Week 4 Discussion — Where Should the Story of Native Nations Start? — Traditional alternative (no AI)

Instructors: publish this instead of the adaptive version if you prefer, and unpublish or delete the adaptive one.

Hook

Think about how a story changes depending on where it starts. Start a history of Native nations with a law Congress passed, and the nations look like people things were done to; start it with a treaty two governments signed, and they look like governments. This week you met tribal sovereignty, treaties as agreements between nations, removal, allotment, the federal boarding schools, and settler colonialism as a framework.

Your discussion question — choose Option A or Option B; they carry the same weight and the same rubric, and you say which you picked.

Option A: Two frameworks use the word colonialism: Blauner's (1969) internal colonialism, from Week 3, and Wolfe's (2006) settler colonialism, from this week. Which one does more to explain the week's record (the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and the 1877 confiscation of the Black Hills, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the boarding schools from 1819 to 1969), and what does your chosen framework leave out about what Native nations did and do?

Option B: Some people argue that a first lesson on Native American history should begin with what federal law did: removal, allotment, and the boarding schools. Others argue that it should begin with Native nations as governments that sign treaties, decide their own citizenship, and govern now. Which starting point do you find stronger for a first-time learner? Use tribal sovereignty, the treaty as an agreement between nations, and at least one of this week's laws, and say what each starting point gets right.

There is no single right answer. The documented history is not in question here: removal was forced, the Black Hills were confiscated in 1877, and the boarding schools ran from 1819 to 1969. What is open is how a framework or a first lesson should frame that record, and each choice shows some things and hides others.

Expectations

Activity format: one initial post followed by two substantive peer replies. Plan on about 45 minutes across the two deadlines; your instructor sets both due dates in Canvas.

Working on your own: this version of the discussion is written entirely from your own reasoning, in your own words.

Your initial post — by the first due date (early in the module week):

• Say which option you chose.
• For Option A, name the framework you chose, tie it to at least two of the week's dated laws or events, and say what it leaves out about what Native nations did and do; for Option B, name the starting point you chose and use tribal sovereignty, the treaty as an agreement between nations, and at least one of this week's laws.
• State the documented history plainly, and speak of Native nations in the present tense.
• Give your judgment, with a reason.
• Length: roughly 150–250 words if written. You may instead record your post as audio or video (about two minutes) and attach a transcript; both forms are scored by the same rubric.

Your replies — by the second due date (the end of the module week):

• Reply substantively to at least two classmates.
• A substantive reply does more than agree: offer the strongest case for the other framework or starting point, point out a date or law a classmate misstated, or name a source that would test their claim. "Nice point!" on its own does not count.

What a strong post looks like:

I chose Option A and lean toward Wolfe's settler colonialism. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, the confiscation of the Black Hills in 1877, and the Dawes Act of 1887 used different tools but all moved land out of Native hands, which fits a structure better than one event. Blauner's internal colonialism helps me see that Native nations did not arrive as immigrants, but it says less about land. What Wolfe's framework leaves out is that nations also signed treaties and still govern, so I would read the 1868 treaty's own text next.

Notice how it states the dated history plainly, keeps the two frameworks apart, and names what its own choice leaves out. That is the bar.

Participation rubric

This discussion is worth 10 points. The three criteria below look at your initial post and your peer replies.

Post early if you can — the best threads happen when people have time to reply before the second due date.

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