Georgia SS8H4.d

Social Studies8th GradeGeorgia Studies

The Standard

Describe the role of William McIntosh in the removal of the Muscogee (Creek) from Georgia.

Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies · Explain significant factors that affected westward expansion in Georgia between 1789 and 1840.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain how William McIntosh helped negotiate and sign the 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs. They connect the disputed land cession to Georgia’s push for Muscogee removal.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students identify McIntosh as a Muscogee leader who signed away land without approval from the Creek National Council. They explain why many Muscogee viewed his action as betrayal and killed him.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think McIntosh spoke for all Muscogee people or had full authority to sign the treaty. They may also think he personally removed the Muscogee or that removal happened immediately after the treaty.
How to Assess It: Ask students to write three sentences explaining what McIntosh did, why Muscogee leaders opposed it, and how Georgia benefited.

Lesson moves

Give pairs role cards and treaty excerpts, then have them mark who supported or opposed the Treaty of Indian Springs and why.
Write a response to the prompt: Did McIntosh have the right to sign away Muscogee land without council approval?
Run a cause-and-effect card sort linking McIntosh, the Treaty of Indian Springs, Muscogee opposition, his death, and removal pressure.
Compare who may sign a school agreement today with McIntosh’s disputed authority, then write one limit of the comparison.

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