Concrete Assignment: Design a Lesson on a Conflict That Did Not Escalate into Violence
usefull websites:https://nativephilanthropy.candid.org/
https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/en/research/400-years-of-dutch-american-stories/mass-murder-on-manhattan
https://newamsterdamhistorycenter.org/2022/04/30/mass-murder-on-manhattan/
HOW I WOULD DO IT: But if you have an better idea do it!!
Instruction: Lesson Plan on Peaceful Conflict Management in New Netherland (1614–1643)
Theme of the Lesson
In this lesson, students investigate how the contact between Dutch colonists and the Indigenous Munsee people in the Lower Hudson River region was initially peaceful, but how this relationship deteriorated around 1643 when Willem Kieft, director of the West India Company (WIC), decided to impose a tax on Indigenous communities. This decision triggered the first large-scale violence in the colony of New Netherland.
Central question: What alternatives to violence were proposed during the conflict between Kieft and the Munsee, why were they ignored or unsuccessful, and what does this teach us about peaceful coexistence in colonial settings?
Historical Context
- Time and place: New Netherland, specifically the Lower Hudson River region (present-day New York), ca. 1614–1643.
- Conflict situation: For several decades, peaceful relations existed, largely centered around trade. Around 1643, tensions escalated due to Kieft’s decision to impose taxes in exchange for “protection.”
- Key actors:
- Willem Kieft (director of the WIC in New Netherland) – initiates violence.
- De Vries – colonist, tries to mediate, writes critical reflections.
- Munsee tribe – resist taxation and threats with opposition.
- Other Indigenous nations – some still maintain peace treaties with the Dutch at the time.
- WIC in the Netherlands – unaware of Kieft’s actions, possibly disapproving afterward.
Approach: Inquiry-Based Learning on Alternatives to Violence
The lesson is structured in three parts, focused on historical reasoning and multi-perspectivity:
🔹 Part 1 – Context and Peaceful Coexistence (ca. 1614–1640)
- Introduction with a map and short explanation of Dutch colonization and trade with the Munsee.
- Source analysis: Dutch accounts that illustrate how relations were initially peaceful.
- Students identify the characteristics of peaceful coexistence.
🔹 Part 2 – Escalation and Alternatives (ca. 1641–1643)
- Reading assignment with source excerpts on Kieft’s tax proposal and the Munsee response.
- Contrasting sources: De Vries’ mediation efforts, criticism from other Dutch colonists.
- Students analyze:
- What non-violent alternatives were proposed?
- What motives drove the choice for or against violence?
- What role did financial struggles of the colony play?
🔹 Part 3 – Critical Reflection and Debate
- Summative task: What could have been done differently?
- Mini-debate or historical role play: students assume roles of Kieft, De Vries, a Munsee leader, or a WIC official in the Netherlands.
- Reflection: What does this conflict teach us about power dynamics, agency, and colonial decision-making?
Source Material
You use, among others:
- Excerpts from the book Dutch and Indigenous Communities in Seventeenth-Century Northeastern North America.
- The article “Mass Murder on Manhattan” about the 1643 violence.
- Writings by De Vries (from his journal or letters).
- Documents describing existing peace treaties with other Indigenous nations.
Note: For each source, provide context about the author, time of writing, and their perspective.
Key Concepts
Select at least three of these narrative key concepts and embed them into your lesson objectives, source questions, and reflections:
- Agency – What could the actors do or choose?
- Cause and consequence – How did Kieft’s policy lead to violence?
- Moral judgment – How do we view these decisions today?
- Historical time & continuity/change – What changed in the relationship?
- Perspective and frame of reference – How did Kieft, De Vries, and the Munsee think differently?
Possible Learning Objectives
- Students can describe how peaceful coexistence between the Dutch and the Munsee was established and functioned.
- Students can analyze at least two non-violent alternatives proposed during the Kieft-Munsee conflict using primary sources.
- Students can explain and evaluate the motivations of different actors in the conflict within their historical context.
- Students can use source-based arguments to discuss why certain alternatives did or did not succeed.
Reflection
Invite students to reflect on the lesson:
- What can we learn from this micro-episode about conflict resolution today?
- Could violence have been avoided?
- What role did communication and power play in the escalation?
Important Considerations
- Limit the scope to a clear episode (e.g., 1624–1643) to allow for depth in analysis.
- Avoid normalizing colonial terminology, and critically address the use of terms such as “Indians.”
- Reflect on representativeness of your sources and the lack of Indigenous voices.
