AIS/HSTAA 332, Winter 2010
American Indian History since 1840

EXAM STUDY QUESTIONS

Study Questions for Midterm Exam

I.       Five of the following terms will appear on the exam. You will choose four to identify. To identify a term you must do two things in a few, concise sentences: 1) State who or what the term refers to. Situate the person, organization, or occurrence in time and, if pertinent, in geographical location. Always provide a date or identify a time period, even if the period is vague. 2) Explain the significance of the item in American Indian history. People, groups, institutions, or occurrences may be significant because they had major impacts on the course of events, but they may also be significant if they were the result or culmination of important developments, if they illustrate important trends or common phenomena of their time, or if they prompt us to revise common beliefs about Indians' history.

 

Carlisle Indian School

General Allotment Act

Red Cloud

Charles Eastman

Second Treaty of Fort Laramie

Ghost Dance movement

Battle of the Little Bighorn                    

Indian Citizenship Act

California gold rush

Indian Reorganization Act

Society of American Indians

Meriam report

Indian Rights Association

Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin)

 

II.      Two of the following questions will appear on the exam. You will choose one and answer it with an essay that makes a thorough, well supported argument. Be sure to explain and illustrate your interpretation of events by presenting and analyzing plenty of facts drawn from course readings and lectures. A good answer will be several paragraphs long. 

 

1.       David Adams writes that Indian boarding school students reacted to the U.S. government's program of culture change in ways that policy makers did not anticipate. Does this observation about unexpected Indian responses hold true for other government policies, programs, and actions you have studied so far this quarter? Explain, using specific examples.

 

2.       Imagine that a friend, upon learning that you have been studying the history of American Indians from 1840 to the 1930s, says, "Isn't that just a dismal story of continual, futile conflict with whites?" How would you respond? Include specific examples to explain your answer.

 

3.       At the beginning of the term, some students hoped to learn about the origin, purposes, and nature of Indian reservations. One asked whether reservations have been harmful or beneficial for Indians. What have you have learned so far on this topic? Discuss specific information that explains your general conclusions.

 


Reminders:

 

You will take the exam in class on Thursday, February 11.  You must write your answers in a blue or green exam booklet, which you can buy at University Bookstore. A small booklet should be more than adequate.

 

You may not use your reading materials or notes during the exam.


Study Questions for Final Exam

I.       Five of the following terms will appear on the final exam, which will ask you to identify four of them. Each answer must provide basic identifying facts, including a date or time period. It must also explain why the person, group, entity, event, or other phenomenon is significant in American Indian history. An identification that fails to discuss significance cannot earn a grade better than C. Significance may come from having a major impact on the course of events, responding to a major historical development, being a component of a major historical development (such as government policy), or illustrating a major trend or a common occurrence of the time. In determining significance, consult class lectures as well as Blood Struggle. Videos and course pack items may also be helpful.

 

Community Action Programs                                   

Vine Deloria, Jr.

House Concurrent Resolution 108                   

United States v. Washington

National Indian Youth Council                        

Indian Child Welfare Act

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act                       

Daniel Inouye

Public Law 280                                             

American Indian Movement

Native American Rights Fund                         

Indian Civil Rights Act

National Congress of American Indians           

BIA relocation program

Indian Claims Commission                            

Joe DeLaCruz

Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe                         

Ada Deer

 

II.      Two of the following questions will appear on the exam, which will ask you to choose one and answer it with an essay that makes a thorough, persuasive argument. A good essay will illustrate your statements about history and support your interpretation of events by presenting and analyzing plenty of facts drawn from course readings and lectures. It will be at least several paragraphs long.

 

1.       For the period since the 1930s, identify and discuss some factors (developments or circumstances) that have contributed to the persistence of geographically and politically distinct Indian communities. Also identify and discuss some factors that have had the contrary effect--factors that have decreased the geographical and political separation of Indians from non-Indians.

 

2.     In the years since 1930, how has the practical meaning of Indian tribal sovereignty changed? When, how, and in what respects have tribal governments expanded their powers or functions? When, how, and in what respects, has tribal sovereignty been curtailed or limited?

 

3.     Some people in Congress have proposed that the U.S. government apologize for its past mistreatment of Indians. What has the government done since the 1930s that merits an apology to Indians? For each action or practice you identify, indicate how the people responsible for it justified what they did at the time and why the action or practice would seem wrong or shameful to many lawmakers and Indians today.

 

4.     Since the 1930s, when, why, and how have some non-Indian Americans supported political desires and demands voiced by Indians? When, why, and how have some non- Indian Americans opposed Indian political desires and demands? Your answer must provide specific information to identify and explain the Indian desires and their time periods, then describe and explain non-Indian reactions.

 

                              

REMINDERS:       

 

The exam will take place Wednesday, March 17, from 8:30 to 10:20 a.m. in our usual classroom. You must write your answers in a blue or green exam booklet, which you can buy at the bookstore. A small booklet should be adequate. You may not use your reading materials or notes during the exam.

 

To get your graded exam back, you may either bring a self-addressed, adequately stamped envelope when you take the test, or you may pick up the exam from Padelford C-514 after noon on Monday, March 22. Graded exams will be available for the first few weeks of spring quarter.

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Last modified: 3/11/2010 9:01 AM