Throughout the term, we will work together to build class notes for you to use as a reference for your work. Here is the link:
Week One: Introductions
Wednesday, March 27
Topic: Class website/syllabus review
Please do the following:
- Complete the Tell Me About Yourself! Google Form
- Log in to course website (linked on landing page), familiarize yourself with the dashboard, how to make a blog post
Friday, March 29
Topics: Native geography (native-land.ca), terminology & language, primary v. secondary sources, A Model of Historical Thinking overview
Discuss: “Teaching & Learning about Native Americans” (NMAI)
Blog post 1 (due Sunday by Midnight): Write a post introducing yourself. What are your academic and other interests? What do you look forward to learning about in this course?Additionally, what has been your experience in learning about Native American history (either from US or other history courses)?
Ernest Smith, depicts the story of Turtle Island, Wikimedia Commons.
Week Two: Khéya-Wíta (Turtle Island)
Monday, April 1
Topic: Indigenous Creation Histories
Discuss:
1. Cherokee Creation Story (Video)
2. Lakota Emergence Story (Video)
3. Hopi Origin Story (Video)
Wednesday, April 3
Topics: The social organization of Indigenous communities, community structures, kinship, gender
Discuss: Theda Perdue, “Part One: A Woman’s World” and “Ch. 1: Constructing Gender” in Cherokee Women (New York: Bison Books, 1999), p. 13-40 (e-book via library access)
Friday, April 5
Topics: Indigenous Placemaking: Space + Place
Discuss: Encounters at the Heart of the World, Chapters 1-2
In-Class Activity: Take a Google Earth virtual field trip
Blog post 2 (due Sunday by Midnight): This week centered on how Indigenous communities tell the historical origins of their own communities and the life ways of those communities. Reflect on the creation stories you listened to earlier in the week; what details stood out to you the most? Why was it important to listen to these stories and not read about them? Additionally, reflect on how the worldview and structures of Indigenous communities (social organization, kinship, gender, etc.) shaped their resiliency, sustainability, and cultural vibrancy. Remember to discuss/analyze at least one source in your response.
Week Three: Indigenous Latin America and Iberian Colonizers
Monday, April 8
Topics: Indigenous empires (the Aztec, Maya, and Inca); rethinking Christopher Columbus’ “discovery,” the Spanish Doctrine of Discovery (1493)
Discuss: Journal of Christopher Columbus, 1492 and The Doctrine of Discovery, 1493
Wednesday, April 10
Topics: Ecological imperialism, the environment, and the construction of race in Spanish America (castas, the caste system)
Friday, April 12
Topics: Spanish Missions and the Pueblo Revolt (1690)
Discuss: Encounters at the Heart of the World, Chapter 3-4
In-Class Activity: Examining Race and Colonialism through Casta Paintings
Blog post 3 (due Sunday by Midnight): At what age do you remember learning about Columbus’ “discovery” of the New World? What details do you recall? In what ways have the discussion and readings from this week changed or expanded your understanding of this history? How did “discovery” shape ongoing codes, systems, and structures of colonialism? Remember to discuss/analyze at least one source in your response.
Week Four: The Indigenous Atlantic Coast
Monday, April 15
Topics: The Powhatan Confederacy and Jamestown Colony; Rethinking Mataoka’s (Pocahontas) story
Discuss: John Smith’s Map of Virginia: A Closer Look, and John White, “Village of the Secotan, 1585, and “Who is Pocahontas? Two Portraits,” Google Arts & Culture
Wednesday, April 17
Topics: Samoset encounters pilgrims at Plymouth, Rethinking the First Thanksgiving, Massasoit’s alliance between the Wampanoag and pilgrims
Discuss: Letter from Edward Winslow to a Friend, December 11, 1621, and Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation, and Cranberry Day: Traditional Harvest Festivals (Video)
Friday, April 19
Topics: the Pequot War (1636-1638); King Philip’s War (1675-1678); the myth of the “vanishing Indian”
Discuss: Benjamin West, Penn’s Treaty with the Indians (1771-72) and Encounters at the Heart of the World, Chapters 5-6
Blog post 4 (due Sunday by Midnight): This week has allowed us to think more comparatively about topics that figure prominently in American history, including Pocahontas, the First Thanksgiving, and acts of violence in early colonial history. In what ways did the readings and discussions complicate your understanding of such topics? Why is it important to grapple with the “complexity” of history? Remember to discuss/analyze at least one source in your response.
