Civic Literacy Essay Instructions & Rubric

August 2024 Civic Essay

Civic Literacy Essay

This guide will show you how to write a great Civic Literacy Essay and get the highest score. It is all about following clear steps, using the documents, and adding your own knowledge.

Paragraph 1: Historical Context (Introduction)

Your first paragraph is your chance to set the scene.

You need to show that you understand the background of the Native American rights issue.

How to get a Score 5:

• Explain what was happening in the United States at the time.

• Show why Native American rights became such an important civic issue.

• Use specific details.

Examples you can include:

• Native Americans once controlled most land in North America, but by the 1800s treaties and wars forced them onto small reservations.

• Federal policies like the Indian Removal Act and Dawes Act weakened tribal sovereignty.

• By the 1900s, Native Americans had lost most of their land and cultural independence.

Paragraph 2: Effort #1 (Government Action)

This paragraph explains one effort made by the government to address Native American rights.

How to get a Score 5:

• Pick one document that shows a government action.

• Explain what the government tried to do and why.

• Add outside knowledge to connect it to history.

Examples you can use:

• The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 restored some land and reversed parts of the Dawes Act.

• The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 gave Native Americans U.S. citizenship.

• President Nixon’s call for self-determination in 1970.

Paragraph 3: Effort #2 (Native Resistance and Activism)

This paragraph explains an effort made by Native Americans themselves to protect their rights.

How to get a Score 5:

• Use a document that shows Native activism or resistance.

• Explain the event and why it mattered.

• Add outside knowledge to make your answer stronger.

Examples you can use:

• The American Indian Movement (AIM) in the 1960s and 1970s occupied Alcatraz and Wounded Knee to demand treaty rights.

• The Standing Rock Sioux protests in 2016 against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

• Court cases and lawsuits over treaty rights.

Paragraph 4: Impact of the Efforts

This paragraph shows what changed (or did not change) because of the efforts you described.

How to get a Score 5:

• Explain short-term results and long-term results.

• Show both successes and limits.

Examples you can use:

• Some tribes gained economic independence through casinos (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act).

• Federal and state governments began to recognize Native culture (Montana’s Indian Education for All Act).

• Native Americans gained political representation (for example, Deb Haaland in Congress).

• Many problems still remain: poverty, stereotypes, loss of sacred land.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

This is your chance to wrap up your essay and leave a strong final impression.

How to get a Score 5:

• Summarize the main points.

• Show why this issue still matters today.

• End with a clear, thoughtful sentence.

Example: 

Native Americans have fought for centuries to protect their land, culture, and rights. While some progress has been made through government reforms and activism, many struggles continue. The ongoing fight for equality and sovereignty shows that the civic issue of Native American rights is not just history, but part of America’s present and future.

Checklist for a Score 5 Essay (cross out as you write)

• Paragraph 1: Did I explain the historical background with specific details (treaties, removal, land loss)?

• Paragraph 2: Did I explain one government effort and use both documents and outside knowledge?

• Paragraph 3: Did I explain one Native effort and use both documents and outside knowledge?

• Paragraph 4: Did I explain the impact of these efforts on the U.S. or American society?

• Paragraph 5: Did I organize a clear conclusion that connects the past to the present?

  • Did I use at least four documents in total?

  • Did I add outside knowledge beyond the documents?

  • Did I organize my essay into five clear paragraphs?

How Your Essay Is Scored

• Score 5: Thorough, analytical, uses 4+ documents, strong outside knowledge, clear organization.

• Score 4: Good essay, may be uneven, still uses 4+ documents, some analysis, some outside knowledge.

• Score 3: General essay, descriptive, limited document use, little outside knowledge.

Sample Essay: Score 5

Paragraph 1: Historical Context 

Long before the United States existed, Native nations occupied virtually all inhabitable land in North America and governed themselves according to their own laws and traditions. After independence, federal power over Native peoples expanded, and tribes were treated as “quasi-sovereign,” not as national equals, which diminished their control and encouraged paternalistic policies. Treaty making accelerated after the War of 1812, with hundreds of agreements that most often transferred Native land; by the 1990s reservations amounted to roughly 2.5 percent of U.S. territory. Westward expansion, railroads, mining centers, and cattle trails cut through Native homelands, and violent confrontations such as Sand Creek, Fetterman, Little Big Horn, Bear Paw Mountain, and Wounded Knee accompanied confinement to reservations. Outside of the documents, rulings like Worcester v. Georgia were ignored, Indian Removal produced the Trail of Tears, and the near destruction of the buffalo undermined Plains cultures. This context explains why the rights of Native Americans became a central civic issue and why later efforts focused on sovereignty, land, culture, and political participation.

Paragraph 2: Effort #1 (Government Policies Over Time) 

Government action both harmed and helped Native rights across different eras. The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 allotted communal lands to individuals, aiming at assimilation and resulting in massive Native land loss. During the New Deal, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 tried to reverse Dawes by restoring some land to reservations and encouraging tribal self-government. In 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act recognized Native people as U.S. citizens, and in 1970 President Nixon publicly endorsed a new era of Native self-determination. By 1988, Congress affirmed tribal authority to run gaming operations on tribal lands through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, creating new economic possibilities for some nations. In 2009, the White House Tribal Nations Conference established a continuing forum for U.S.–tribal dialogue. Together, these measures show a long arc from allotment and assimilation toward sovereignty, recognition, and negotiated government-to-government relationships.

