"The First Americans"

In 1927, when the mayor of Chicago was promoting an educational movement called America First, Scott H. Peters of the Grand Council Fire of American Indians wrote a letter urging him to include a fair history of "The First Americans" and their role in the country.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 6 Unit 3's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Don't ban peanuts at school, Penny Problem, Should Dodge Ball Be Banned, Most Dangerous 'Sport', High School Football, Letter on Thomas Jefferson, E-Readers Catch Younger Eyes, The Pros and Cons of Social Networking, Social Networking's Good and Bad Impacts, Are social networking sites good, The First Americans
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. massacre
    the savage and excessive killing of many people
    They call all white victories battles and all Indian victories massacres.
  2. incident
    a single distinct event
    We ask that this, as well as other incidents, be told fairly.
  3. patriot
    one who loves and defends his or her country
    White men who rise to protect their property are called patriots--Indians who do the same are called murderers.
  4. treacherous
    tending to betray
    White men call Indians treacherous--but no mention is made of broken treaties on the part of the white man.
  5. frail
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    White men called Indians thieves--and yet we lived in frail skin lodges and needed no locks or iron bars.
  6. noble
    having high or elevated character
    What is civilization? Its marks are a noble religion and philosophy, original arts, stirring music, rich story and legend.
  7. savage
    a member of an uncivilized people
    Then we were not savages, but a civilized race.
  8. duplicate
    make or do or perform again
    We made blankets that were beautiful, that the white man with all his machinery has never been able to duplicate.
  9. motif
    a design that consists of recurring shapes or colors
    We wove in beads and colored quills designs that were not just decorative motifs but were the outward expression of our very thoughts.
  10. acquainted
    having fair knowledge of
    Why not make schoolchildren acquainted with the beautiful handicrafts in which we were skilled?
  11. oratory
    the act of addressing an audience formally
    We had our statesmen--and their oratory has never been equaled.
  12. wholesome
    characteristic of physical or moral well-being
    Why not teach schoolchildren more of the wholesome proverbs and legends of our people?
  13. claim
    an established or recognized right
    Tell how the Indian fought for a country of which he was not a citizen, for a flag to which he had no claim, and for a people that have treated him unjustly.
  14. generous
    more than adequate
    A true program of America First will give a generous place to the culture and history of the American Indian.
  15. sacred
    worthy of respect or dedication
    We ask this, Chief, to keep sacred the memory of our people.
Created on Fri Aug 15 10:56:09 EDT 2014 (updated Fri Aug 15 11:45:48 EDT 2014)

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