Week Five: Indigenous Revolutions
Monday, April 22
Topics: The Seven Years’ War (1754-1763) and Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763-1765) in the Ohio River Valley
Discuss: “The Master of Life” by Pontiac (1763) and “Pontiac Calls for War” 1763 and “Alibamo Mingo, Choctaw Leader, Reflects on the British and French” (1765)
Wednesday, April 24
Topics: Native Americans and the American Revolution, Joseph Brant, Early Republic
Discuss: Oneida Declaration of Neutrality, 1775 and “The Disturbances in America give great trouble to all our Nations”: Mohawk Joseph Brant Comes to London to See the King, 1776, by Joseph Brant
Friday, April 26
Topics: The War of 1812 and Violence in the Southeast
Discuss: Encounters at the Heart of the World, Chapters 7-8
Blog post 5 (due Sunday by Midnight): To what extent might the Seven Years’ War, Pontiac’s Rebellion, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and other conflicts be perceived as “Indigenous revolutions”? What were some of the motivations and reasons why Native communities became involved (and what was at stake)? How does the revolutionary discourse around “liberty” change when we consider other communities who were excluded from this rhetoric? Remember to discuss/analyze at least one source in your response.
Week Six: The Fur Trade
Monday, April 29
Topics: The fur trade in the Great Lakes; a “Middle Ground” v. a “Native Ground”
Discuss: Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank “Bandolier Bag, An Introduction” and “Global trade and an 18th-century Anishinaabe outfit” (Video) and “Anishinaabe Shoulder Bag” (Video), and “Northwest Coast Basketry—Woven Traditions” (Video)
Wednesday, May 1
Topics: The fur trade in the Upper Missouri and the transformation of Indian agencies
Discuss: “An Indian Map of the Different Tribes that inhabit on the East & West Side of the Rocky Mountains… 1801” Image and Record Info; AND “An Indian Map of the Upper Missouri, 1850”
Friday, May 3
Topics: Indigeneity and museums, NAGPRA, and Repatriation
Introduction to Four Views Project — Full Assignment Description
Discuss: NAGPRA official website and “National Museum of the American Indian Repatriates Two Objects to the Siksika Nation” (2023)
Blog post 6 (due Sunday by Midnight): To what degree was the fur trade a “middle ground” or a “Native ground” between Indigenous and European cultures? In your explanation, consider the power dynamics, negotiations, and alliance strategies that facilitated trade throughout North America. Additionally, how might you use and interpret material culture as “historical documents” of the fur trade? Remember to discuss/analyze at least one source in your response.
Week Seven: Four Views Project Week
Monday, May 6
Four Views Project, Part Two: Introduction with Archivist Joseph Taylor; Meet in front of special collections and archive, 2nd Floor Seymour Library
Wednesday, May 8
No Class, Work on Four Views Project
Friday, May 10
No Class, Work on Four Views Project
Blog post 7 (due Sunday by Midnight): Reflect on your experience in searching for Native American sources online for the Four Views project. In your opinion, is there a difference between a physical object and its digitized version? Discuss any challenges that you encountered or questions you raised in the research process. Additionally, you may reflect on the ethical considerations of representation, collaboration, and preservation when it comes to Native objects in museums (physical or online). In your response, incorporate one of the following readings from last Friday: NAGPRA official website or “National Museum of the American Indian Repatriates Two Objects to the Siksika Nation” (2023).
Week Eight: The Louisiana Purchase, the Politics of Slavery, and the Path to Removal
Monday, May 13
Four Views Digital Project Day — Please bring a completed draft of your content (object URL, images, metadata, and descriptions) with you to class to build the digital portion of this project
We are using a platform called Omeka to build the project. Please see the Omeka Guide for instructions and accessing the digital project’s website!
Public Omeka website link: fourviewshist181.jenniferandrella.com
Link to login and edit:fourviewshist181.jenniferandrella.com/admin
- Add your item to omeka (with complete Metadata) and upload four images representing your four views
- Next, create an exhibit for your object with four pages, one to represent each view with your 100 word descriptions.
