Ghost River Meets the Spirits of the Conestoga
Grade Levels: Grades 6-8
Standards: From the C3 Frameworks
- D2.Civ.10.6-8. Explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when people address issues and problems in government and civil society.
- D2.His.1.6-8. Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.
- D2.His.6.6-8. Analyze how people’s perspectives influenced what information is available in the historical sources they created.
Historical Background:
When William Penn established the colony of Pennsylvania, he envisioned a pluralistic and peaceful colony. In establishing alliances with the local Native Peoples, Penn made a series of treaties, beginning with the Great Treaty, the Treaty of Shackamaxon (1682), in pursuit of his "peaceable kingdom." From the Native Peoples' perspective, they had established kinship relationships making them friends and "brothers." A wampum belt was created, recording the terms of this treaty. Diplomacy was vital to the trade alliances between Native Peoples in the Susquehanna Valley and the colonial Pennsylvanians.
On December 14, 1763, the Paxton Boys, a group of vigilantes from the Paxtang Township, massacred six Conestoga Indians on rumors that they had aligned with other groups who planned to attack the colonists. This was not true, but it did not stop the Paxton Boys from searching out the Conestoga away from their village. The remaining 14 Conestoga were moved to the Lancaster Workhouse (often referred to in the documents as the “Goal” or jail) for their protection. However, on December 27, the Paxton Boys broke into the workhouse and brutally murdered the remaining and defenseless men, women, and children.
Materials (in order of application):
- Warmup Sheet
- Journaling Sheet
- Lee Francis, Weshoyot Alvitre, and Will Fenton, Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga. Albuquerque: Red Planet Books and Comics, 2019.
- A Dialogue between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot (Page 3 and Analysis Sheet)
- The Paxton Boys, A Farce (Page 8 and Analysis Sheet)
- Ghost River (Excerpts with Analysis Sheet)
- Exit Slips (Part 1 and Part 2)
- Image Analysis Sheet (Extension Activity)
References:
- A Dialogue Between Andrew Trueman, and Thomas Zealot. Digital Paxton.
- Lottie Bausman, "Massacre of the Conestoga Indians, 1763: Incidents and Details." Lancaster County Historical Society.
- "Conestoga Indian Town Historical Marker." Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
- "Conestoga Massacre Marks 248th Anniversary.” WGALTV, 27 Dec. 2011.
- "The History of the Fulton." Fulton Theatre.
- Rick Kearns, "Ethnic Cleansing in Pennsylvania: The 1763 Massacre of the Conestoga." Indian Country Today, 3 Jan. 2014.
- Lee Francis, Weshoyot Alvitre, and Will Fenton, Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga. Albuquerque: Red Planet Books and Comics, 2019.
- The Paxton Boys, A Farce. Digital Paxton.
- Daniel Richter, Facing East from Indian Country a Native History of Early America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2003.
Procedure:
Part 1:
- Warmup: As students enter the room, project the Warmup Sheet with the caption, "History is Complicated. Violence is simple." Ask students to record responses.
- Small-Group Discussion: Have students discuss their responses in small groups.
- Class Discussion: Ask several students to share what their small groups discussed. Discuss the cover artwork of Ghost River. Have students consider the symbolism of the artwork and brainstorm predictions for the story.
- Read-Aloud: Read aloud of the full graphic novel with the students. If possible, display the digital pages on a Smartboard as it is read aloud. Upon completion, have students record reactions on the Journaling Sheet and share thoughts in pairs or small groups.
Part 2:
- Analysis: Break students into small groups and have them analyze excerpts from two plays written about the Conestoga massacres using the analysis sheets (above). Then have them analyze excerpts from Ghost River using its image analysis sheet.
- Assessment: Distribute Exit Slips (Part 1 and Part 2). Have students work independently to answer the question: How do the text and visual representations of the event differ in their perspectives? Students should explain and defend their answers with evidence.
Part 3:
- Further Inquiry: Have students analyze the final image from Ghost River. After that warmup, have students generate research questions for further inquiry centered on the resiliency and humanity of Native Peoples in North America using Image Analysis Sheet (Extension Activity). In small groups or as a class, have students discuss the cyclical cycle of the story and how it lends itself to the continuation; Native Peoples still inhabit "Turtle Island" (Earth).
- Future Lessons: Students will be able to the connections among historical events relevant to the location(s) of the Conestoga massacres. For example, students can explore history of the site of the second massacre, from the Lancaster Jail ("Goal") to the Fulton Opera House. NB: A ghost light is left on an empty stage. Each night the light at the Fulton Opera House lets us know that the spirit of the Conestoga Peoples endures in Lancaster today. Additional Resource: Fulton Opera House application for National Landmark recognition.
Extension Standard (Change, Continuity and Context):
- HIST 8.1: Analyze connections among events and developments in historical contexts.
- HIST 8.2: Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity.
This lesson was created during the 2019 Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Teacher Seminar, "Native Peoples, Settlers, and European Empires in North America, 1600-1840" (July 28-August 3, 2019). You may also download a printable version of this lesson.
