The American Indian unit of Heritage Academy's Early American course is under development. At this time, most study questions about American Indians are interspersed with those of the Colonial Era, Early Republic, and Westward Expansion units. We plan to add additional books on this topic and develop a more comprehensive approach in the future. For the time being, however, we have completed a core reading list, a timeline, and a list of prominent characters.

Character/Date	Short Biography
Virginia Indians
Pocahontas 1595–1617	Daughter of an Indian Chieftain who helped the early settlers in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia.
Powhatan d. 1618	Chief of the Powhatan confederacy and father of Pocahontas. Kept an uneasy peace with Jamestown settlers.
Cockacoeskie d. 1685	Queen of the Pamunkey, following the Powhatan wars, who made an alliance with the Virginia government during Bacon's rebellion.
Opechancanough 1554–1646	Leader of the Powhatan confederacy who led an Indian massacre against Jamestown beginning in 1622, which killed hundreds of white settlers.
New England Indians
Squanto 1580–1622	New England Indian who helped the pilgrims their first year in Plymouth Colony.
Samoset 1590–1653	First American Indian encountered by the Pilgrims at the Plymouth colony.
Massasoit 1581–1661	Indian chief who befriended the pilgrims and lived in peace with them for forty years in Massachusetts.
Hiawatha ~ 1550	Indian leader of Iroquois Indians who was the subject of a famous Longfellow poem.
King Philip 1639–1676	Leader of the Wampanoags who led the first serious uprising against the white settlers in New England.
Northwest (Great Lakes) Indians
Cornstalk 1720–1777	Indian leader who tried to be neutral during the Revolutionary War, but was murdered.
Pontiac 1720–1769	Leader of a Great Lakes tribe who planned a rebellion. His attempt to take fort Detroit was thwarted by an Indian who warned the garrison.
Chief Logan 1725–1780	Indian chief who was friendly to white settlers until his family was killed. He then warred against the U.S.
Little Turtle 1747–1812	Indian chief from the Ohio Valley who first fought against the U.S. but later counseled Peace.
Tecumseh 1768–1813	Shawnee Hero. Tried to unify tribes against the colonists. Fought for Britain during War of 1812.
Southeast Indians
Tuscaloosa d. 1540	Choctaw chieftain who resisted de Soto at the Battle of Mauvila during his expedition through the southwest.
Billy Bowlegs 1810–1864	AmerIndian chief who frustrated warred against the United States in the Seminole Wars.
Osceola 1804–1838	Half-breed Seminole Warrior who resisted the settlement of Florida.
Western Indians
Black Hawk 1767–1838	Important Indian chief in the Illinois territory. Inspired the Sauks to resist the Americans during the Black Hawk War.
Sacajewea 1787–1812	Indian woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark during their explorations of the Louisiana Purchase.
Black Kettle 1801–1868	Cheyenne chief who tried to make peace, but was sabotaged by aggressive acts of his own Indians as well as the white settlers.
Washakie 1804–1900	Shoshone Indian War Chief
Cochise 1805–1874	Apache Indian War Chief.
Manuelito 1818–1893	Navajo Indian War Chief.
Winnemucca 1820–1882	Chief of a Piute tribe. First befriended the white settlers, but rebelled when his tribe was mistreated.
Red Cloud 1822–1909	Sioux Indian War Chief.
Geronimo 1829–1909	Last Apache Warrior to hold out against the U.S. Army. Finally capitulated and became a celebrity.
Sitting Bull 1831–1890	Medicine man who organized resistance to U.S. Army. His warriors defeated Custer at Little Bighorn.
Standing Bear 1834–1908	Ponca chieftain whose tribe was forcibly removed from their settlement. He later 'sued' the government and won.
Captain Jack 1837–1873	Led a tribe of Modocs off the Klamath reservation to their native home, where they held out caves for several months.
Crazy Horse 1840–1877	Dakota Indian chief who fought against the American army at Rosebud and Little Big Horn.
Chief Joseph 1840–1904	Led Nez Perces in a resistance against the encroachment of white settlers. Finally surrendered.
Sarah Winnemucca 1841–1891	Daughter of Chief Winnemucca. Served as translator between Piutes and U.S. Army. Wrote a book.

