Indiana Social Studies IS.1.12
The Standard
Describe and assess the impact of Indiana’s only president, Benjamin Harrison, on national policies including: environmental protection, business regulation, immigration, civil rights, and foreign affairs.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Industrialization and Immigration in Indiana: 1865 to 1900
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students connect Harrison's actions to changes in land protection, business rules, immigration, voting rights, and foreign relations. They judge what changed and what did not, including plans Congress blocked.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how the 1891 Forest Reserve Act expanded federal land protection. They can also explain why Harrison's support for a federal elections bill did not result in new voting protections.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Harrison broke up major trusts because he signed the Sherman Antitrust Act, but early enforcement was weak. They may think his federal elections bill became law, but it failed in the Senate. Some assume immigration policy only welcomed newcomers, though the 1891 law expanded exclusions.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Explain one effect of the 1891 Forest Reserve Act and one effect of the failed federal elections bill. Which had the larger immediate effect, and why?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Cut out five policy cards and sort them by Harrison's goal, the people affected, and the result.
Ask: Did Harrison's failed voting bill or the 1891 immigration law do more to shape people's rights? Use one fact for each.
Match cards for the Sherman Antitrust Act, 1891 Immigration Act, and Pan-American Conference to each measure's goal and result.
Use a current national forest map and the 1891 Forest Reserve Act to explain how federal land decisions can affect nearby communities.
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Printable IS.1.12 Worksheet
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