Oklahoma Social Studies 8.C.13.5

8.C.13.5 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• 8.C.13.5.A

  Describe how the Homestead Act of 1862 enabled more individuals to obtain land and partake in economic opportunities following the war.

• 8.C.13.5.B

  Analyze the impact of the development of the Transcontinental Railroad on connecting agricultural goods and products to population centers and markets.

• 8.C.13.5.C

  Summarize the intent of President Grant’s Peace Policy on the displacement of American Indians from their homelands.

• 8.C.13.5.D

  Describe the impact of Grant’s policy of government-run boarding schools and missions directed to assimilate Tribal members.

• 8.C.13.5.E

  Describe escalating conflict between American Indians, military forces, and civilians (e.g., Whitman Mission and Sand Creek Massacres).

01

What Students Need to Do

Students explain how land claims drew settlers west and how railroads moved farm goods to city markets. They examine Grant's stated goal of reducing violence alongside the displacement, missions, and boarding schools Tribal communities faced. They compare the Whitman Mission killings and the Sand Creek Massacre as separate conflicts that took place before Grant's policy.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student explains that a homestead claim required settlers to meet conditions and involved land taken from Tribal nations. They trace wheat from a western farm by rail to a city buyer. They explain how Grant's policy pushed Tribal people onto reservations and how boarding schools separated children from their families and cultures.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think homestead land was free and empty, overlooking claim requirements and Tribal homelands. They may think railroads helped everyone equally or that Grant's Peace Policy ended displacement and made boarding schools voluntary. They may confuse the 1847 Whitman Mission killings with the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: "A settler claims land and ships wheat by rail in 1870. Explain one gain for that settler and two costs for Tribal communities, including one tied to Grant's policy."

1. 01

   Give pairs a western map, claim cards, and crop cards; have them mark Tribal homelands and trace wheat from a claimed farm to a city.

2. 02

   Ask students to write: "Why might a settler welcome a 160-acre claim while a Tribal family opposed settlement on that land?"

3. 03

   Have students sort dated cards for the Whitman Mission killings, Sand Creek Massacre, and Grant's policy, then match each event to its participants.

4. 04

   Trace wheat flour from a Kansas farm to a store on a current map, then compare the route with an 1870s rail map.

• 8.C.9.2

  Analyze the territorial growth of the United States of America and the consequences of westward expansion.

• USH.C.1.4

  Analyze the impact of immigration on settlement patterns in American society and economic growth.

• USH.C.1.3

  Analyze the causes and effects of the continuing westward migration and territorial growth after the Civil War.

• 8.C.9.1

  Examine multiple perspectives on the justification for and impact on westward expansion and analyze the influence of immigration.