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VIDEO PROGRAM
Volume 277: Episode II: War for the Borderlands
OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to discuss attempts by Indians and Mexicans to defend their homes.
CLASS QUESTIONS
What is the 19th century view of war and the use of force?What impact did Polk's strategy have on native peoples? How did relationships between Mexicans and Americans differ from relationships between Indians and Americans?
How might the conflict between the U.S. Army and Mexican civilians have been avoided?
PRIOR TO CLASS VIEWING
Review the CLASSROOM TIPS FOR USING ANY VIDEO CHAPTER .Remind students of other war-related events occurring elsewhere between the two countries.
CONNECTIONS TO SEMESTER STUDIES
Study actions, such as the Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears and earlier Indian wars and battles, that relate to powers of government determined in the U.S. Constitution.
Consider the ripple effect that Indian removal and migration from the eastern half of the U.S. had on native peoples located in the Southwest.
Discuss the Santa Fe Trail and the role that commerce played in westward expansion and Manifest Destiny.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Ongoing Project
Divide the class into focus groups of journalists - one group reporting for the United States, one reporting for Mexico and one reporting for the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. Have each group create a newscast, multimedia presentation or print newspaper that reports on the Taos Rebellion. Include editorials and illustrations that document all points of view.Web Search and Analysis
Conduct a search for online resources that document the oral and written histories of Native Americans. Ask students to research and report on the history of one of the Plains Indian tribes. From where did they originally migrate? Where are they located today, and what is their current population?
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian http://www.si.edu/
Index of Native American Resources on the Internet http://hanksville.phast.umass.edu/misc/NAresources.html
Analyzing for Understanding
Talk about present-day Taos. In the video documentary, note that the church, cemetery and Taos Pueblo are actual places where the rebellion occurred and the dead were buried.
Persuasive Writing
Read the quote by Richard Deertrack found in the STUDENT VIEWING FOCUS SHEET for this chapter. Ask students to write reasons to support or refute Deertrack's position.
Geography and Mapping Skills
| NCSS Standards | United States | New Mexico
| II, III, VI
| Colonel Stephen W. Kearny began crossing the Arkansas River into Mexican territory on his way to Santa Fe.
| New Mexico's governor, General Manuel Armijo, called for volunteers to defend their country against the U.S. army. Three to four thousand New Mexicans gathered in Apache Canyon, but they were poorly armed and disbanded before the U.S. army arrived.
| I, II, III, VI
| Kearny, who had been promoted to the rank of general, occupied Santa Fe without a shot being fired.
| Armijo fled to Chihuahua. Acting governor, Juan Bautista Vigil y Alarid, surrendered to Kearny.
| I, II, III, V, VI
| Kearny met with delegations of Indian groups to explain the occupation. He appointed Charles Bent as a provisional governor.
| In January 1847, a revolt that began in Taos and surrounding towns left a number of Americans dead, including Charles Bent.
| I, II, III, V, VI
| Kearny and his troops pushed on toward California as Colonel Sterling Price led five companies of U.S. troops against Taos Pueblo. As Price approached Taos, he defeated more than 2,000 rebels.
| Nearly 700 rebels and their families took refuge in Taos. The final battle ended with 150 New Mexicans and Pueblo Indians dead. Fifteen leaders were captured, brought to trial and sentenced to death.
| V, VI
| The revolt was over. Tensions continued, but there was no further challenge to the U.S. occupation in New Mexico.
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