Course: HSTA 102: American History II, 1877-present
Professor Jeff Wiltse
1. Describe in a brief statement how your course addresses Indian Education for All:
This course provides students foundational knowledge about Native American history and
federal Indian policies from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, including Native
Americans’ forced concentration onto reservations during the 1860s and 1870s, the
assimilationist policies of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the “Indian New
Deal” of the 1930s, the Termination and Relocation policies of the post-World War II period,
the American Indian Movement and Indian activism of the 1960s and 1970s, and the federal
government’s self-determination policies since the 1970s.
2. List specific examples of the ways you provide instruction regarding Indian Education for
All:
Instruction about Native American history is provided through lectures and textbook reading.
I devote one full lecture to the assimilationist policies of the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. Other major topics listed in the response to question one are covered in
more general lectures. For examples, I lecture about the Indian Reorganization Act in my
lecture on the New Deal, and I lecture about AIM and Indian activism in my lecture on
identity protest movements of the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, the textbook I assign, James
Henretta, et al., America: A Concise History, provides relatively extensive coverage of
Native American history for a general U.S. history textbook. In addition to providing
information about the major federal Indian policies, it also covers social and economic
conditions on reservations, Indian activism, the development of pan-tribal identity, and even
Native Americans’ early use of automobiles.
3. Describe how student performance is assessed regarding Indian Education for All:
Students’ knowledge of Native American history is assessed through in-class exams using
short answer/ID, in which student are given a name or term important to Native American
history and are required to identify the term, provide specific details about it, and explain its
historical significance. Names and terms given on exams include: the Dawes Act, Carlisle
School, Meriam Report, Indian Reorganization Act, Relocation Policy, American Indian
Movement, and Indian Self-Determination Act.