This paper gives you the opportunity to put into practice what you have learned about ethnohistory and Native American history in this class. Your paper will be a close reading of primary documents put into historical context. For this assignment you may use any of the assigned readings/videos/lectures from all modules, and you may use anything from the course textbook “First Peoples.” However, you are not allowed to use any sources that have not been assigned or that aren’t from the “First Peoples” textbook. DO NOT USE any papers outside the book, “First Peoples,” the videos like “We Shall Remain: After the Mayflower, “We Shall Remain: Techuseh’s Vision and “We Shall Remain:Trails of Tears
Your paper should address the following question(s):
Read pages 1-5 in the introduction to the course textbook “First Peoples.” This includes the sections titled “America’s Master Narrative,” and “Indian History: A Shared Past.” How does the “master narrative” of American history that is commonly taught in schools change if we view that history from the standpoint of Native American peoples? What would be the major themes/turning points/developments in American history when viewed from the perspective of Native Americans? Be sure to explicily relate this to the “master narrative” that is discussed on pages 1-5 of the textbook introduction.
The paper should demonstrate the uses of these sources by analyzing them and placing them into the historical context you have discovered through the secondary readings. You may of course draw on information you’ve gleaned from lecture, textbook, and required essays/videos. This paper should be told in your voice, meaning that you should limit the amount of direct quotes (paraphrase whenever possible!) If you summarize your entire textbook or other secondary sources while minimally developing your overall analysis and argument, you will not have met the requirements for this assignment. Also—be sure that you make use of the primary documents taken from the end of every chapter, but realize that we have studied how and why some documents can be problematic. When using the primary documents, be sure to incorporate the documents into your overall argument; don’t just summarize the document summaries and introductions…use the ideas and words of the people you are studying to support an argument (thesis) that you develop throughout your paper.
Be sure to begin your paper with a thesis statement. Use specific examples as evidence for your points, and avoid unsupported generalizations. You are writing a piece of history.
The paper should be approximately 4-5 pages long, typed and double spaced w/ 1” margins on all sides and using 12 point times new roman font.
All quotes and ideas taken from the documents or other readings must be cited using parenthetical citations. If you are citing the digital sources such as videos, simply use a short description of the video being cited and be sure to include the time stamp. Example: (We Shall Remain, Techumseh, 45:36). For the textbook or other articles use the author’s last name and the section cited. Example: (Calloway, 135).
Plagiarism (representing the ideas of another as your own) is unacceptable and will result in a grade of 0 on this assignment. Also, you are allowed to use ONLY the assigned materials from this class (including the text, other assigned articles, and lectures/videos. If you use any other sources (including unassigned texts/articles or web sources) you will receive no credit for the paper.
This paper should be cumulative in nature, meaning that you should think about American history from beginnings to the present, and include appropriate examples to support your argument. Keep the following requirements in mind:
You should include a discussion of examples from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries (at least one per century).
Your paper should incorporate at least five of the primary documents found at the end of the textbook chapters.
Though the paper is cumulative, of course you cannot write a total revision of American history in just 4 or 5 pages. Therefore, your thesis statement needs to be clear and concise about your argument and the evidence that supports your argument. The rest of the paper is your development of that specific argument.
