Residents of Dakota Territory struggled with political division, economic challenges, and limited opportunities—issues that are still familiar to many residents today. Students will explore the formative events leading up to statehood by studying primary sources through a geospatial lens. Facilitate a discussion about what students already know about the pros and cons for a U.S. Territory to become a state. What were the pros and cons and other issues residents might have to deal with in the pursuit of statehood? Has this changed at all? Are there currently territories who have expressed desire to become a state? What do students know about it? Have students create a graphic organizer of the pros and cons of statehood and compare and contrast whether this has changed over time. What else can we learn about North Dakota statehood from studying maps? How do students know what they already know? Talk about what their knowledge is based on. Are they informed by personal experience? Have they read about it before, or saw it in a movie or television show?