The stories of the American Indians in the West represent issues faced by tribal members during the period of Westward Expansion. The first stories in our series show how they fought for their civil rights and adapted in order to serve their people. Our stories highlight Susan LeFlesche Picotte, a woman of the Omaha tribe, and Standing Bear, a leader of the Ponca tribe from Nebraska.
Supplemental teaching material and lesson plans for this subject area provide further study and classroom exercises related to the stories of Standing Bear of the Poncas and Susan LeFlesche Picotte, American Indian doctor.
Videos for the American Indian content area include the story of Standing Bear, a leader of the Ponca tribe from Nebraska, who went to court in 1879 to prove he had civil rights. The trial became the first civil rights trial in the country, and is still a precedent in US Law. Another video is the story of Susan LeFlesche Picotte, a woman of the Omaha tribe who became the first medically trained Indian woman doctor in the country.
