I struggled a bit throughout this book. The content was, at least on first read, not of great interest to me, despite my interest in the geography of the Northwest. I found the writing style stilted and heavy-handed; the syntax was, it felt, unnecessarily complex. I don’t necessarily feel that this is due to the time at which Winthrop was writing, as I have not run into the same roadblock with his contemporaries. Nonetheless, I respect that this is the earliest written narrative of travel through this region. Many books, and I am confident that The Canoe and the Saddle is one of them, warrant multiple readings. I have added this to my post-graduation reread list. I want to like this book, and while like most of the class, I was a little unnerved by the authors imperialist attitude toward his indigenous guides, I don’t think that preclude me from finding merit in the writings on rereading.
Winthrop’s of the various American Indians who he encountered was discussed ad nauseam during our class period, and I don’t feel that I have anything of particular interest to add here. What I will say, however, is that I think as readers, we have to be careful not to simply excuse everything on the basis of time period. While we certainly do a disservice to both ourselves and writers when we pull them from their eras and hold them to the cultural norms of the present time, in cases such as that of Winthrop, there were many contemporaneous writers who, while perhaps fetishizing indigenous
The driver, Cecilia Blair, of vehicle 1 was traveling north through the intersection of N. State St. and Flint St. when she had a collision with vehicle 2. The driver, Jacqueline Muir, of vehicle 2 was heading west on Flint St. when she was struck by vehicle 1.
In addition, association with the Natives was just another obstacle the colonists had to face. Rowlandson’s publication gives a time stamp on how difficult relations with the Native Americans were from a colonial perspective. Time period was so important in Rowlandson’s case because her story this gave first insight to issues of the colonial perspective of the Natives. Before Rowlandson, there was no actual documentation of a front row seat to the world of the Native Americans. For example, during Rowlandson’s fourth remove she witnessed the death of a pregnant mother and the child (264). Imagine hearing this for the first time as a colonist; immediately an automatic biased opinion occurs. In Rowlandson’s case, there was more corruption and “devilish” behavior that clouded the good.
After reading “Second Thoughts of Colonial Historians and American Indians” by James H. Merrell, it is important to acknowledge the symbolicism of the language used by so many Colonial Historians as they recount significant instances throughout our Indigenous American History. In many comparisons, word selection used to describe the Native peoples, tend to simplify their existence as merely hunters and gatherers.
There may not be two more contrasting characters of early America then Thomas Morton and John Winthrop. Morton was nicknamed, "Leader of Misrule" while Winthrop was seen as the "model of [a] perfect earthly ruler" (147). These two figures not only help settle a new land, they also had firsthand knowledge of each other. They are not two people that lived years apart from each other but rather they lived concurrently. With two such polarizing people living in a small new land, there was bound to be at least one disagreement. We are fortunate to have writings from each of these two fascinating men. One can't help but be thoroughly entertained when reading the words that each man left behind. Morton was the rebellious and raucous and
It is without doubt that there has been a prominent distinction between the Native Americans and the English settlers upon landing in Virginia in the early 1600s. With the prior ‘knowledge’ from previous pioneers in America, the colonist had viewed the Natives in a vilified manner as savages without proper means of civilization. These so called ‘heathens’ were said
This semester I have learned valuable tools and techniques when it comes to writing and analyzing different types of literature. I will thoroughly explore what Whitman, Columbus and Smith meant in specific passages of a few of their literature works. Whitman’s free verse poems, “Leaves of Grass” and “Song of Myself”, seemed to be most appealing. I also found Christopher Columbus’s “Letter to Lluis de Santangel” and “Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella” to be quite intriguing about life back then. Even John Smith’s writings such as “The General Historie of Virginia” and “A Description of New England” enlightened me to what it was they saw when venturing out in the new world.
Native American literature from the Southeastern United States is deeply rooted in the oral traditions of the various tribes that have historically called that region home. While the tribes most integrally associated with the Southeastern U.S. in the American popular mind--the FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole)--were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) from their ancestral territories in the American South, descendents of those tribes have created compelling literary works that have kept alive their tribal identities and histories by incorporating traditional themes and narrative elements. While reflecting profound awareness of
In a world of startling current events that lead humanity to reflect on the past for answers, countless books are written to inform people of the world’s controversial history. Constantly, bias slithers into the writing of many authors, allowing history- without the painful truths- to be swayed by the winners. Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower follows the journey of the Pilgrims, the winners in this case, as they venture to the New World and leave a destructive trail, leading to war with the Native Americans. As in any story, especially one involving war, there are two sides, and Philbrick makes it clear what side he fights for. Philbrick depicts the Pilgrims in a positive and biased manner through the detailed and glorified portrayal, biased Pilgrim quotations, and the clear contrast he creates between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims, presenting the Native Americans negatively and the Pilgrims as heroes.
