Volume 5, No. 2 (Fall 2002) -- Native American Issue

In May of 1804, Captain William Clark and 43 men left St. Louis and proceeded across the Mississippi River by keelboat and canoe to St. Charles, Missouri. Captain Lewis had stayed in St. Louis to complete some business and arrived by horseback a few days later. On May 23, the Corps of Discovery departed from St. Charles and the Lewis and Clark expedition had begun.

The West that was observed by the Corps of Discovery has changed considerably in 200 years. Whether these changes are beneficial or harmful is a matter of debate today. Changes that some people perceive as positive may be viewed by others as ill-advised or even destructive. The bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition promises to provide a platform for thoughtful discussion of these matters.

Advance Preparation

Preview the contents of the teaching aids and resource materials of the Lesson Plans at www.nps.gov/jeff/LewisClark2/Education, including the introduction and summary of the expedition.

Overview

All living things move through life cycles, and the physical environment changes through natural processes. Students can examine the concept of change in general and can evaluate specific changes brought about, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Goals

• To learn that all living things, particularly humans, are able to affect the environment as well as be affected by it.
• To examine different perspectives toward human-engineered changes to the environment and social perspectives toward change. For instance, how do Native Americans perceive the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Objective

When the lesson is completed, students will be able to give examples showing that the effects of change may be viewed as beneficial by some and harmful by others.

Class Discussion on Change

Not only people and other living things change. Natural forces such as wind, water, fire and ice are constantly altering the Earth itself.

Name some ways in which the physical world changes rapidly.
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, floods, forest fires, volcanoes. Find pictures taken after the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 at http://www.olywa.net/radu/valerie/StHelens.html.

Name ways in which physical changes occur slowly.
Erosion, dripping water, freeze and thaw. See photos on the Carlsbad Caverns site http://www.nps.gov/cave/home.htm.

Give examples of how plants change the land.
Tree roots that crack rocks. After hurricanes and forest fires, vegetation appears and begins restoring the environment. See the Mt. St. Helens website.

How about animals?
Many animals burrow, build dens, nests, dams or lodges. Go to "Lodge, Dam and Canal" to learn about the building skills of beavers at http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3882/beavers.html.

How do people change the environment?
The development of tools from simple stone axes to complex machines. Humans are able to speak, read and write, making it possible to pass down what they learn to the next generation.

Changes along the Lewis and Clark Trail

Focus on changes along the trail, and all over the West, since the Lewis and Clark Expedition. If the Corps of Discovery came back to make the journey again:

What would they see that was not there before?
River dams, super-sized cities, many more people, highways and cars. For photos of dams on the Columbia or Snake River, see http://www.cqs.washington.edu/crisp/hydro/photos.html

What might they be expecting to see that is not there anymore?
Dense forests, Indian villages, thousands of buffalo, Tall grass prairies. Find this website about the Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve of the National Park System at http://www.nps.gov/tapr/home.htm

What parts of the trail do you think would be relatively unchanged?
Remote parts of the Rocky Mountains and the Missouri River such as the Missouri Breaks. For a map/scenes of the Missouri Breaks go to http://www.hedgesoutdoors.com/breaks.html.

What do you think would be the most welcome or the most troubling changes?
As an example, pose these questions. If you were a member of an American Indian tribe today, how would you feel about the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition? If you are a member of an American Indian tribe today, how would you express your feelings to a non-Indian friend?