written at a level accessible to most high school students.
 
1. If you would like to read historical background information on the relationship between the federal government and American Indians from the signing of the Constitution through the end of the 20th Century, two sources are available on this web site:

 
• the Historical Overviewis a detailed essay describing this history; and
• the Historical Chronologyis a chronological listing of the historical events that characterize federal Indian relations.
To access either one, simply click on the desired choice.
 
2. For teachers with access to a computer lab, the many hotlinked items throughout the lesson plan provide a wide array of primary documents and excellent secondary analysis for students. Various assignments, research topics, and extra credit opportunities could be generated from these.