Native American History Curriculum

The history of Native Americans began with the migration of small family-based bands from Asia to the Americas using a land bridge. The ancestors of Native Americans today established complex societies in the Americas until they were interrupted by European explorers and colonizers. Since the colonial period, Native Americans have faced constant struggles in keeping their ancestral lands, upholding their customs and traditions, and pursuing their rights as citizens.

European colonizers included the British, French, Russians, and Spanish. All imposed different policies concerning the native population.

See the fact file below for more information on Native American History Curriculum or alternatively, you can download our 16-page Native American History Curriculum worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Short video explainer

• Before we start, watch a short and simple video explainer about Native American History found on the PDF download.

What to Consider

• Part of a bigger picture – In teaching Native American history, we need to reinforce that it is part of American history. To allow our learners to understand the history of Native Americans using multiple viewpoints, their stories should not be taught separately but rather along with broader events of American history. 
• Cultures are alive – We need to emphasize that cultures are alive. Native American culture is not contained in the past, and it is very much breathing. Native American people are contemporary people. 
• Cultural sensitivity – The use of culturally sensitive and accurate terminologies is important for inclusivity. Native Americans can be referred to as Native peoples, American Indians, First Peoples, and Indigenous peoples. Moreover, most Native people prefer to be identified by their indigenous community. Words such as “uncivilized” and “savage” are no longer used to describe the complex societies of Native American peoples. Instead, we use phrases such as “pre-contact” and “pre-European settlement”. 
• Representation – Being culturally sensitive and inclusive will break stereotypes. Learners should also be exposed to first-hand accounts of Native Americans in understanding their culture and involvement in contemporary issues that affect them. Remember, the presentation of history changes depending on whose perspective it is taking.
• One is distinct from the other – There are various Indian nations with their own culture. 
• If you’re concerned about upsetting your students with dark aspects of history during a time of what is supposed to be informative and interactive learning, we have a useful blog that will help you navigate teaching and an impartial recount of the facts. If you need more ideas after reading this pack, check out our blog about Native American people.   

How to deliver

• It is crucial to introduce their origins when teaching culturally rich and distinct groups such as the Native American people. Ancient genetic and linguistic mapping of Native Americans suggest a migration at least 15,000 years ago. We can use still and interactive maps to show their migration pattern via the Bering Land Bridge. This type of activity will deepen our learners’ knowledge of geography and their ability to analyze its possible impact. 
• The discussion of Native Americans involves various nations with different cultures and histories of their own. Like other settlements, varied Native American Nations adopted their way of life based on geography. For example, the Algonquian speakers of the Northeast (including Shawnee, Wampanoag, and Fox) lived in farming and fishing villages near the ocean. 
• Meanwhile, the indigenous peoples of the Southeast (including Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole) were primarily farmers. The barren landscape in the Arctic made the Eskimo-Aleut family less sedentary (note that the Eskimos and Aleuts are often excluded from the category of Native Americans.)
• It is important to emphasize that the history of indigenous peoples, in general, did not begin with European contact. For the Native Americans, their complex societies and cultures were already in existence when the European colonization beginning in 1492, took place. 
• The beginning of European colonization in the 15th century may be one of the most unpleasant periods in Native American history. European explorations and colonizations challenged their existence in their native lands. It is essential to account for the impact of this period on the decline of the Native American population due to: (1) diseases to which the indigenous population was not immune, (2) deaths in wars and conflicts, and (3) enslavement for labor. 
• The existence of the Native Americans in their ancestral lands was challenged even after the formation of the United States of America. This time, they fought against settler colonialism. In explaining the concepts such as colonialism and settler colonialism, we can use concept maps and diagrams. 
• The struggle for territory and independence was a roller coaster ride for most Native American nations. From the establishment of colonial settlements until after the formation of the United States, Native Americans engaged in a series of wars and treaties. These conflicts mostly involved violence and the loss of lives, while the treaties were dominantly one-sided. 
• Let’s engage our learners to analyze events rather than to memorize them. It is fascinating to assess the alliances between Native Americans and the American colonists, and the Native Americans and the British and French over time. Since the inception of the United States, armed conflicts between the settlers and the Native Americans intensified. During the War of 1812, the US defeated the coalition of Native Americans (from the Midwest and the South). At this time, treaties involved selling or exchanging territory between the federal government and specific Native American nations.
• It is vital to highlight the impact of the changing political landscape of the US on the status of Native Americans. Among the critical topics to consider were the purchases of Louisiana in 1803 under President Thomas Jefferson, the Platte in 1836 under President Andrew Jackson, and Alaska in 1867 under President Andrew Johnson, which displaced all Native Americans involved from their ancestral lands. 
• To evaluate the significance of such events, we can inquire with simple to the most complex questions such as “how important is a home to you?”, “how significant was land acquisition to the newly formed United States?”, and “To what extent did these changes affect the Native American population?”
• Above are two maps to assess and further understand the impact of mainstream events in American history and its effects on the native population over time.
• For almost a century (1778-1871), the US government entered more than 500 treaties with the Native Americans; most were one-sided or had been violated by the federal government. Moreover, acts and executive orders were also enforced. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forcibly removed all Native Americans from their lands west of the Mississippi to reservations. The gruesome death of about 4,000 Cherokees became known as the Trail of Tears.
• The uprisings led by Native American warriors and chiefs such as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and Red Cloud were retaliated by the federal government with the Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887. This act divided reservations into individual allotments to qualified recipients. As a result, about 90 million acres or two-thirds of their ancestral lands were lost to non-Native Americans.   
• Aside from their fight for tribal sovereignty and right to ancestral domain, Native Americans also fought for recognition as citizens of the United States. This is an example that Native Americans were not people of the past. From an outsider’s perspective, their traditions and cultures may be well-preserved, but it is important to reiterate that they also engage in contemporary events. 
• Before 1924, Native Americans were considered to be separate nations. Under Article One of the US Constitution, “Indians not taxed” were not part of a state’s population. Thus, they were not considered US citizens. Despite the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, Native Americans were excluded from becoming US citizens. 

