Once you’ve read, watched and listened to all of our materials films and readings through the end of Native Peoples, European Conquest & Colonization-Colonial Legacies Pt I (see syllabus, material we’ve covered in class and study guides I gave you), write your responses to the following. You’re responsible for them all, but for thiswriting assignment, this is what you’re writing:

Pt 1) One major historical theme from your film “We Shall Remain: After the Mayflower” or “Guns, Germs & Steel.” You will have seen and taken notes on all of our very important films on this topic, but for this essay, choose a major issue or historical central theme from either of these important films (use your notes you took from the study guide I gave you- those are important for this and midterm), develop it with specific examples, and tell us all of the ways that issue is important for our understanding of the United States and the larger Americas (why “colonial legacies”). Show that you’re making connections with our lectures and readings (our textbook, readings).

Sample themes these important film deals with: the complexities of Native Societies, how they organized their societies, adapted to their surroundings and adapted to colonization; the complexities of “Settler Colonialism” in the U.S. Northeast (today’s New England); “Big Geography” and the factors that contributed to global inequality and shaped and impacted the conquest/colonization of the Americas; English attitudes towards Native Peoples and consequences; Religion, Religious attitudes and consequences; Germs, Diseases and consequences; Technological imbalance and consequences.

Length of Part I: one to two substantial paragraphs. Go deep, flesh it out with specific examples

Pt 2) Analysis of ONE of these primary sources (you’ve read them all but for this short essay, you’re analyzing one of them in depth). Primary sources are first-hand accounts (primary means “first”), eye-witness accounts, people from the time who are writing/recording their participation in historical events, or witnessing those historical events. Examples: letters, speeches, proclamations, declarations.

The primary sources we’ve read and that you can write about are:

1) Excerpts, Journal of Christopher Columbus, 1492 (See “American Yawp” ch. 1, Pt III “European Exploration” for important historical context.)

2) Excerpts, Bartolomé de las Casas, “In Defense of the Indians,” and Juan Ginés de Sepulveda, 1550 at “Great Debate” in Valladolid (short primary sources) (See “Countercurrents: Bartolome de las Casas” scanned three pages of important historical context, in Canvas, right next to this document)

3) Primary Source on Metacom’s Rebellion, John Easton Recounts Metacom’s Grievances, 1675

4) Primary Sources on Praying Towns, New England, 1653

5) * “Marking the Landscape”, Primary Source by John Josselyn, English visitor, 1674; and Robert Cushman

For this part:

a) Tell us all about the documents that you’ve chosen: who wrote it? to whom? when? why? what was its purpose?

b) Provide historical context from our lectures and readings (Chasteen ch. 2 as well). What is going on at the time this primary source is produced? (las Casas and Sepulveda’s documents are products of the Spanish conquest, as Natives being forcibly converted and exploited for their labor)

c) Analyze the primary source, then tell us all of the ways this source is valuable for our understanding of the Americas. Primary sources are very important for us, but as students as History, we know we can’t take everything they say at full face value. Why not? Question the text (source). Analyze the language, the tone, the message-can you identify assumptions? Biases? Assumptions matter (as we see in the religious documents, for example). If we only read primary sources like this one, do we get the full picture? If not, what other kind of primary sources do we need to consult to have a fuller understanding of the topic/era? Tell us all of the ways this primary source is important for our understanding of the history of the Americas

Length of Part II: One to two substantial paragraphs with specific examples

Total length for both parts: three to four substantial paragraphs with specific examples.

Write your essay in a word processing program so you can always have a copy. Proofread it and spell-check it.Clip it from your word processing program and paste it as text onto the Discussion Board. We will discuss your responses in class on the due date.

To Submit your Short Essays: Go to Canvas, Discussions, click this Discussion Forum “Natives, Conquest & Colonization” (it is also in your Colonial Legacies I Module, at bottom), click my prompt, copy the text from your essay you wrote, then paste your response onto the Discussion Board- this way students can read it and comment without downloading files. We’ll discuss these in class in class some, then in the Discussion Board.

Response Essay(s) (mandatory) in Canvas. You are also required to respond to at least two other student’s original essays during the same time period in Canvas. See the due date for the “Response Essay”- it is usually 3 days from the due date of your original essay). You can amplify on a point made, raise a related point, discuss the issue in relation to other documents, agree or disagree with supporting evidence (in a constructive way), and/or raise new informed questions that we should all think about. One or two thoughtful, well-developed, and well-supported paragraphs should suffice for your response. Be aware of the due date for that as well (as I said, it is usually within 3 days of when everyone posts their original essay). To reply to a classmates’ posting, click “reply” to that posting.