Before class, members of the RED discussion group (last names A-H) will need to post to the course discussion board. You may find it helpful to look at the discussion board guidelines on the course website before posting.
Biographical Essays are due in class today. See the biography guidelines page for more information.
Encounters and Exchanges.
Read Guarneri, America, pp. 35-41, 50-67. While reading, develop
an informal list of the most important ways the presence of First Peoples
affected the settlement process. We will discuss in class the issue of how
settlement of North America might have differed had there not been any existing
populations. What does Guarneri mean by "ecological imperialism?"
Likewise, develop a list of the most important ways in which English settlement
differed from those of Spain and other European countries. Guarneri makes an
intriguingly plausible but also controversal set of claims about what he calls
"temperate settler societies." To what extent did climate, biology, and other
natural conditions shape the politics and culture of the societies involved? We
will discuss the issue of "environmental determinism" in class.
Before class, members of the GREEN discussion group (last names I-R) will need to post to the course discussion board. You will find it helpful to look at the discussion board guidelines on the course website before posting.
Jamestown, Boosterism, and the Origins of Slavery.
Read Guarneri, America, pp. 42-50, 75-85. What were the most important
implications of "England's Late Start?" Was this ultimately an advantage or a
disadvantage? What were the origins of slavery in North America? In what ways
were North American ideas of race and race relations different from those
elsewhere? Can we itemize ways in which cultural preconceptions shaped these
patterns? In what specific ways did economic interest shape these patterns
differently in different places?
Then examine Juhn Smith's Instructions by way of advice, for the intended Voyage to Virginia How does Smith's document reflect the experiences of two centuries of European contact with First Peoples in America? What is missing? What should he have told them, in retrospect, that he did not?
Before class, members of the BLUE discussion group (last names S-Z) will need to post to the course discussion board. You will find it helpful to look at the discussion board guidelines on the course website before posting.
Puritanism and its Legacies.
Read the Mayflower Compact of 1620 (from Yale University's Avalon
Project, Read John Winthrop's
"City on a Hill" address of 1630 (at Mt. Holyoke Univ.). Which community
was more "self-contained," and which was more "outward" in its purposes? To
what extent do the two documents share a sense of mission or purpose, and
to what extent were their visions in opposition?
Browse through the website for
Plimouth Plantation, with
particular attention to the "Features and Exhibits," "Education Programs," and
"Shop" sections. Speculate on why people go to this museum. What purposes does
this serve in our own culture?
Read this account of
The Thanksgiving
Story, directed to a popular audience. Why did it take more than fifty years
for thanksgiving to catch on in Massachusetts? and several centuries for it to
become a national holiday? Speculate on what was going on in 1676, 1789, 1863,
and 1941 that would cause the holiday to be expanded or redefined?
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Note: The instructor reserves the right to change any provisions, due dates, grading percentages, or any other items without prior notice. All assignments on this schedule are covered under the university's policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. See the syllabus statement for further details. This page was last updated on 9/10/2007.