- Vary your methods: include reading, analyzing, reflecting, and debating.
What the lectors asked:
Goal of the Assignment
Design an inquiry-based lesson on a concrete historical conflict that did not escalate into violence. The central focus of this lesson is to show which alternatives to violence succeeded, and how this was achieved, paying close attention to:
- the actors involved,
- their motives,
- the strategies they used, and
- the sustainability of these solutions.
Explicitly include at least three narrative key concepts (see appendix) and apply the didactic model of inquiry-based learning.
Structure of Your Lesson Plan
1. Choose a Micro-Episode of Conflict
- Select a clearly defined conflict (a micro-episode) that is relevant and manageable for the classroom.
- Avoid large historical narratives (e.g., WWII as a whole), and instead focus on a specific moment or situation where alternatives to violence were explicitly chosen.
- Consider conflicts involving social justice, peaceful protest, diplomatic negotiations, etc.
2. Problem Statement
Formulate a motivating central question that encourages students to engage in historical thinking, and in which the distinction between conflict and violence is clear. The question:
- clarifies the nature of the conflict;
- leaves room for multiple interpretations based on historical sources;
- connects with current events or students’ daily lives;
- makes it clear why this conflict is relevant to explore.
For example:
How did citizens and politicians manage to resolve the conflict surrounding the independence of Czechoslovakia peacefully?
3. Inquiry Questions for Students
Your lesson should guide students in systematically exploring the following questions:
- What was the conflict about?
- Who was involved?
- What were the non-violent alternatives considered or implemented?
- Why did these alternatives ultimately succeed or fail?
- What roles did motives, strategies, and social structures play in the outcome?
Inquiry-Based Learning in the Lesson
Use the inquiry-based learning model as discussed in your training:
4. Structure and Teaching Methods
- Begin the lesson with a provocative question or current-day parallel.
- Offer students a selection of 3 to 5 contrasting sources (visual and/or textual).
- Guide students to reason both with and about sources, for instance through structured reading tools, source analysis tables, or historical debates.
- Multiperspectivity!!!
- Encourage critical comparison and analysis of sources, focusing on:
- reliability;
- representativeness;
- agency (what could actors do or not do?);
- perspective and historical positioning.
5. Teacher Interventions
- Provide clear modeling: how to analyze a source? how to construct a historical argument?
- Include intermediate reflection moments, such as check-ins or thinking breaks.
- Intervene when needed: provide context, differentiate, or challenge superficial reasoning.
Lesson Objectives (Examples)
Formulate concrete, assessable learning objectives in which narrative key concepts and historical reasoning are central, e.g.:
- Students can identify three non-violent alternatives used in the conflict surrounding X.
- Students can name at least two explanatory factors that account for the success of peaceful alternatives in conflict Y.
- Students can, based on source material, argue how sustainable the chosen strategies of the actors were.
- Students can analyze the role of power, historical positioning, and historical time in the conflict.
Use of Key Concepts
Explicitly incorporate at least three narrative key concepts into your lesson objectives, source questions, or student reflections. Choose from:
- Historical time
- Space
- Structure and agency
- Continuity and change
- Cause and consequence
- Intentional and unintended effects
- Present and historical context
- Historical perspective
- Frame of reference
- Moral judgment
Ensure your lesson helps students not only learn facts, but also think like a historian.
Sources and Contextual Information
- Select a small set of well-chosen, contrasting sources.
- Provide sufficient historical context for each source.
- Clarify for each source:
- who created it,
- when it was created,
- from which perspective or motive it was written.
Reflection at the End of the Lesson
- Include a reflection phase where students look back on the conflict and their insights.
- Possible reflection prompts:
- What did you learn about alternatives to violence?
- Do you think the chosen strategies would still work today?
- How does your own perspective affect the way you assess this conflict?
Assessment Criteria
Your lesson will be assessed based on:
- a clear and historically accurate problem statement;
- well-defined learning objectives that integrate key concepts;
- a well-structured inquiry-based lesson with selected sources;
- correct use of the inquiry model;
- critical selection and contextualization of sources;
- application of historical reasoning (reliability, representativeness, agency);
- a didactic plan that is active, motivating, and feasible;
- inclusion of student reflection and discussion.
Submission Guidelines
Submit your completed lesson preparation with:
- a brief explanation of your chosen conflict;
- a detailed lesson outline (preferably with timing and teaching methods);
- the selected sources as an appendix, with context;
- clear articulation of your learning objectives and chosen key concepts.