American Social History

We start a new unit on the social history of American women. And remember to try to get your digital project done and turned in to me this week.

20. Mon 3/9 – The “Pocahontas Problem”
Reading topics: Powhatan Indians, Jamestown and Roanoke colonies, Pocahontas – if you don’t know anything about these try the Digital History textbook for starters, or if you want/need more: “Colonial Landscapes: America Found and Lost” by Charles C. Mann, National Geographic May 2007 (National Geographic link takes you to a nice flash player online exhibit, “Jamestown Interactive.”)

21. Wed 3/11 – Discussion Day about Pocahontas
Reading: Helen Rountree, “Powhatan Indian Women: The People John Smith Barely Saw” [pdf] and a short packet of primary source documents about Pocahontas [pdf] – PRINT and BRING the packet with you, or bring your laptop to access it in class.

Questions:
Legends and reality surrounding this singular historical woman. Who was she?
What do we actually know about her?
Why has she become SUCH a repository for multiple meanings?
In what ways does she or does she not represent other native American women of her time and place?

23. Fri 3/13 – Presentation Day #3
Since I have so many presenters signed up this week (Cross, Jolly, Steeves, Favreau, Desouza), touch base with me by Wednesday about what you’re doing just so I can make sure there’s no overlap.

Some places you might go:

• Discuss a popular culture version of Pocahontas, assessing it in light of what we know/don’t know to be true about her.

• Tell us about another native American woman, using reliable scholarly sources for your biographical sketch (i.e. not Wikipedia). Books/resources I can lend – I need to know on Monday if you want any of these:
  Theda Perdue, Sifters: Native American Women’s Lives
  Ruth Barnes Moynihan, Second to None: A Documentary History of American Women to 1865

• Explore & discuss a few items from the collection of the National Museum of the American Indian. What can we learn about native American women from these objects?

• Read the boarding school memoir of Zitkala Sa/ Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, and share your insights about her experience as a native American woman in the early 20th century.

• Discuss images/portrayals of native American women from late 19th century dime novels in the Stanford University dime novel collection. (“Search” tab –> Native American ethnicity and/or Women). What themes emerge from your analysis? What do these fantasy portrayals tell us, if anything, about real Indian women?

• Read and report on Kateri Tekakwitha, the first native American woman to be canonized as a Catholic saint (the link takes you to an article; you may need to supplement with research of your own).

• Research two or three founding myths from Indian nations which involve women as central characters. How might these be used by a social historian?

Week Nine: Spring Break March 16-20 – Enjoy!