SS 4 Standard 1 Combo
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Standard Indicator
Be It So Proclaimed
Purpose
Students will explain the significance of key documents in Indiana’s
development from a United States territory to statehood.
Materials
For each student: teacher-prepared “proclamation,” chalk, chalkboard
For each group of students: copy of Black Line Master (BLM) Be It So
Proclaimed, reference materials
Activity
A. Pre-Activity Preparation
1. Prepare a “classroom proclamation” to be handed out to students.
The proclamation should include extreme statements, such as:
“All students in this class must share a desk.” “There will be
no recess for boys during the month of ______.” “Girls must wear
only yellow dresses to class.” “The school day will be extended
to 5:00,” etc.
2. On the day this activity begins, hand out your “proclamation”
as students enter the classroom. Act serious about it until it
is time for the activity to begin.
connecting
across the
curriculum
English/
Language Arts
Have students take the
role of writing one
of the documents and
write an essay on what
the writer was trying
to accomplish by
writing the document.
B. Introduction
1. Say to students: “This morning I handed out a classroom
proclamation and I have heard some complaints. This
proclamation seems fair to me. Let’s discuss it.”
2. Allow students time to discuss what seemed fair and not fair
about the proclamation. Ask: “How did it make you feel when
you read it?”
3. Say to students: “There were documents written in Indiana’s
development from a territory to the time it became a state that
were good for those who wanted to settle in this area and who
wanted Indiana to become a state. There were others, however,
for which the proclamations on the document were not favorable.”
C. Discussing the Documents
1. Tell students that there were several important documents in the
history of Indiana as a state and a territory over 200 years ago.
Write the following on the chalkboard: “Treaty of Paris (1783),”
“Treaty of Greenville (1795).”
(continued)
Standard 1 / Curriculum Framework / Activity 3
Indiana Social Studies Grade 4 Standards Resource, February 2003
Standards Link
4.1.3
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Standard 1
4.1.4
SS 4 Standard 1 Combo
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Activity (continued)
Standard 1
2. Tell students that each of these documents divided up North
American land and set up governments for that land. Explain
that these documents made some people angry because they were
forced to move from their homes.
D. Group Activity
1. Divide students into groups of four to six students each.
2. Hand out a copy of the BLM Be It So Proclaimed to each group.
3. Tell students that they will be working in their group to learn
about each document listed on the BLM. Direct students’
attention to the research materials.
4. Tell students that after they have read and discussed the
contents of each of the documents, they will answer the
questions on the BLM as a group.
Questions for Review
Basic Concepts and Processes
While students are working on their BLMs, ask:
What were the main points of the Treaty of Paris in 1783?
Why was this treaty controversial?
What was the main point of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795?
Why was this treaty controversial?
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Standard 1 / Curriculum Framework / Activity 3
Indiana Social Studies Grade 4 Standards Resource, February 2003
SS 4 Standard 1 Combo
12/30/02
2:05 PM
Page 45
Names:
Be It So Proclaimed
Treaty of Paris (1783)
What was the purpose of this treaty?______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What group of people liked this treaty? Why? _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What group of people did not like this treaty? Why not?________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Treaty of Greenville (1795)
What was the purpose of this treaty?______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What group of people liked this treaty? Why? _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What group of people did not like this treaty? Why not?________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Standard 1 / Curriculum Framework / Activity 3
Indiana Social Studies Grade 4 Standards Resource, February 2003
Black Line Master 1
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SS 4 Standard 1 Combo
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2:05 PM
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Be It So Proclaimed
Teacher Directions
Divide students into groups of four to six. Hand out a copy of the BLM Be It So Proclaimed to
each group. Tell students that they will be working in their group to learn about each document
listed on the BLM. Direct students’ attention to the research materials.
Tell students that after they have read and discussed the contents of each of the documents,
they will answer the questions on the BLM as a group.
Answer Key
Answers will vary. Sample answers include:
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris was signed at the end of the Revolutionary War. It set boundaries for the new
United States of America. It said the U.S. owned all the land west of the Appalachians. It was fair
to the people who wanted to settle on this land, but it was unfair to the American Indians who
were already there.
Treaty of Greenville (1795)
This treaty brought peace, but the American Indians had to give up two-thirds of the land in Ohio,
plus part of Indiana. It was fair to the people who were settling here and to the U.S. government,
but unfair to American Indians who sometimes did not realize the meaning of the treaty.
Black Line Master 1
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Standard 1 / Curriculum Framework / Activity 3
Indiana Social Studies Grade 4 Standards Resource, February 2003