SHORT RESPONSE – HISTORY 200
Consider the following statement: “In preparing for the Cherokee removal, state and federal officials were motivated solely by desire to seize the natives’ land.” In your post, consider the following:
- Does this statement present the full picture? Revise this statement to present a more complex explanation of the motivations that drove state and federal officials (and the white citizens of Georgia) during the years immediately preceding the Cherokee removal. Explain the choices you made in your revision.
- Next, consider how you can take a similar approach to your own topic in order to more fully understand the historical complexity. What other viewpoints would you want to further explore in order to more fully understand your topic?
- First, we’d like you to do some reading to gain a fuller picture of the relationship between Natives and settlers:
- And the Strife Never Ends: Indian-White Hostility As Seen By European Travelers in America, 1800 – 1860: A brief article about the way contemporary Europeans viewed the ongoing conflict between Natives and the American government. You can read it at this link. This reading is required. You will have to log into Shapiro Library with your SNHU credentials to access this article.
- Owning Red: A Theory of Indian (Cultural) Appropriation: An article about the long history of “cultural appropriation” of Native land, artifacts, property, and other cultural resources by white society. Section II, “Indian Appropriation” (pages 869 – 891) details the legal history of conflicts between Natives and non-Natives over land and other property. You can read it at this link. Pages 869 – 891 of this reading are required. You will have to log into Shapiro Library with your SNHU credentials to access this article.
Based on these readings, and other academic knowledge of Native American history that you may have, please answer the following questions. The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of the complexity of the Native American experience.
Module 7 Short Responses – Question 1
Name three historical lenses that you could apply to gain a fuller picture of the relationship between Natives and white settlers. Be sure to respond to this question in two to three sentences, using proper grammar.
- Module 7 Short Responses – Question 2
Revise the thesis statement at the top of this page to reflect a more complex view of the relationship between Natives and white settlers. Your revised thesis statement should be longer than one sentence.
- Module 7 Short Responses
The history surrounding the perhaps real, perhaps apocryphal “harvest feast” between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag is a complex story in several different ways. The following questions will help you develop your understanding of the concept of historical complexity. Be sure to respond to these questions in one to two sentences, using proper grammar.
Module 7 Short Responses – Question 3
Name three historical lenses that you could use to look at the events described in the video you just saw.
- Module 7 Short Responses – Question 4
Massasoit’s decision to approach the Pilgrims about an alliance was contingent on what previous event or events? (Name one or two.)
- Module 7 Short Responses – Question 5
Name one short-term consequence and one long-term consequence of the alliance between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims
- Module 7 Short Responses – Question 6
How has your understanding of the historical event in your essay changed as a result of your research? Describe one instance of a misconception or a wrong idea you had about your topic that has been corrected after researching and writing about it.
- Module 7 Short Responses
The Cherokee Removal, and the tragic westward journey along the Trail of Tears, is one of the most sorrowful events in American history. But it is also one of the most complex. The following questions ask you to think about the Cherokee Removal in the way a historian would. Be sure to respond to each question in two to three sentences, using proper grammar.
Module 7 Short Responses – Question 7
Name four historical lenses through which you could analyze the events of the Cherokee Removal. Specify one aspect of this event for each lens that you cite.
- Module 7 Short Responses – Question 8
Agree or disagree with the following thesis statement: “The Treaty of New Echota was invalid, and the National Party was correct to oppose it.” Cite at least three historical facts that support your position.