Native American

Outreach Program

Garbology-Archaeology (Standard 1.2.1)

Discuss what Native American middens are and what were they made of. Students will analyze and document the contents of garbage and extrapolate where the garbage came from, as well as what can be discovered about the people that threw the garbage away. Discuss what we might leave behind. What will future archaeologists think?

• The History Out of The Box website has an archaeology site that was developed by the Sarasota County Archaeologist at the History Center. This is a beneficial site to utilize before the educator visits the class. Please go to: Archaeology section (LINK) (Standard 1.1.3 and 1.2.1)

Outreach Activity

Environmental Impact

Students will break up into four groups and represent four different Native American tribes in Florida. Using the environmental information provided, student will work together in their group to figure out what type of clothes, shelter, food, tools and weapons were used by the tribe they represent. After they present their findings, a discussion on what was used by all he tribes and why will take place.

(Standard 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3 and 1.1.4 )

Activity(ies)

• Students will role-play as indigenous people and break into groups or “tribes” – each Native American tribe had a chief that made treaties with other tribes. (The chief could be a woman or a man) The chief would select principal men and women to assist in the decision making for the tribe. The tribes must decide what to do about the Spanish. The Spanish have murdered many of the people, and tribes are wiped out by sickness. (Standard 2.1.1)

Exploration/colonization

Outreach Program

• Students create a map and learn about using a scale.              
• Students learn how to use a compass with a map and engage in a treasure hunt.

(Standard 1.1.1, 1.1.4, and 1.2.1)

Outreach Activity

Activity(ies)

Exploration/colonization: Spanish Rule

Outreach Program

• Role-play Spanish judicial sys. (This project could extend throughout the school year.)

Spain’s colonies and the conquered peoples could petition for better treatment through a convocatoria. At a convocatoria, a royal official gathered representatives from various colonial groups, including Indian villagers, to seek out their complaints and question them on royal matters. (Standard 1.1.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.3, 2.1.4 and 2.1.5)

• Students are given a character to portray, ex. A Conquistador, Native American, Slave, etc. Prior to the convocatoria, the students will write a brief journal on their life during the Spanish Conquest. Whether they are a conquistador, slave, missionary, Native American, etc. the journal will help the student prepare for the debate when they petition the court for fairer treatment. The students will debate each other within this forum.
• The students should play with the Time Travel section (LINK) of the History Out of The Box website to get a better understanding of creating a historical biography.
• The forum could be video taped and accessible for viewing on the History Out of The Box website.

If the instructor decides to utilize the project throughout the school year, the following would be included:

(as a year-round project)

Outreach Activity

Activity(ies)

• The convocatoria would be held once a month. During the month the students’ historic characters will change a generation. During this generational change their character could go from a female to a male relative, from a female Native American that formed a relationship with a Spaniard and their son is now in Havana, Cuba, etc. The students would have to know the historical background of their characters, and each month represents that character at the convocatoria. This project would begin at the time of the Spanish conquest of Florida, up to the 21^st Century.

(This would include many of the standards since it continues throughout Florida History.)

Exploration/colonization: English Rule

Outreach Program

• Students will represent English colonists living in Florida, and they are meeting to debate whether to join the other colonies in their bid for independence. The History Out of The Box educator will be a representative from Boston attempting to sway the other “colonists” to join in their fight. Students will gain a better understanding of why colonists chose to remain loyal in Florida.
  (Standard 2.2.2)

Outreach Activity

Activity(ies)

• Have students break up into small groups and assign each group a topic to write a newspaper article from the viewpoint of the Florida colonist about the colonists breaking away from English rule. All the articles will be placed in the format of a newspaper and printed out for the students, as well as available on the History Out of the Box website.
  (Standard 2.2.2)

• The students will role-play and portray the Seminoles that survived the attack and have found a safe place to camp for a few days where Bradenton is located today. The survivors must decide what to do next. Who are their allies? How is their diversity an asset? Should the Seminoles try and petition the United States to form a peace treaty or should they fight?
  (Standard 2.1.4, 2.1.5, 2.2.2)

Exploration/colonization: Second Spanish Rule

Outreach Program

Outreach Activity

Activity(ies)

Territorial Period

Outreach Program

• Have the students break into groups or “families”, and make a survey of “their land” using a compass, natural markers and pacing out the distance.

Outreach Activity

• The students could create a map of their property, deciding where the best place to build their house, as well as how the property will be used. Farm, trade, shipping, fishing, etc.

Activity(ies)

• Click on the Archives section (LINK) of History Out of the Box and choose an historical document to analyze. What is the document? What does it tell you? Why would a historian find the information valuable? What story does it tell?
• Read a letter from the Archive section (LINK). What was their life like? Do they seem happy to be in the Florida Territory? Were their expectations met?

(Standard 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.4, 1.2.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.2.2)

Immigration

Outreach Program

• Why would American citizens want to move to Florida?  Who would be the most likely to decide to settle in Florida? (The largest population of American citizens living in Florida during this time was military men.)

Outreach Activity

• Have the students role-play a soldier who survived the Seminole Wars and hears about the Armed Occupation Act, maybe even before it becomes public knowledge, and write a letter to a family member encouraging or informing them of the opportunity. Remember, these men have marched all over Florida, and have the best idea of where to settle or stake their claim. Where would they settle? What would be the advantages of moving? Take into account the trading opportunities living on the coast or rivers, and the best means for transportation.

(Standard 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.2.2)

Activity(ies)

• Have the students design an advertisement to encourage the settling in Florida. Who are they targeting? Another country? American citizens? Make sure the advertisement is geared to encourage the targeted audience.

(Standard 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.2.2)

Statehood

Outreach Program

• Discuss what the process was to become a state. Have the class have a rally for statehood and discuss the benefits of statehood for the citizens.

Outreach Activity

• Start a petition and get other students to sign it.

Activity(ies)

• Florida was a slave state and had to wait to gain statehood until a free state was accepted as well. Discuss why and how this became a policy. How did the different economies of the North and South affect the issue of slavery?  (Standard 2.3.1 and 2.3 .2)