Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Henry Rifle"

Two Perspectives on the Battle of Little Bighorn and Greasy Grass

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:03:25 GMT

Engage students in analyzing and appreciating historical perspectives on the Battle of Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass, also known as "Custer's Last Stand." Students will interpret primary sources, develop critical thinking questions about the perspectives represented in the sources, and finally synthesize the data into a single version of the Battle's history. This lesson plan (which includes background information, guided analysis questions, and full-color primary sources) was produced to accompany the exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Keeping History: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings Homepage

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:56:07 GMT

The drawings included in this online exhibition are first-person records of military conflicts, cultural life, and "Americanization." The website shares an American Indian perspective on westward expansion through primary sources. In the late 19th century, life was changing rapidly for the Natives who lived on the northern and southern plains. Native men developed a way of recording history through drawings on paper, often called "ledger drawings," in a mixture symbolic and representational illustration styles.

Western Indian Wars

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:11:33 GMT

In the decades following the Civil War, the U.S. Army fought dozens of engagements with Indians in the West. This website explores Federal Indian policies and conflicts that arose as Americans flooded west into the Great Plains. Through the use of images and objects from the Museum's collections, students will learn about: Sitting Bull, George Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn; the massacre at Wounded Knee; the resistance of Geronimo and the Chiricahua Apache; buffalo soldiers; and the realities of life on Indian Reservations. A non-flash version of the site is available: Western Indian Wars.