Paragraph 3: Effort #2 (Native-Led Activism and Legal/Community Action) 

Native communities organized to defend treaty rights, lands, and culture. The American Indian Movement, founded in 1968, called for honoring treaties and dramatized grievances with actions like the Alcatraz occupation (1969) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs building occupation (1972). In 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline, arguing it threatened sacred sites and water; thousands of Native and non-Native supporters gathered, while other tribes traveled to stand in peaceful solidarity and sought an injunction to halt construction until protections were assured. In North Dakota in 2018, when a new voter ID law requiring street addresses risked disenfranchising reservation residents, Native organizers mounted get-out-the-vote campaigns that produced record turnout in some areas. These efforts combined protest, coalition-building, litigation, and civic participation to assert rights and to translate treaty promises into real protections.

Paragraph 4: Impact of the Efforts (Successes and Limits) 

Impacts have been significant yet uneven. Federal-tribal agreements have returned ownership or control of some sacred places and established co-stewardship arrangements that have functioned for decades. Montana’s Indian Education for All Act, grounded in the state constitution, aims to integrate Native history and culture into public schools so Native students feel recognized and non-Native students gain accurate understanding. Tribal gaming has financed services and increased economic independence for some nations, while national forums have normalized government-to-government consultation. At the same time, many sacred places remain threatened by extractive industries, development, and military activity, and the Dakota Access Pipeline ultimately proceeded despite protests. Voting restrictions created new barriers but also spurred historic Native civic engagement. Representation has increased in public office, yet poverty, health disparities, and cultural loss persist, demonstrating both progress and continuing challenges.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion Across centuries, policy and power imbalances drove land loss and cultural suppression, while Native activism and evolving federal policy pushed back toward sovereignty, recognition, and participation. The historical record shows that legal reforms, federal-tribal agreements, and community organizing can secure gains, but enduring pressures on land, culture, and political access require sustained action. The struggle for Native American rights has reshaped U.S. society’s understanding of sovereignty and citizenship, and it continues to demand informed civic choices today.

Sample Essay: Score 4

Paragraph 1: Historical Context 

From early U.S. history through the late nineteenth century, Native Americans faced growing federal control and shrinking territory. Treaties increased after the War of 1812, reservations spread across the West, and conflicts like Sand Creek and Wounded Knee marked resistance and repression. By the twentieth century, reservations made up a small fraction of U.S. land, and tribes were treated as dependent rather than equal nations. Outside knowledge such as Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears helps explain why the defense of land, culture, and political rights became such a persistent civic issue.

Paragraph 2: Effort #1 (Government Responses) 

Government responses included policies that cut both ways. The Dawes Act allotted land to individuals and undermined tribal ownership, while the Indian Reorganization Act tried to repair that damage by restoring some land to reservations and encouraging self-government. Later, national actions like the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the White House Tribal Nations Conference signaled recognition of tribal authority and created new avenues for negotiation and economic development.

Paragraph 3: Effort #2 (Native Organizing and Protest) 

Native peoples organized to press for rights through AIM’s activism in the late 1960s and 1970s and, more recently, through protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock, where tribes gathered and sought legal relief to protect water and sacred sites. When a voter ID law threatened to exclude reservation residents in 2018, Native organizers focused on turnout, and participation rose in some areas.

Paragraph 4: Impact (Gains and Ongoing Problems) 

Impacts included co-stewardship agreements for sacred places, better inclusion of Native history in public education (as in Montana), and increased economic resources for some nations through gaming. Yet many sacred sites remain at risk, pipelines and development continue, and voting rules can still pose obstacles. These mixed outcomes show progress alongside continuing inequalities in health, income, and cultural protection.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion 

The combined effect of government policy and Native activism has expanded recognition of sovereignty and rights, but results vary by place and issue. Continued civic participation and negotiation are needed to make protections durable and fair.

Sample Essay: Score 3

Paragraph 1: Historical Context 

Native Americans once lived across most of North America, but as the United States expanded, tribes lost land and were moved to reservations. There were many conflicts in the West, and federal power over Native peoples increased. By the 1900s, only a small part of U.S. land was reservation land.

Paragraph 2: Effort #1 

The government sometimes tried to change policy. The Dawes Act broke up tribal land, and later the Indian Reorganization Act restored some land and supported tribal governments. More recently, national meetings and laws recognized tribal authority and created new economic opportunities.

Paragraph 3: Effort #2 

Native Americans formed groups and protested to protect their rights. AIM led actions in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe protested the Dakota Access Pipeline. Native voters also responded to new ID rules by organizing to vote.

Paragraph 4: Impact 

There have been successes, like some agreements that protect sacred sites and efforts to teach more Native history in schools. However, many problems continue, including threats to land and barriers to voting.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion 

There has been progress on Native rights, but there is still work to do. Continued activism and fair policies are needed to protect land, culture, and political participation.