Dalton News

8th Grade Students Hold Mock Trial on Westward Expansion

8th Grade students students participated in a mock trial of Andrew Jackson. With Jackson facing charges of crimes against humanity, students wrote testimonies either on behalf of Jackson, or in support of the plaintiff, Black Hawk (leader of the Sauk and Fox tribes). The testimonies were engaging, challenging and often accompanied with period garb.
Classes began the unit considering the Louisiana Purchase and the subsequent "voyage of discovery" instigated by Thomas Jefferson and realized by Lewis and Clark. Next, their attentions moved forward to the realities and opportunities that a newly charted territory offered for those who wanted land, freedoms, independence, and gold. And finally, students read about the increasing threats to the American Indians given the riches of the American West. Andrew Jackson and his Indian Removal Act were a primary point of investigation, along with a study of the motivating presumption of manifest destiny.

Story Submitted by: Catherine Edwards
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