In this lesson, you will engage in a discussion about the treatment of Native Americans by the Federal government around this time. Here is Chief Joseph's speech...



"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohulhulsote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead.

It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead.

Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."



Begin your discussion by addressing the following prompt:



Discussion Prompt: Do you think you would have agreed with Chief Joseph if you were one of the chiefs to whom he was speaking? Why or why not?



Be as thoughtful in a discussion board conversation as you would be in real life. Sharing your own ideas and thoughts. Support your points with evidence in 3-4 sentences.

If I were one of the chiefs to whom Chief Joseph was speaking, I believe I would have agreed with him. The loss of so many leaders and the suffering of his people would have been overwhelming, and his call for peace and the end of fighting would have resonated with me. Additionally, the desperate situation of his people, including the lack of food and blankets, would have made it difficult for me to continue the fight. Chief Joseph's speech shows a deep concern for the well-being of his people, and I would have likely felt the same way.