Lesson 1: So you think you know colonialism?

This lesson can be used in middle or high school classrooms and will take approximately 50 minutes to teach. In this lesson, students will gain a deeper understanding of two kinds of colonialism: settler colonialism (eradication of another culture) and exploitation colonialism (extraction of valuable capital and resources). Students will examine how these colonial attitudes shaped initial contact between Native Americans and European colonizers. Students will also investigate how colonialism's legacy still affects Native American cultures and experiences. Students will uncover that Native Americans were not, and still are not, passive victims of colonialism but are instead resilient peoples who utilize activism and other means to resist colonization. In addition, students will challenge traditional historical narratives by analyzing the lasting legacy of colonization to see that colonialism and its effects cannot be contained to just one time period.