To participate constructively in civic life, “you really have to understand why people do the things that they do,” says Kansas Government teacher Bryan Little. MAHG studies deepened the way Little teaches the Constitution, which the framers structured to withstand the power-hungry tendencies of human nature.

The story of the Sand Creek Massacre (November 28, 1864) shows how cultural misunderstanding, political ambition, poor communications, and white settlers’ incessant demand for western land led to shameful acts of violence against Native Americans. It also shows how some Americans refused to participate in the violence.