Teach with HistoryLink

Elementary Inquiry

What did early non-Native maritime explorers hope to gain in the Pacific Northwest, and how did it benefit Native communities? What did it cost Native communities?

British explorers arrived on the Pacific Northwest coast with ambitions that went far beyond curiosity. This inquiry invites students to investigate the motivations behind British exploration and colonization efforts—and how these goals shaped their relationships with Indigenous nations.

• Regions: Central Sound, Columbia Basin, North Sound, Olympic Peninsula, South Sound, Southwest
• Theme: British Colonization
• Topics: First Peoples, Tribal Lands, Treaties, and Reservations, Social and Cultural History, Political and Governmental History