Federal, state, tribal, county and city government: who does what

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Tribal governments, states and counties (cards A to D). Card A, Chief Justice Marshall for the Supreme Court in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831, a case the Cherokee Nation brought against Georgia (Cornell Legal Information Institute text; cut marked): "They may, more correctly, perhaps, be denominated domestic dependent nations. … Their relation to the United States resembles that of a ward to his guardian." Card B, Chief Justice Marshall in Worcester v. Georgia, 1832 (same source): "The Cherokee nation, then, is a distinct community occupying its own territory, with boundaries accurately described, in which the laws of Georgia can have no force, and which the citizens of Georgia have no right to enter, but with the assent of the Cherokees themselves, or in conformity with treaties, and with the acts of congress." Card C, summaries in our words of two Federal Register notices from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in the Department of the Interior: a notice of December 11, 2024 lists 574 tribal entities recognized by and eligible for funding and services from the Bureau by virtue of their status as Indian Tribes; a notice of January 30, 2026 lists 575. Card D, a made-up example (invented nation, county and state): the Redwater Nation's council has passed a clean-water code with a limit of 10 turbidity units (higher means cloudier) for waters within its boundaries. A gravel pit on county land three miles upstream, outside the boundaries, holds a permit from Pine County that sets no limit on cloudiness. The State of Larkin's stream standard is 25 units, and a federal minimum is also 25. Test results: 4 units above the pit; 18 at the Nation's boundary; 17 at the Nation's fish hatchery.

2. 1.

   Cards A and B are a year apart, both from Marshall. What changed in how he described the Nation, Ari asks?

   • By 1832 Georgia had already obeyed the Court and withdrawn from the Nation's land
   • In 1831 he called it a distinct community, and in 1832 a domestic dependent nation, like a ward
   • In 1831 he called it a domestic dependent nation, like a ward; in 1832 a distinct community
   • In 1832 he said Georgia's laws applied inside Cherokee territory, as in other counties
3. 2.

   Which statement do both cards A and B support, Luz asks?

   • Both say Georgia's laws still controlled Cherokee territory inside the state's borders
   • Both treat the Nation as a distinct community, though they differ on its independence
   • Both say the Nation was a foreign nation, owing nothing to the United States
   • Both say the Nation was fully independent of the United States and of its courts
4. 3.

   Card C lists 574 entities in December 2024 and 575 in January 2026. What changed, and how big is the change, Tala asks?

   • One more entity, a change of under 1 percent
   • 575 new entities were created in 2026
   • Two more entities, a change of about 2 percent
   • One more entity, a change of about 17 percent
5. 4.

   A student says: "Tribal governments are a kind of county government." How strong is that claim, given cards A to C, Jun asks?

   • Strong: card C lists tribes alongside county governments as the same kind
   • Weak: the cards describe tribes as distinct governments, not as parts of a state
   • Strong: card A calls tribes dependent, and counties are dependent on their states
   • Weak: old court opinions cannot be used on this question about tribal governments
6. 5.

   Card C summarizes a notice published by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. What is it best evidence for, Pia asks?

   • How each tribe describes itself and its own government in its own words
   • How a textbook written long afterward summarizes tribal governments
   • Which tribal entities the federal government recognized and served in those years
   • Which groups count as nations, according to courts, states and the public at large
7. 6.

   In card D, the water at the Nation's boundary measures 18 units. The Nation's limit is 10 and the state's is 25. Does it pass each rule, Bo asks?

   • It passes both rules, since 18 is more than the Nation's limit of 10 and counts as safe
   • It is 8 times over the Nation's limit of 10, and under the state's limit of 25
   • It fails the Nation's limit (1.8 times 10) but passes the state's (18 is under 25)
   • It is 180 percent over the Nation's limit of 10, and under the state's limit of 25
8. 7.

   Which chain from card D best links the county's permit to the water in the Nation, Milo asks?

   • The pit upstream has a county permit with no cloudiness limit; readings rise from 4 to 18
   • The county permit sets a limit of 25 for the pit, so the water at the Nation's boundary is fine
   • The Nation's code caused the cloudiness, which then led to the county permit for the pit
   • The 2026 federal list of recognized tribes caused the pit's discharge into the river
9. 8.

   A student says: "Because the water meets the state limit, no government has a complaint." How strong is that claim, given card D, Kira asks?

   • Weak: the Nation's code limit is 10 within its boundaries, and 18 exceeds it
   • Weak: a made-up example cannot support any claim about how real governments act
   • Strong: 18 is under the state limit of 25, so no other government can object
   • Weak: 18 is above the federal limit of 25 that applies to the Nation's waters
10. 9.

    Which new evidence would best show whether the pit caused the cloudiness, Ren asks?

    • A news story that blames the pit, quoting residents but taking no readings
    • A list of tribal entities, with the lands and offices of each government
    • Repeated tests above and below the pit's discharge, plus discharge records
    • A report written ten years after the pit closes, about the river's condition
11. 10.

    Card C lists 575 entities in 2026. What does it best support about tribal governments today, Esme asks?

    • That recognized tribal governments exist today, 575 on the January 2026 list
    • That 575 new tribal governments were created by the federal government in 2026
    • That tribal governments ended in the 1800s, so the list shows just old names
    • That the 575 share the same land and the same powers under federal law today