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The Walking Purchase of 1737:
A Social Studies Lesson

Background:

The class has been studying Pennsylvania's colonial history. One primary focus of the lessons I have led has been building and understanding multiple perspectives of history.

Goals:

• Students will be able to retell the main points of the Walking Purchase of 1737
• Students will be able to describe how the Iroquois, Minisink and Delaware Indians, and the Pennsylvanians felt about the Walking Purchase trick
• Students will be able to compare and contrast the perspectives of these various groups in discussion
• Students will be able to describe the motivations for each of the groups' actions throughout the trick.

Materials:

• Wall Map of Pennsylvania
  
• (One per student) Copy of The Pennsylvania Legacy: Colonial Pennsylvania by Terry Baker
  
• (One per student) “Understanding the Main Ideas” worksheet accompanying this text
• (One per student) Skit Planning Form
  

Procedure:

Introductory Activity:

Since this chapter is called “Tricks and Treaties,” the teacher will have students think of a time when they played a trick on someone, had a trick played on them, or they observed a trick being played on someone else. Students will record their thoughts a sheet of loose-leaf. Have a few students share their experiences with the class. The teacher should try to get students to discuss what the goal of or motivation for each trick was (for example, for personal gain or amusement). Finally, the teacher will tell students that they will be learning about a big trick in history. Examples of Student Work on Tricks

Shared Reading:

The teacher will have students read aloud from their textbooks, chapter seven. (This oral reading activity is frequently used in the classroom, as all of the students were particularly strong at reading aloud).

Questions for discussion:

• What is a treaty?
• Why was ita problem that treaty agreements weren’t written down?
  
• What is difficult about using a measurement “as far as a horse can walk in two days”?
  
• Can you think of a measurement we use that was based on a similar idea? (Feet)
  
• Why do you think that the Iroquois made this deal?
  
• Do you think this treaty was fair?
  
• How do you think the Minisink felt about the treaty between the colonists and the Iroquois?
  
• How did Logan trick the Minisink?
  
• Was the “walking purchase” fair? Why or why not?
  
• How would you feel if you were the Minisink? The colonists?
  
• What did Canasatego mean in his speech?
  
• Why do you think the Iroquois felt this way?
  

Use the large map of Pennsylvania to help students understand exactly what happened in the trick and what land was taken from the Minisink and other Indians.

History Skits:

The teacher will have students work in groups of 5 to 6 students to write and perform a skit about the Walking Purchase.

Each group of students will act out one of these three different scenes:

• Treaty between Pennsylvania Council and the Iroquois.
  Actors – Logan, Iroquois chiefs, Numitus, Lappawinzoe
  
• Day of the Trick (September 19, 1737)
  Actors – Logan, Edward Marshall, Minisink Indians, other Penn walkers
  
• Meeting between the Iroquois after the walking trick
  Actors – Chief Numitus, Penn’s sons, Canasatego

To help students plan their skits, the teacher will pass out copies of a worksheet that will help them choose roles, think about what their character would do, and sequence events from the text. As the students work, the teacher should circulate among the groups to help students plan.

After the students are planned, the teacher will have students perform these skits. The students will not be expected to actually write down their skit, but rather do an impromptu 2-3 minute performance.

After eack skit, the teacher will debrief the actions that were portrayed, and add in any missing information.

A Final Activity:

The teacher will have students complete “Understanding the Main Ideas” sheet that accompanies this chapter. Examples of Student Work

Evaluation:

Work on the skits, discussion and worksheet.