Suggestions for First Essay

Two quick announcements:

1)  I have posted excerpts of a sample document analysis from several semesters ago (on the main page just below).  I have not included it in its entirety (for obvious reasons).  This is from a sophomore student’s analysis of a document that we will be reading later in the semester.  I have not changed it in any way.  This should give you an example of what a successful document analysis looks like.

2)  I have also added a handout describing how to use footnotes.  It can be found under “Class Handouts” on the right sidebar.

Sample Document Analysis

THE TRAGEDY OF INDIAN REMOVAL

Introduction:

The Indian Removal Act was ratified by Congress in 1830 with the full support of President Andrew Jackson. The Removal Act stipulated that all Indian tribes residing east of the Mississippi River be relocated to lands in present-day Oklahoma—including those that had assimilated to white ways.[1] The leader of the Cherokee Nation’s fight against removal was a man named John Ross. Known as a Chief among his people, Mr. Ross was a highly successful plantation owner in Georgia at the time the Removal Act was passed. Ross, who had fought alongside Jackson himself in the War of 1812, was the principal author of the Cherokee Nation’s Memorial and Petition.[2] In it, Ross outlined his people’s numerous arguments against removal. This document, when considered together with the author’s unique point of view and in the proper historical context, provides students and historians alike with an astute and insightful perspective on the subject of 1830s Indian removal.

Outline of Paper Body:

Summary of Memorial and Petition
Explanation of Ross’s argument
The historical significance of this document
Tone of document; Ross’s reason for writing; the “end of the story”

Conclusion:

Indisputably, 1830s Indian removal was an unspeakable tragedy. Today, primary documents such as Ross’s Memorial and Petition serve to remind all Americans that no government is infallible. Even when presented with numerous compelling arguments against removal, Congress turned a blind eye to the plight of its countrymen. Was the need for land so great that it merited the deaths of thousands of innocent people? Memorial and Petition is truly a gem, and if nothing else, it will forever stand as a grim reminder of the mistakes of past generations. Such is the importance of the study of human history—the same kind of mistake need never occur twice.

---

[1] Kristen Epps, “Jacksonian America” (lecture, University of Kansas, July 10, 2006).

[2] Robert D. Marcus, David Burner, and Anthony Marcus, eds., America Firsthand, 7^th ed., vol. 1 (Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007), 173.

Topics for Document Analysis #1

You must choose one of the following documents for your document analysis, which is due on October 6th.  See the description of the assignment for further details.

1.    John Smith, “A True Relation of Virginia” (1608)

2.    John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity” (1630)

3.    Thomas Phillips, “A Journal of a Voyage Made in the Hannibal” (1693-4)

Announcements for 9/24

Since this week’s PowerPoint had more text than usual, I have added it to the course web page so you can review it before this week’s quiz.  Look for it to the right under “PowerPoints.”

Also, don’t forget that the reading from the Henretta textbook is all of Chapter 4, although most of the quiz questions will come from pages 99 to 118.  And, Friday’s class will focus on debating whether there was or was not a Great Awakening in colonial America, so don’t forget to read.

New Postings

I have posted the assignment description for the document analysis papers on the page named “Assignments,” located on the right sidebar.

Also, here is the link for the video on the Salem witch trials of 1692.

Get Out and Vote!

If you are looking for an easy way to learn about the platforms and positions of the 2008 presidential candidates, here are a few resources to help with your quest.  Of course, don’t forget to check the official websites for the candidates (John McCain and Barack Obama).    It’s very important to vote according to their stated positions, so get informed!  If you haven’t registered yet, go to Rock the Vote, fill out the registration form, and mail it at least 15 days before the election on Tuesday, November 4th.

On the Issues – This resource allows you to browse by candidate name, by major issue (i. e. abortion, the environment, Iraq War, etc.), and by other topics in the news (i.e. school prayer, affirmative action, death penalty, etc.).

Vote Smart – This site has details about candidates’ voting records, including the names of specific bills.

Council on Foreign Relations, Campaign 2008 – This website deals specifically with foreign relations including the candidates’ positions on the Iraq war, nuclear proliferation, the conflict in Israel/Palestine, genocide in Darfur, and other hot topics across the globe.

And, for a humorous take on the election, here is a link to the SNL video of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s parody of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin and Senator Hillary Clinton.

Posted Powerpoints

I have added the PowerPoint presentation from last week’s lecture, “Clash of Cultures: European Invasion of the Americas, 1492-1521,” and also this week’s titled “The Colonial Chesapeake: First English Settlements in North America, 1585-1700.”  Look under the link to the right called “PowerPoints.”

Did the Chinese “Discover” America?

If you are interested in finding out more about Gavin Menzies’s book 1421: The Year the Chinese Discovered America, here are a few news articles to wet your appetite:

“The Chinese Discovered America!,” Salon, January 7, 2003

“Did the Chinese Discover America? New Book Asserts a Different Version of History,” CNN, January 13, 2003

Also, you can look at Menzies’s own website, 1421, as well as a site that hopes to debunk his controversial theories called The 1421 Myth Exposed. This last site includes an interesting article that discusses the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows that we read about in last week’s reading.  Historians’ criticisms of the book include the fact that Menzies does not have a college education, he doesn’t read or speak Chinese, and he claims to have “discovered” new documents and maps that are actually well known to the historical community.  Overall, credible historians think that his evidence is thin and his research methods were sloppy.  Of course, read the above links to see what you think about this controversy.