The Modoc War and People Today

Author(s) : Hillary Manion (Modoc/Klamath descendant)
Lesson partner: Rebecca Lowry and Maggie Peters, Humboldt County Office of Education 

Grade(s) : 8

Suggested Amount of Time : 4 sixty minute lessons (1-2 weeks)

Curriculum Themes:

• History
• Law/Government
• Relationship to Place

Learning Goals

• Lesson 1

  • Summarize information about the Modoc tribe before the war

  • Evaluate information leading up to the Modoc war in order to gain an understanding of what led to the conflict.

  • Recall and organize information about pre-war Modocs and the context that led to the war.

• Lesson 2

  • Summarize information about who was involved in the war, and the main events of the winter of 1872

  • Analyze the topography of the lava beds to understand how the Modocs used it to their advantage.

  • Evaluate how the Modocs were underestimated in this conflict and consider how those estimations impacted the outcome of the first battles.

• Lesson 3

  • Analyze instances where we see government sanctioned bias related to this conflict- even in modern day.

  • Summarize information about the final battles of the war

  • Analyze the topography of the lava beds to understand how the Modocs used it to their advantage.

  • Evaluate how the Modocs were underestimated in this conflict and consider how those estimations impacted the outcome of the later battles.

• Lesson 4

  • Analyze instances where we see government sanctioned bias related to this conflict- even in modern day.

  • Summarize information about the final battles of the war.

  • Analyze the concerted effort to dismantle the Klamath tribes after the war.

  • Evaluate how the Modocs have tried to regain their culture following this conflict.

Lesson Overview

This unit focuses on the Modoc War, a conflict between a small number of Modoc people and the US military in 1860’s and 1870’s.  The first lesson gives the background information needed to understand the lead-up to the conflict.  The second and third lessons focus on different aspects of the conflict, including events and topography. The fourth lesson, the aftermath.  A possible extension activity would be a field trip to the Lava Beds National Monument to see the battle sites and gain a deeper understanding of the natural fortifications the Modoc people used to hold off the military.