American Government is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the single-semester American government course. This title includes innovative features designed to enhance student learning, including Insider Perspective features and a Get Connected Module that shows students how they can get engaged in the political process. The book provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of American government and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. American Government includes updated information on the 2016 presidential election.Senior Contributing AuthorsGlen Krutz (Content Lead), University of OklahomaSylvie Waskiewicz, PhD (Lead Editor)

Concept: Cherokee Nation History- The Trail of Tears

Objectives: The juniors in American History should be able to describe, in a timeline diagram, the events leading up to the Trail of Tears, and must score a 75 percent or higher.

Introduction: I will show a video displaying the Trail of Tears. The video will introduce the upcoming new information of the Cherokee, since the class learned about the actions the Cherokee took during the Civil War.

Vocabulary: Cherokee Nation, Andrew Jackson, Trail of Tears, civilized tribe(s), death marches, Indian Removal policy, and Chief John Ross

Body of Lesson: Show the video of the Trail of Tears. Then move onto a small lecture. After the lecture is over allow the students to pair share with a partner. This allows time for them to get notes they might have missed. The bring the class back together for a group discuss to talk about if the actions by the Cherokee and United States government can be justified or not. Next I would go onto the interest to access a website that has firsthand experience the Cherokee went through on the Trail of Tears. Lastly, I would give out an assignment for the students to complete that goes over the information learned to take home for homework.

Accommodations/Modifications: For ELL and ESL students I would use some sort of translation site such as Google Translate. I would also walk around the classroom trying to answer any questions the special students might have, or not understand. Emphasize the information students need to understand to ensure the homework would be done correctly. If students are deaf go slow enough to ensure the translator is keeping up, and try to sign some words myself. If student is blind try to be very descriptive. Try to create a classroom that is still challenging to the gifted students, this can be done by having more difficult questions for them to complete, but still able to work easily with one another so no one is bored. Try to have classroom that accommodate any students need.

Multiple Intelligence(s) Addressed: I would like to have a classroom with almost every learning style used, have it range from hands on to visual aids. Anything could really be used, and be beneficial as long as it relates to the Cherokee Nation.

Assessment: Have the student write out a timeline of events leading up to the Trail of Tears, which they will have to score a 75 percent or higher on.

Materials: Textbook (depending what book the school has), use The West: An Illustrated History; By: Geoffrey C. Ward; 9780316735896; Little, Brown and Company, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newnation/4532 for personal experience from soldiers point of view, http://www.bringinghistoryhome.org/assets/bringinghistoryhome/(3)%20indianremoval.pdf has experiences and activity plus talks about the five civilized tribes.

Standards: SS 12.4.2 (US) Students will analyze and evaluate the impact of people, events, ideas, and symbols upon US history using multiple types of sources. SS 12.4.5 (US) Students will develop historical research skills.

These case-studies in U.S. history attempt to break away from the white racial frame that too often is used to tell the story of America's past. These resources explore the United States from the vantage of the enslaved, exploited, persecuted, conquered and occupied who made possible the realization of others' wealth and dreams.

In 1838, poet, essayist, and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a letter to President Martin Van Buren protesting the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from its land in Georgia to modern-day Oklahoma. In this extended excerpt from his letter, read by Professor Amy Sturgis from Lenoir-Rhyne University, Emerson demonstrates that people at the time were aware that the Trail of Tears was a grave injustice. Emerson's was only one of many voices protesting the government's treatment of the Cherokee people, but these protests fell on deaf ears. The Trail of Tears remains a blemish on U.S. History.

According to Professor Amy Sturgis of Lenoir-Rhyne University, the Trail of Tears shouldn’t have happened. In this video, Professor Sturgis explains both the moral and legal arguments used to protest the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to "Indian Territory" as well as why it’s so important that we remember the Trail of Tears today.

 U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the legal wrangling that surrounded the Indian Removal ActDescribe how depictions of Indians in popular culture helped lead to Indian removal

This activity was produced in conjunction with The Library of Congress and the TPS at Metropolitan State University of Denver. This activity will allow learners to explore How The Trail of Tears and continued Gentrification changed the landscape for economically disadvantaged people in North Georgia using Primary Sources, Minecraft Education and Microsoft Flip.