Haudenosaunee & Neighboring Nations in New York — Practice · Grade 7 Social Studies

Chapter: Historical Inquiry & Indigenous Nations

What this practice covers

By the end of Haudenosaunee & Neighboring Nations in New York you should be able to:

8 questions, written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: context, primary source, interpretation, confederacy, wampum.

Problem 1

Why is “Algonquian” not the name of one unified government?
Answer and explanation

It describes a language family with multiple peoples and political communities. A claim about authority requires evidence about the particular nation and period.

Problem 2

Does comparison prove the U.S. Constitution copied the whole confederacy system?
Answer and explanation

No. Resemblance is not proof of a complete borrowing. Identify a specific proposed influence and examine dated evidence while preserving differences in institutions and traditions.

Problem 3

Why should wampum not be reduced to decoration or ordinary coins?
Answer and explanation

Its diplomatic and record-related uses require contextual explanation. Meaning and function cannot be inferred solely from material or appearance.

Problem 4

What is wrong with saying that Native government ended when New York appeared on a map?
Answer and explanation

A map’s later political label does not prove the disappearance of Native nations, institutions, or authority. Compare dated community and diplomatic evidence rather than infer disappearance from cartography.

Problem 5

Invented study notes: Record A identifies six member nations in a confederacy; Record B identifies several neighboring communities whose languages belong to a family. A draft calls both lists single governments. Correct the draft and identify what would be needed to compare political decisions.
Answer and explanation

Confederacy membership describes a political relationship, while a language-family list does not by itself establish shared government. The six nations also retain distinct identities. A comparison of decisions needs dated evidence about the relevant councils, responsibilities, and participants, not an assumption that a category speaks with one voice.

Distinguish membership from language classification.

Locate decisions in a particular nation or shared institution.

Seek dated council or diplomatic records.

Response criteria

  • Describe the historical context and institutions accurately.
  • Connect relevant evidence with an explained claim or calculation.
  • Represent particular perspectives without stereotypes or invented testimony.
  • Identify an assumption, evidentiary limit, or distinction that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 6

Can one council record represent every household’s view?
Answer and explanation

It may document a council decision or a recorded speaker. It does not automatically show every household’s opinion; identify its procedure, participants, purpose, and other available voices.

Response criteria

  • Describe the historical context and institutions accurately.
  • Connect relevant evidence with an explained claim or calculation.
  • Represent particular perspectives without stereotypes or invented testimony.
  • Identify an assumption, evidentiary limit, or distinction that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 7

Name the five original member nations and the later sixth.
Answer and explanation

Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca were the five; Tuscarora later joined.

Problem 8

What is one useful question when comparing two governments?
Answer and explanation

Ask which institution decides a specified issue and how participants select or hold leaders accountable; then examine the actual procedures.

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