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.

• Part of the Fourteenth Amendment
• Despite being born and raised on soil that their ancestors inhabited, the flight of Native Americans for political recognition only came in 1924 through the Indian Citizenship Act. 

all non citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States.

• Indian Citizenship Act
• It is important to note that amidst the granting of citizenship, the full suffrage rights to Native Americans were only given in 1948. An additional lens to explore was the point of view of Native Americans. Not all supported the Indian Citizenship Act and their assimilation into US politics and society. A faction believed that becoming a US citizen would secure a long-standing political identity. Meanwhile, another side argued that it would only endanger their tribal sovereignty and citizenship. For the Onondaga Nation, becoming a US citizen is an act of treason. Some progressive senators supported the act to decrease inefficiencies in the Bureau of Indian Affairs and empower Native Americans.
• To further develop our learners understanding of the plight of Native Americans, we can let them assess the struggles of people of color in the US. Guide their understanding of the civil rights movement and how this era became a turning point for Native Americans and African-Americans. 
• Similar to African-Americans, Native Americans experienced prejudice for centuries. They were also subjected to the Jim Crow Laws following the end of the American Civil War, and both were targetted by a discriminatory system that only recognized ‘white’ people. 
• In the late 1950s, Martin Luther King, Jr. did not only pursue African-American civil rights, but he also assisted Native Americans in the deep South. At this time, Native Americans were also discriminated against in schools and public transportation, and prejudice was based on having a light or dark skin complexion.  
• Aside from commemorating their struggles, it is also important and happy to celebrate the accomplishments of Native Americans on the national and international level. Jason Momoa who played the DC character Aquaman was a Pawnee, a Native Hawaiian through his father. Tommy Orange, author of the New York Times best seller There There was of Cheyenne and Arapaho lineage. Joy Harjo was the first Native American poet laureate in American history. Singer-songwriter and Grammy nominated Tori Amos is a Cherokee Indian. Guitarist and rock icon Jimi Hendrix’s grandmother was Cherokee. 
• A Tonawanda Seneca Indian, Ely Samuel Parker was the first Native American who became a US Army General. His military prominence rose during the Civil War.  Charles Brent Curtis, a member of the Kaw Nation, was the first Native American to be elected as vice president, senator, member of the US House of Representatives. 
• In 2019, Deb Haaland became one of the first Native American women to be elected to the US House of Representatives, and she shares this honor with Sharice Davids of Kansas. A member of the Pueblo Laguna, Haaland became US President Joe Biden’s secretary of the interior in 2021.

Learning outcomes

• The learners, regardless of cultural and ethnic background, should imbibe the virtue of respect. Each other’s unique culture and tradition does not only make us different from one another, it is part of our identity and pride. 
• The issues faced by early Native Americans, such as colonialism and discrimination, are still relevant to Native Americans today who struggle due to continuing ideas of white supremacy. 
• Remember that race has nothing to do with what a person can accomplish how they deserve to be treated, or impact on their ability to express their heritage. As people of the thinking mind, we have this unique ability to communicate, reason, understand, and respect, and we don’t need a superficial skin color as a roadblock to progress.

Native American History Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Native American History Curriculum across 16 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Native Americans who began with the migration of small family-based bands from Asia to the Americas using a land bridge.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• Teaching Native American History
  • Short video explainer
  • What to consider
  • How to deliver
  • Learning outcomes
• Lesson Plan Template
• Suggested Worksheets

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the history behind Native Americans?

The American Indian’s ancestors were hunters from northeast Asia. They moved into North America over the Bering Strait land bridge. This was probably during the last glacial period (11,500–30,000 years ago). By c. 10,000 bc they had taken over much of North and South America.

Why is Native American history important?

Indigenous people are often left out of the conversation when discussing history and cultures in the Americas. However, it is important to hear and understand American Indian history from their perspective. These perspectives expand the social, political, and economic dialogue to include stories and voices that have too often been left out.

What did Native Americans invent?

Native Americans developed numerous practical inventions, such as kayaks, and baby bottles, that allowed them to thrive in any location – from the Arctic to the tip of South America. These same people also created modified food crops, pain-relieving medications, and many other things.

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