Native peoples of the Eastern Woodlands

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Three Southeastern Woodlands nations, same columns

   Nation (own name)	Homeland	Traditional ways of life	Changes and hard history	Today
   Cherokee Nation	parts of today's Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina	Sequoyah's writing system of about 85 symbols, adopted by the Nation in 1825; the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, in English and Cherokee, from 1828	after the Indian Removal Act (1830), troops forced more than 16,000 Cherokee from their homes in 1838 and 1839; the Cherokee Nation counts nearly 4,000 lives lost on the Trail of Tears	the Cherokee Nation, capital Tahlequah, Oklahoma: the largest tribal nation in the country, and one of three federally recognized Cherokee tribes
   Muscogee Nation	the Ocmulgee River valley and towns across today's Georgia and Alabama	life organized by the dalwa, or town: a central settlement with nearby villages	about 21,792 Muscogee lived in Georgia and Alabama in 1832; in 1836 they were marched and carried by steamboat more than 1,200 miles to Indian Territory; twenty years after removal, 13,537 remained	the Muscogee Nation, capital Okmulgee, named after the first Muscogee capital in Georgia; the fourth largest federally recognized tribe; the Mvskoke Language Program
   Choctaw Nation	central Mississippi and west-central Alabama	a national council and district chiefs; the council voted on treaties	the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek (September 27, 1830), first voted down, gave up more than 10 million acres; about 13,000 Choctaws moved west over the next few years, and about 6,000 stayed or returned	the Choctaw Nation, based in Durant, Oklahoma, offers Chahta language courses and a School of Choctaw Language

   Below the chart: the Indian Removal Act (1830) required southeastern nations to give up their lands for land west of the Mississippi (National Park Service). Estimates of Cherokee lives lost differ: the National Park Service gives more than a thousand on the journey and perhaps several thousand in all. In 1847, soon after their own removal, Choctaws collected money to help the Irish during the Potato Famine (Choctaw Nation).

2. 1.

   Which nation printed a newspaper in English and its own writing, and from what year, by the chart, Esme asks?

   • The Choctaw, from 1830
   • The Cherokee, from 1828
   • The Cherokee, from 1825
   • The Muscogee, from 1828
3. 2.

   Which nation's capital is named after its first capital in Georgia, and what is it called, by the chart, Jun asks?

   • The Muscogee Nation: the Ocmulgee River
   • The Cherokee Nation: Tahlequah
   • The Muscogee Nation: Okmulgee
   • The Choctaw Nation: Durant
4. 3.

   Why did the Cherokee leave their homelands in 1838 and 1839, by the chart and note, Luz asks?

   • A federal law required removal, and troops forced them out
   • They chose to move west to find better farmland
   • The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek gave up their land
   • Troops forced them out on their own, with no federal law behind the order
5. 4.

   The chart gives about 21,792 Muscogee in 1832 and 13,537 twenty years after removal. Which reason fits the chart, Milo asks?

   • A move to central Mississippi in 1836
   • The steamboat part of the trip, by itself
   • The forced removal of 1836, a journey of more than 1,200 miles
   • The numbers show the population grew after removal
6. 5.

   Which pair of causes, by the chart and note, explains how the Choctaw lost their homeland, Noah asks?

   • The 1830 Removal Act and the treaty that gave up the land
   • The Removal Act by itself, with no treaty signed
   • The Trail of Tears of 1838 and 1839
   • The treaty by itself, which the Choctaw voted for at once
7. 6.

   How many Cherokee lives were lost on the Trail of Tears, by the chart and note, Pia asks?

   • Fewer than a hundred, since most went by water
   • Exactly 4,000, as both of the sources agree
   • Sources differ: nearly 4,000, or perhaps several thousand
   • About 16,000, the number forced from their homes
8. 7.

   About how many Choctaws moved west after the 1830 treaty, by the chart, Ren asks?

   • Exactly 13,000, in the single year 1830
   • About 6,000, who stayed or returned
   • More than 10 million, the acres given up
   • About 13,000, over the next few years
9. 8.

   Zee's notes say: "The Cherokee people lived in the Southeast long ago." What does the chart add that the notes leave out?

   • The Cherokee Nation is a living nation today, in Oklahoma
   • The Cherokee came to the Southeast after 1839
   • Nothing: the Cherokee story ended in 1839
   • The Cherokee Nation's capital is Okmulgee today
10. 9.

    Ari's notes say: "The Choctaw language was lost after removal." Which fix matches the chart?

    • The Chahta language was lost for good in 1847
    • The Choctaw Nation teaches the Mvskoke language today
    • The Choctaw Nation teaches the Chahta language today
    • The Muscogee Nation teaches the Chahta language today
11. 10.

    Bo's notes say: "The Muscogee Nation is the largest tribe." Which fix matches the chart?

    • The Muscogee Nation is one of three Cherokee tribes
    • The Cherokee Nation is the fourth largest federally recognized tribe
    • The Muscogee Nation was the largest tribe until 1836
    • The Muscogee Nation is the fourth largest federally recognized tribe