Sovereignty and Slavery In Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Southeast Alaska
The Sovereignty and Slavery Lesson Plan is a comprehensive educational resource designed for high school students studying Alaska history. Focused on Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian communities in Southeast Alaska, the curriculum explores historical and contemporary themes of sovereignty, governance, and the impacts of colonization.
Through primary sources, discussions, mapping exercises, and a readers’ theater activity, students will engage with topics such as the Doctrine of Discovery, the Alaska Purchase, Indigenous governance systems, and the transition from systemic Indigenous slavery to U.S. legal structures. The lesson plan also examines the enduring consequences of these historical events and challenges students to think critically about concepts like justice, power, and cultural resilience.
Designed to meet Alaska state standards for history, geography, and government, this unit provides a well-rounded and thought-provoking learning experience that connects past and present, encouraging students to analyze historical narratives from multiple perspectives.
Classroom Guide
Essential Questions
- What features define the region of Southeast Alaska?
- How do different cultures define and describe family relationships?
- What is sovereignty, and how have different groups of people claimed and asserted sovereignty over parts of Alaska?
- Why did the U.S. military and Tlingit people come into conflict after the Alaska Purchase?
- How did systemic Indigenous slavery end in Southeast Alaska?
- How have slavery and other coercive labor systems continued in Alaska and around the world, up to the present day?
Standards
- Alaska Content Standards for Geography (G), History (H), and Government and Citizenship (GC) (2006)
- Alaska History Standards (2006) Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power - Demonstrates an understanding of the historical rights and responsibilities of Alaskans by: 1. Identifying and summarizing the structures, functions, and transformation of various attributes (e.g., leadership, decision-making, social and