Montana 1948

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Consider the phrase the “Wild West.” What images, concepts, and time periods do you associate with this phrase? How did this era shape the development of the United States as a colonizing country and the treatment of Indigenous Americans as colonized?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with the theme of Wild West, particularly in the context of Racism and Law and Law Enforcement in the US in the 19th and 20th centuries. Watson’s story, which is set in the place and time of the novella’s title (i.e., Montana 1948), centers on the remote smalltown community of Bentrock. The combination of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the rhetoric of “Manifest Destiny” in mid-19th century American rhetoric led to an increase of government-encouraged expansion of both infrastructure and commerce, ultimately resulting in the rapid development of American settlements and increased interaction with Indigenous settlements. As a result, white American colonizers used loose structures of Law and Law Enforcement to establish unequal power structures that were often based on Racism, in which local sheriffs and government officials used the “law” to take advantage of Indigenous Americans. While Watson’s story is set in the “Wild West,” he offers a different narrative in the form of rural law enforcement: a smalltown sheriff that seeks to support, as opposed to oppress, marginalized Indigenous groups. This decision contrasts the more archaic tendencies of Bentrock, which is still based on rural, small-town, and local sources of power. To stimulate discussion, consider first presenting students with a series of images related to the Wild West. You might ask students what their impressions are of the clothing styles, expressions, activities, and settings.

• This article from History discusses the expansion of the United States colonialism into the western part of the North American continent.
• This article from Lakota People’s Law Project discusses police brutality against Indigenous Americans.

Short Activity

Throughout US history, Indigenous American groups have been continuously marginalized by white colonial settlers. Working in small groups, select one Indigenous tribe living in North America and research their relationship with white colonial settlers. What was the relationship between the colonizers and the Indigenous peoples? How was this group marginalized? Have conditions for this group improved today? Why or why not? Share your findings in a presentation with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Activity invites students to consider the relationship between white European colonial settlers and Indigenous Americans within the context of group research and presentation. Students may use the links below for their initial research and presentation preparation. Encourage students to use as many visuals in their presentations as possible.

• This page from Native Hope provides a thorough overview of resources related to the history of Indigenous American tribes.
• This article from the California-Mexico Studies Center argues that Indigenous Americans are and always will be the most marginalized and impoverished people in the US.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an extended research project with a writing component, this Short Activity can be amended to a group research paper. Based on the level of the class, this Differentiation Suggestion is a good opportunity to introduce the research paper writing and submission process (i.e., initial research, annotated bibliography, thesis, outline, draft, peer review, final draft).

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novella.

Imagine that you are an officer in law enforcement, and one of your close family members has just committed a serious crime. Should this relative receive special treatment? Why or why not? What is more important, obeying the law or supporting family?

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt invites students to consider their own point of view regarding the central friction in Watson’s novella: the importance of Family Loyalty versus upholding the Law and Law Enforcement. Based on the Hayden’s family’s prominence in Bentrock, most of the characters believe that Wesley Hayden will excuse his brother’s crimes in order to uphold the family name. Wesley is a brother and a Hayden, but he is also the highest form of law enforcement in his rural community. As a result, he must make a difficult decision. As you introduce this concept to students, it might be helpful to consider the role of law enforcement in mass communication, such as in the news media, fictional publications, or television. You could discuss the different representations, how these portrayals have changed over time, and why the role of an individual who upholds and/or undermines the law may appeal to modern audiences. This question directly segues into the Discussion/Analysis Prompt.