AD Year	Event
Spanish contacts in North America: 1492-1800
1513	Ponce de Leon makes his first expediton to Florida.
1539-41	Hernando De Soto leads and expedition through the Southeast, discovers the Mississippi.
1540-42	Francisco de Coronado leads a Spanish expedition to New Mexico.
Early Colonies: 1600-1700
1608	Pocahontas, daughter of chief Powhatan, saves the life of John Smith.
1617	Pocahontas marries John Rolfe and travels to England.
1622	Indian massacre led by the Powhatan Confederacy kills 350 Jamestown colonists.
1644	Second Indian massacre of settlers leads to Powhatan Wars against Virginia tribes.
1676	Nathaniel Bacon leads a rebellion because of the governor's failure to protect settlers from Indians.
1711-17	Tuscarora and Yamasee Wars decimate native tribes in the Carolina colony.
1634-38	Pequot War in Connecticut decimates the Pequot tribe.
1675-78	King Philip's War is the most deadly conflict between Massachusetts settlers and New England tribes.
???	New England Indian Wars
Northwest Indian Wars: 1763-1832
1775	Daniel Boone's family and 50 other settlers settle in Boonesborough, Kentucky.
1788	Rufus Putnam founds the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territories in Marietta, Ohio.
1794	Battle of Fallen Timbers brings Indian War in the Northwest Territories to a close.
1804-06	Merriwether Lewis and William Clark lead an expedition to explore Louisiana Purchase.
1811	Battle of Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison defeats Shawnees in Indiana Territory.
1763-1832	Northwest Indian Wars
Florida/Alabama Indian Wars
1813-14	Andrew Jackson fights Creek Wars in Alabama.
1835-38	Osceola leads Seminole Rebellion in Florida.
Sioux Wars: 1854-1890
1854-1890	Plains Indian Wars
1862	Dakota War drives Santee Sioux out of Minnesota Territory
1863-65	Colorado War devastates Kiowa, Comanche, Arapaho, and Cheyenne tribes of the Rockies.
1866-68	Lakota and Cheyene fight for their tribal lands in Red Cloud's War in Montana/Wyoming.
1876	General Custer's army of six hundred whiped out at Battle of Little Bighorn in Sioux territory.
1890	300 Lakotas killed at Wounded Knee Massacre, when army attempts to confiscate guns.
Western Indian Wars: 1865-1896
1804-06	Merriwether Lewis and William Clark expedition.
1840-46	Jesuit Pierre deSmet travels throughout Oregon Territory setting up Indian missions.
1847-1896	Western Indian Wars
1847	Whitman Massacre kills 14 early settlers in Washington State.
1877	Nez Perce War led by Chief Joseph

Book Title	Selected Chapters (# chapters)
Core Reading Assignments
Drake - Indian History for Young Folks	entire book
Highly Recommended
Burton - Massasoit	entire book
Eastman - Indian Heroes and the Great Chieftains	entire book
Eastman - Indian Boyhood	entire book
Perry - Four American Indians	entire book
Sabin - Boy's Book of Indian Warriors	entire book
Sabin - Boys' Book of Border Battles	The Battle of Adobe Walls to When Ghost Shirts Failed (7)
Sabin - Frontier Fighters	Hugh Glass and Grizzly Bear to The Sibley Scout (10)
Schultz - With the Indians in the Rockies	entire book
Abbott - King Philip	entire book
Abbott - The Adventures of Kit Carson	entire book
Ober - Ferdinand De Soto and the Invasion of Florida	The Landing in Florida to Last Days of De Soto (14)
Ober - Juan Ponce de Leon	The Fount of Perennial Youth to Juan Ponce's Last Campaign (8)
Grinnell - Trails of the Pathfinders	entire book
Schultz - Bird Woman —Guide of Lewis and Clark	entire book
Also Recommended
Grinnell - Blackfeet Indian Stories	entire book
Grinnell - When Buffalo Ran	entire book
Howard - Famous Indian Chiefs I Have Known	entire book
Hudson - The Famous Missions of California	entire book
Eastman - The Soul of the Indian	entire book
Fitch - Junipero Serra	entire book

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep