Category Archives: History

MS Washington State History (hannah)

Note: This class is open to middle school students only.

How did Washington’s unique location and natural resources influence its development, demographics, and interactions between people and environment? In this class, we will trace our beautiful state’s history through time. Students will examine the struggles to control territory in the Pacific Northwest, including the conflicts and treaties surrounding indigenous sovereignty. We will look at how Washington became an agricultural and technological center of industry. Students will practice skills of historical analysis to examine the interconnected strands of history, culture, geography, government, and economics. 

We will be using curriculum from the UW Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest and Department of History; Washington State Historical Society; and the text Washington’s History; The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest by Harry Ritter 

  • Outside work: A moderate amount (e.g., 30-60 min) for each session
  • Mature themes: genocide, colonialism

HS Washington State History (hannah)

Note: This class is open to high school students only.

How did Washington’s unique location and natural resources influence its development, demographics, and interactions between people and environment? In this class, we will trace our beautiful state’s history through time. Students will examine the struggles to control territory in the Pacific Northwest, including the conflicts and treaties surrounding indigenous sovereignty. We will look at how Washington became an agricultural and technological center of industry. Students will practice skills of historical analysis to examine the interconnected strands of history, culture, geography, government, and economics. 

We will be using curriculum from the UW Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest and Department of History; Washington State Historical Society; and the text Washington’s History; The People, Land, and Events of the Far Northwest by Harry Ritter 

  • Outside work: A moderate amount (e.g., 30-60 min) for each session
  • Mature themes: genocide, colonialism

Civics (MS/HS) (TSam)

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask why you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy

Civics is a class for students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for active participation in a democratic society. Also, it will allow participants to become informed citizens in regard to the principal purpose and function of their local, state, and federal government. In addition, the origins of the American political system are addressed, as are the roles, rights, and responsibilities of United States citizens.

  • Outside work: A small amount (e.g., <30 min) for each session

Afro Indigenous History (cont) HS (TSam)

Note: This class is open to high school students only.

 

  • American History

The first intersectional history of the Black and Native American struggle for freedom in our country also reframes our understanding of who was Indigenous in early America.

Beginning with pre-Revolutionary America and moving into the movement for Black lives and contemporary Indigenous activism, Afro-Indigenous historian Kyle T. Mays argues that the foundations of the US are rooted in anti-blackness and settler colonialism and that these parallel oppressions continue into the present. He explores how Black and Indigenous peoples have always resisted and struggled for freedom, sometimes together, and sometimes apart. Whether to end African enslavement and Indigenous removal or eradicate capitalism and colonialism, Mays shows how the fervor of Black and Indigenous peoples’ calls for justice have consistently sought to uproot white supremacy.

Mays uses a wide array of historical activists and pop culture icons, “sacred” texts, and foundational texts like the Declaration of Independence and Democracy in America. He covers the civil rights movement and freedom struggles of the 1960s and 1970s and explores current debates around the use of Native American imagery and the cultural appropriation of Black culture. Mays compels us to rethink both our history as well as contemporary debates and to imagine the powerful possibilities of Afro-Indigenous solidarity.

  • Outside work: A small amount (e.g., <30 min) for each session
  • Mature themes: Due to the nature of history, some elements could include loss of life and violent acts as essential to survival.