Native American Religious Freedom Protection

This resource is an Inquiry Pack to accompany the Native American Legal History Timeline on LegalTimelines.org.

Built around primary sources from the Library of Congress and other collections, this Inquiry Pack facilitates a deep dive into an important aspect Native American legal history in the United States.

Each Inquiry Pack includes a background reading, several primary sources (documents, articles, images), discussion questions about the sources, an inquiry question, and an inquiry extension question.

This pack includes the following components:

• Introduction
• Constitutional Foundation: The First Amendment
• Codes About Native American Ceremonies
• Wounded Knee Massacre
• Civil Rights Movement Legislation
• Use of Peyote in Religious Ceremonies
• Inquiry Question: Describe the change over time in U.S. policy toward Native American religious ceremonies. To what extent was the First Amendment successful in protecting Native American religious freedom?
• Inquiry Extension Question: Research multiple perspectives about current or recent conflicts between Native Americans and governments over the protection of sacred lands. Explain your position about whether the government is violating Native Americans’ First Amendment rights.
• Inquiry Question Graphic Organizer