Building a Creek Nation: Reading the Letters of Alexander McGillivray-U.S.

This document collection introduces students to the circumstances of Southeast Indians after the American Revolution, as described in Creek Indian leader Alexander McGillivray's letters to Spanish and U.S. officials. From careful reading and analysis of these letters, students will learn that U.S. expansion into the west was both contested and not inevitable. Students are guided through their analysis of the primary sources with an author-provided learning objective, central question, and historical context.