HIS 100 Project

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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100

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History

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Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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4

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HIS 100 Project Part 1: Creating a Research Question 1. Describe how your assumptions, beliefs, and values influenced your choice of topic. I instantly focused on Inequality and human rights topics when selecting my topic. While the other main topics interested me, my strong sense of standing up for injustice made these topics the most interesting. Also, being black in America has taught me that suffering is not individualistic, and it is vital to understand the experience of others to help you become a better person. So, when I chose The Occupation at Wounded Knee, I understood that I was already biased and revisiting this moment would require some discipline concerning my research approach. 2. Discuss the significance of your historical research question in relation to your current event. What benefits do American Indian societies experience today based upon the action taken during the Wounded Knee Occupation in 1973? There is not one event that can be attributed as the sole cause for the cultural, social, and economic awareness we see today. One cannot deny that the publicized events that took place during the Occupation of Wounded Knee bolster today’s efforts to recognize this ill-treatment and disenfranchisement of the American Indians of today. Recently the American Football Team, formerly known as the “The Washington Redskins”, changed their name to “The Washington Commanders”. This change was brought about at the behest of several activist organizations. Events like the Wounded Knee Occupation are the driving force behind the changes we see today. 3. Explain how you used sources to finalize your research question. When conducting my research, I focused on the outcome or perceived outcome within my sources. “The Wounded Knee occupation, according to many commentators at the time, reflected a relatively new kind of political spectacle.” (D’Arcus, 2003, p.433); descriptions like these are found throughout the sources, highlighting this protest’s innovative site. Had this been another protest taken to the capital, would the impact have been so profound? Part 2: Building Context to Address Questions 1. Describe the context of your historical event that influenced your current event. After the Occupation of Wounded Knee, several leaders and organizations continued their efforts to gain justice for American Indians. While the path from Wounded Knee in 1973 to the redskins becoming the commanders does not have a direct line connecting the two, it is known that past events set the stage for the outcomes of today. 4. Describe a historical figure or group’s participation in your historical event. The American Indian Movement (AIM) led by Russell Means (Luck, 2006, p. 331) was one historical group and its leader of the Occupation at Wounded Knee. AIM sought to fix broken treaties and sovereignty claims the American government did not uphold. Russell Means and AIM were at the forefront of the protest and negotiation attempts with the government. 5. Explain the historical figure or group’s motivation to participate in your historical event . 1
AIM decided to stage the Occupation at the behest of the Lakota tribe elders, who were experiencing turmoil from their elected leaders. AIM combined their group goals and assisted fellow American Indians in shedding light on a situation that was being overlooked. Part 3: Examining How Bias Impacts Narrative 1. Describe a narrative you identified while researching the history of your historical event. While reading Owen Luck’s (2006) account during the 1973 Occupation of Wounded Knee, I found him to support the American Indian side of the conflict significantly. While he did attempt to demonstrate that his initial purpose for going was for self-gain, it only highlights how biased he became in the end (Luck, 2006). Luck had a unique standpoint of being an outsider observing the events from the American Indian point of view. Albeit a biased narrative, his photography and chronicles give a fantastic record of the Lakota tribespeople, one that could not have been told otherwise and incredibly valuable to the overarching cause. 6. Articulate how biased perspectives presented in primary and secondary sources influence what is known or unknown about history. When we rely on the accounts of others to learn about history, their bias, implicit or not, changes the reader’s view. To compile a secondary source, it must come from a primary source. Therefore, producing an unbiased secondary source will be difficult if the primary source is embedded with bias. America is slowly peeling back the layers of biased history lessons. When you learn about events in this manner, the people of today lose a lot. I recently saw a documentary where a man purchased a home in Virginia only to find out that it was the property where his ancestors were enslaved (60 Minutes, 2022). What would the outcome for him be today if that history was not stolen from him? 7. Identify the perspectives that you think are missing from your historical event’s narrative. One perspective missing from the wounded knee occupation is that of the neighbouring areas. The people that traded with the Lakota and interacted with them before the Occupation would be able to give value to the siege as witnesses seeing the government’s response. This narrative would be similar to that of Owen Lucks. While D’Arcus, (2003) compiles government records to create such an account, I wonder what was being said in the neighbouring areas when the US Marshalls or other government workers were sitting conversing and not monitoring their speech. Part 4: Connecting the Past with the Present 1. Explain how researching its historical roots helped improve your understanding of your current event. The Occupation of wounded Knee was less than 50 years ago! The time frame between the massacre at wounded Knee and the Occupation of wounded Knee was about 83 years between the two events. In 133 years, we went from horses being our primary transport source to having a video call with a person miles away. Looking at technological advances compared to social advances helps put the importance of insensitive name changes and highlights the work that was done and continues to happen for American Indians. 2
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