Jimin wakes up to the sound of explosions and fire. A thousand and some men meet their demise each day, and Jimin prays at night he’s not one of them. The war rages around him, and he gets off the make-shift bed to get changed into his gear to help out. He caps the patterned helmet and looks at himself in the mirror. His reflection stares back, sad and weary, a youth gone wrong. He smears camouflage onto his face, high on his cheekbones until there is nothing left of him but an empty vessel of war.
When the first colonists landed in the territories of the new world, they encountered a people and a culture that no European before them had ever seen. As the first of the settlers attempted to survive in a truly foreign part of the world, their written accounts would soon become popular with those curious of this “new” world, and those who already lived and survived in this seemingly inhospitable environment, Native American Indian. Through these personal accounts, the Native Indian soon became cemented in the American narrative, playing an important role in much of the literature of the era. As one would expect though, the representation of the Native Americans and their relationship with European Americans varies in the written works of the people of the time, with the defining difference in these works being the motives behind the writing. These differences and similarities can be seen in two similar works from two rather different authors, John Smith, and Mary Rowlandson.
The Pilgrims brushed their lips against the land of Cape Cod and thanked their Lord when the furious storm released them from its’ fury. The sea troubles left them far from home with no warm welcomes. After scrutinizing the bare land they had located barbarian-like aliens. They formed their judgments and ideas about their companions on Cape Cod. Seeking gold and silver the Spaniards explored unfamiliar territory. Although, they did not discover their hidden treasures they did stumble upon unfamiliar Native American cultures they did not understand. Their misunderstandings led to the formation of judgements towards the Native Americans. Although both “Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford and “La Relacion” by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca discuss early settlers and attitudes toward native peoples. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca’s attitude toward Native Americans reveals a sense of relief to discover friendship among an island. While, William Bradford displays a fearful and belittling tone.
The Tea act had been enacted by British Parliament on May 10, 1773. The act was to help raise funds for the British East India Company, who was running out of money. The law had created a way for the Company to inexpensively sell tea to the American Colonies. Another reason this act had been passed was to stop the colonists who had been getting around the taxes by smuggling. The colonists were now forced to pay taxes. The colonists were upset with this new law because they could no longer smuggle tea and they were forced to give in to the British. The dispute between the American colonists and British Parliament later led to an even greater conflict, known as the Boston Tea Party.
When examining early American history it is commonplace, besides in higher academia, to avoid the nuances of native and colonizer relations. The narrative becomes one of defeat wherein the only interaction to occur is one of native American’s constant loss to white colonizers. It is not to say that the European colonizers didn’t commit genocide, destroy the land and fabric of countless cultures, but rather when looking at history it is important to take a bottom’s up approach to storytelling. We must examine in what ways the native Americans fought English colonization, not just through war, but also through the legal system that was established after the area was colonized.
West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776 (2014) is Claudio Saunt’s third book. Saunt, who completed his undergraduate work at Columbia and received his PhD from Duke, has taught at the University of Georgia since 1998 and is currently the department head of American Studies and the Associate Director of the Institute of Native American Studies. His other major works are A New Order of Things: Property, Power, and the Transformation of the Creek Indians, 1733-1816 (1999) and Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of the American Family (2005).
This chapter, set in another part of the woods, introduces three more characters. Two of them are familiar; that is, they are familiar if the reader is familiar with other works by James Fenimore Cooper. Hawkeye (or Natty Bumppo) and Chingachgook have been serialized in several of the author's books. This chapter not only shows the close ties of these characters as they discuss familiar subjects but also shows the knowledge of the author about Indian customs and the historical background of America. It also depicts his sympathy for the Indians who were colonized and driven off their lands by European settlers. Cooper depicts his Indians as having keen senses and extensive skills. Hawkeye, for all his woodcraft, cannot match them; he cannot