To answer this question correctly, students must determine that Document A is from 1934 and that Document B is from 1911. Students must also contextualize the documents by drawing on relevant historical knowledge, such as:
- The Dawes Act of 1887 radically changed federal policy on Native American tribal lands. The law ordered Native American lands be divided into plots and granted to individual tribal members. Any plots left unclaimed by tribal members were to be made available for public sale, a policy that resulted in tribes losing tens of millions of acres of land over the next four decades. The act was designed, in part, to promote cultural assimilation of Native Americans by pushing them into American agricultural practices and professions.
- The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 was a significant shift in federal policy toward Native American lands and tribal governance. Part of FDR’s New Deal, the law curtailed the allotment system, increased tribal sovereignty, and facilitated the consolidation and expansion of Native American lands. The law was designed, in part, to reverse assimilationist policies of the preceding decades and to promote greater control and autonomy for Native Americans.
Level: Proficient
In proficient responses, the student:
- Selects the correct year for each document.
- Explains that Document A is from 1934 because it outlines the curtailment of the allotment system for Native American tribal lands and a push for greater tribal autonomy.
- And explains that Document B is from 1911 because it describes the allotment system established by the Dawes Severalty Act.
In proficient responses, students might incorporate other specific historical information about these federal laws and their effects.
Level: Emergent
Student selects the correct year for each document but only provides a partially correct explanation. For example, the student may correctly contextualize one document but not both or may provide partially incorrect reasoning about both.
Level: Basic
Student misidentifies the year for each document or correctly identifies the years but provides mostly or entirely incorrect explanations for both documents.