Your final project (uploaded to Omeka) is due on Friday by 11:59pm!
Wednesday, May 15
Topics: The Louisiana Purchase, extension of slavery, and the Marshall Trilogy (Johnson v. McIntosh, 1823, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831, and Worcester v. Georgia, 1832).
Discuss: “Creation of a Bureau of Indian Affairs in the War Department, March 11, 1824” in Documents of United States Indian Policy, 37-38 and browse the cases: Johnson v. McIntosh, 1823, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831, and Worcester v. Georgia, 1832
Friday, May 17
**Four Views Digital Project due by 11:59pm**
Topics: Many Removals: the Indian Removal Act (1830), the Trail of Tears, and removal of Native communities from the North, the Black Hawk War (1832)
Discuss: “Inseparable Separations: Slavery and Indian Removal” with Nakia D. Parker (One-hour podcast) and Encounters at the Heart of the World, Chapters 9-10
Blog post 8 (due Sunday by Midnight): Why is it important to approach the history of removal as a period of “many removals”? Who was affected and where? Second, why should historical issues like the extension of slavery into Western territories and the removal of Native communities be seen as interdependent processes? How did the policies regarding Native Americans at federal, state, and local levels change during this period? Remember to discuss/analyze at least one source in your response.
Week Nine: Confronting Expansionist Ideologies, 1845-1851
Monday, May 20
Topics: “Manifest Destiny” and changing borders: the Annexation of Texas (1845), the Mexican Cession (1848), Oregon Territory (1846)
Discuss: Compare the following: John Gast, American Progress (1872) and Charles Hilliard (Sokaogon Chippewa), Reversing Manifest Destiny (2021), commissioned by the Indian Land Tenure Foundation.
Wednesday, May 22
Topics: The California Gold Rush, the transfer of Indian Affairs to the Dept. of Interior (1849), the Horse Creek Treaty (First Fort Laramie Treaty) of 1851
Discuss: “Transfer of Indian Affairs to the Department of the Interior, March 3, 1849” in Documents of United States Indian Policy, 79-80 and “Treaty between the United States and the Sioux … at Fort Laramie, Indian Territory (1851)” and
Friday, May 24
Bring a laptop to class! I will have three extra just in case.
Discuss: Encounters at the Heart of the World, Chapters 11-14
In-Class Activity: historical narratives, Indigenous representation, and gaming; play and compare The Oregon Trail (1988 version) and When Rivers Were Trails (2019)
Blog post 9 (due Sunday by Midnight): How did ideas about manifest destiny influence policy changes? To what extent was manifest destiny “destined” or structured? How did Indigenous people respond to US efforts to confine their communities?
OR: Write a comparative review of The Oregon Trail and When Rivers Were Trails (linked above). What information were you able to learn about each game’s creation? How does gameplay work? Are there Native characters and how are they represented? What can video games tell us about historical and cultural narratives? Please include any relevant screenshots of your gameplay to illustrate your points.
Week Ten: Native Americans and the Civil War Era: Grant’s “Peace Policy” and the End of Treaties, 1871
Monday, May 27
Topics: Native American involvement in the Civil War, the US-Dakota War (1862), and the Sand Creek Massacre (1863)
Discuss: Little Crow’s Speech (1862), “Delaware Indians Acting as Scouts” (image), “Unidentified Native American Soldier in Union Uniform” (image), and “Cherokee Confederate Indians” (image).
Wednesday, May 29
Topics: Ulysses S Grant’s “Peace Policy,” Ely Parker (Donehogawa), Indigenous diplomacy, and the end of treaty making (1871)
Discuss: Grant’s Peace Policy excerpted from his First Annual Message to Congress, Dec 6, 1869 and 1869 Annual Report from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs and “The Indians. Great Council of Chiefs with Secretary Cox…” New York Herald, June 8, 1870 (first column only)
Friday/Saturday, May 31-June 1 Reading Days
No Class Friday, May 31.
No weekly blog post; submit the Final Reflection Blog Essay by Sunday, June 2 at 11:59pm CT. See a description of the assignment on the Assignments Page.