Chapter 5: Becoming Wisconsin: From Indian Lands to Territory to Stat | Wisconsin Historical Society

Classroom Material

Chapter 5: From Indian Lands to Territory and Statehood

Supplemental materials for the 4th-grade textbook, 'Wisconsin: Our State Our Story'

Chapter 5: Becoming Wisconsin: From Indian Lands to Territory to Stat | Wisconsin Historical Society
EnlargePortrait painting: Chief Black Hawk, by Robert M. Sully, painted in 1855. WHI 11706.

Chief Black Hawk, a Sauk Leader

Chapter 5 explores the first 50 years of the 19th century. It details how the waves of European immigrants that moved to Wisconsin led to massive Indian land cessions. This, in turn, led Wisconsin to becoming a territory and then a state.

Students will be introduced to the treaties and treaty rights of Wisconsin's native peoples. This information will help meet Wisconsin's Act 31, the mandate to teach treaty rights.

Find reproducible worksheets and other cross-curricular activities for this chapter in the Student Activity Guide.

Book cover for Voices and Votes: How Democracy Works in Wisconsin.

Voices and Votes: How Democracy Works in Wisconsin

by Jonathan Kasparek and Bobbie Malone

Students will learn how the three branches of government function at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels.
Read more about the book

Assessment

  • Chapter 5 Assessment
    (Word document, 3 pages, 743 KB) This assessment is a Microsoft Word document, which allows you to customize it for your classroom.

Interactive Whiteboard Resources

  • Chapter 5 SMART Notebook Activities
    (.notebook format, 22 MB) To view or download the interactive whiteboard resources, you need a login and password.  Learn more about how to access these materials on our Interactive Whiteboard Resources page. Interactive whiteboard files have been created on SMART Notebook 11 software and work best with SMART interactive whiteboard hardware.

Books Related to This Chapter

Field Trips Related to This Chapter

  • Field Trip to First Capitol
    Take your students on a tour of the Council House and the lodging house at First Capitol to examine the first laws of the Wisconsin Territory, discuss the fight for the capitol, learn about early purchases of the territory, and reimagine Wisconsin as a place of beginnings.
  • Field Trip to Stonefield
    Take your students on a tour of the Stonefield historic site that celebrates Wisconsin's rich agricultural heritage. It is located on the grand summer estate of Wisconsin's first governor, Nelson Dewey.
  • 'Why History Matters' Guided Tour of the Wisconsin Historical Museum
    This one-hour guided tour introduces students to the main themes of the most recent 200 years of Wisconsin history. Students will discover how artifacts reflect history and what they reveal about our lives today. Students will be challenged to think critically about Wisconsin history and create personal connections to the past through museum exhibits.

Additional Activities

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Have Questions?

Contact our helpful staff about implementing the textbook in your classroom.