NY Social Studies 7.6a

Social Studies7th GradeKey Idea 7.6

The Standard

Some Native Americans who aligned with the British during the American Revolution lost land and were forced to move.

New York State K–12 Social Studies Framework

Key Idea 7.6

WESTWARD EXPANSION: Driven by political and economic motives, the United States expanded its physical boundaries to the Pacific Ocean between 1800 and 1860. This settlement displaced Native Americans as the frontier was pushed westward.

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students explain how wartime alliances affected Native nations after the American Revolution. They connect the American victory to land seizures, treaty pressure, and forced migration.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can build a clear cause-and-effect chain from alliance choices to land loss and relocation. They also recognize that Native nations made different choices during the war.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume all Native nations supported Britain or acted as one united group. They may also view land loss as voluntary or ignore pressure from settlers and governments.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Explain in three sentences why some Native people supported Britain and name two consequences they faced after the war.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Have pairs arrange event cards showing colonial settlement, wartime alliances, American victory, treaty pressure, land cessions, and relocation.
Discuss this prompt: Why might a Native nation choose Britain even when that choice carried serious risks?
Run a map challenge where teams match Haudenosaunee communities with locations before and after the Revolution.
Compare a historic Haudenosaunee territory map with present-day community locations, then write one observation about the lasting effects of displacement.

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