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.

   Card A is Chief Justice Marshall's 1831 opinion in a case the Cherokee Nation brought. What is it best evidence for, Noah asks?

   • How the Cherokee Nation described itself to the Court in its own words
   • Where the Cherokee Nation's land boundaries ran inside Georgia in 1831
   • How the Court described the Nation's status in 1831, not the Nation's own words
   • How the Nation is treated by courts today, nearly two centuries after the opinion
3. 2.

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

   • In 1831 he called it a domestic dependent nation, like a ward; in 1832 a distinct community
   • 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 1832 he said Georgia's laws applied inside Cherokee territory, as in other counties
4. 3.

   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 say the Nation was fully independent of the United States and of its courts
   • 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
5. 4.

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

   • Two more entities, a change of about 2 percent
   • One more entity, a change of about 17 percent
   • 575 new entities were created in 2026
   • One more entity, a change of under 1 percent
6. 5.

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

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

   In card D, who has authority over what, Zee asks?

   • The county issued the permit for land outside the Nation; the Nation's code covers its waters
   • The state alone matters, since it sets stream standards that other governments must follow
   • The county's permit applies inside the Nation's boundaries, and the Nation's code does not
   • The Nation has authority over the pit's permit, and the county over the Nation's own waters
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
   • Weak: 18 is above the federal limit of 25 that applies to the Nation's waters
   • Strong: 18 is under the state limit of 25, so no other government can object
10. 9.

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

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

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

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