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VIDEO PROGRAM
Volume 277: Episode II: War for the Borderlands
OBJECTIVE
Students will describe the geography of the area, how it affected the lives of Indians living there and the difficulties it posed for the U.S. Army.
CLASS QUESTIONS
Essentially, what is the position of native peoples in this conflict between the United States and Mexico? How might their positions vary based on their different histories with Mexicans and Americans? How were their lives changed before and during the war?
Why were there so few Spanish, and later Mexican, settlements in the region?
Why did the Apaches feel that an alliance with Americans against the Mexicans was appropriate?
PRIOR TO CLASS VIEWING
Review the CLASSROOM TIPS FOR USING ANY VIDEO CHAPTER .
Remind students of other war-related events occurring at the same time as events in this segment.
CONNECTIONS TO SEMESTER STUDIES
Discuss the history of relationships between Native Americans and the U.S. government.
Discuss the importance of railroads in U.S. expansion.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Mapping Exercise
Use THE U.S.-MEXICAN WAR MAP to trace Kearny's route from Santa Fe and Albuquerque, along the Gila River and across the Colorado River to San Diego. Why did Kit Carson warn General Kearny that it would be a difficult journey?
Classroom Discussion
What role does geography play in U.S. expansion, and particularly the desert and mountainous terrain that the U.S. claimed at the end of the war with Mexico? What needed to happen before the U.S. could "control" this land?
Analyzing for Understanding
Research the diversity of Indians in Mexican territory from Santa Fe to San Diego. Map the general locations of these people.
Geography and History
Read the essay on "The U.S.-Mexican War Through the Eyes of a Geographer". Ask students to write an essay about their impressions as they relate to scenes in the documentary.
Biography as History
Have students research and write a biography on Kit Carson. He lived in Taos and, like William Bent, was married to an Indian woman. Which war-related events and locations was Carson associated with?
| NCSS Standards | United States
| II, III
| After the conquest of New Mexico, General Stephen Kearny left Santa Fe with 110 men led by legendary Taos trapper, Kit Carson.
| III
| Topographical engineer Lieutenant William Emory and his team travelled with Kearny's troops to survey the landscape for potential railroad routes. Emory kept a detailed journal describing the terrain, vegetation and wildlife, as well as interactions between native peoples.
| I, III, IV
| Many of the Indian peoples in the Southwest have a deep religious connection with the land.
| II,V
| General Stephen Kearny and his men became dependent on different Indian communities for supplies and pack animals.
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