First Nations' Heritage Day

 As we roll back into our rhythm this week it is worth our time to reflect upon the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. Especially since the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620 overlaps with our current readings. The day after Thanksgiving is officially designated as Native American Heritage Day, though few Americans are aware of this fact. Looking at how the millions of First Nations' people in the United States today view this portion of our story is vital.

Last week we read the first hand account of William Bradford (1620) as he recounted the arrival of his community in Plymouth. We also saw an animated depiction based upon Bradford's writings. We of course make an error as young historians if we assume that any primary source document is ever the whole story. 

Below is a link to a speech that Wamsutta James, a Wampanoag, was banned from delivering at a Plymouth Thanksgiving commemoration in 1970. Hearing his voice as a descendant of the people the Pilgrims encountered and contrasting it with that of Bradford's voice is a minimum requirement of  any historian.

Like Bradford's account, Wamsutta's words are from his perspective.

Read the article at this link and then comment below. 

TASK: Share why you believe that this speech was banned by the organizers of the event. Offer a brief quote to support your argument. (as is our practice reply to two others.)

Note: We are not sharing whether we agree with Bradford or Wamsutta. We are only guessing why it was that his speech was banned.

Pilgrims Promise

 The document written by the Pilgrim leader William Bradford that we read and the animated video that we watched offer an introduction to the very small group of migrants that in 1620 built one of the few lasting English American settlements, Plymouth Plantation.

Below, share a detail that you learned from the video and/or document that was previously unknown to you. There will be something : )

Reasons for the English Migrating to the Americas

 Richard Hakluyt appealed to Queen Elizabeth I (the 1st) to begin financing more exploration and even an immediate English migration to the Americas. The English had not really explored earlier as they were torn by a religious schism for decades. When Queen Elizabeth I consolidated her kingdom with a new Church of England, she created a United Kingdom. Now Great Britain was finally in a position to consider overseas settlements.

Read over the reasons offered by Richard Hakluyt attached in the link. Then choose one reason that you believe was probably going to be the most persuasive of them all and offer a brief complete response as a comment as to why you chose that reason. 

There is no correct response, we just need to substantiate our responses with evidence from our Chapter One readings. As is our pattern, reply to two others and offer feedback to those classmates.

Question: Which of Richard Hakluyt's reasons to begin English expansion appears to be the most persuasive in getting England to want to support exploration and colonization of the Americas?

Note: Our textbook will refer to Great Britain as England and as the United Kingdom. They are the same nation, kinda.

Listening...

 

• Today we are not discussing or debating... we are listening.
• Take a moment to type in three adjectives that describe how you feel right now.
• No replies, no responses and no explanations. Just three words.

Election Day 2020, A Look at Policies

 "I could think of no worse example for nations abroad, who for the first time were trying to put free electoral procedures into effect, than that of the United States wrangling over the results of our presidential election, and even suggesting that the presidency itself could be stolen by thievery at the ballot box."

- Richard M. Nixon, following his close loss in the election of 1960.

    In 1801, Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as our republic's third President. The world watched as his predecessor, John Adams, a man arguably as responsible for the nation's founding as any one else, peacefully handed over his position power following a remarkably contentious election. A precedent was set that day in our republic that the preservation of the system that these men had designed would be prioritized over their own interests and ambition.

    Whether it was Nixon's quick concession in 1960, despite election irregularities, or Al Gore's concession in 2000, our elections have been set a part in the planet's history with our priority on preserving our less than perfect system. Our course this year is the study of where this system originated and why the people of our republic have such a deep faith in it. We may come to agree with this faith or we may come away wishing to challenge our two hundred year old system.

    We will also learn this year that our system is frequently administered in significantly different ways depending on who is our President. 

    Leaving alone personalities and behaviors of the men currently running for president, that could be a entire month of blogger posts 😉, I am curious to hear about your thoughts about policy.

    Only focusing on policy, please share one policy that you hope that the person who is our President in 2021 will act upon. You will identify a policy and briefly, only a few sentences, share why you wish to see a President commit to that policy. Here is a list of policies to pick from if you are unsure of what to choose, LIST. 

    There is not a need to share who we may support, only the policies we wish to see enacted and why that policy matters to you. Frequently, we agree way more on policies than do we agree on the candidates.

    As is our practice, please reply to at least two classmates. 

• The words "agree" or "disagree" are insufficient and easily misunderstood. 
• Use this task as an opportunity to ask clarifying questions of one another or share what you may know about that policy. 
• This unusual restriction that I am placing on this blogger post will keep this page as an open forum of exchange.

Western Europeans Question Christianity in the 1500s

      After the collapse of the western Roman Empire in the 400s, most of the conquered European peoples retained the version of the Middle Eastern religion, Christianity, that the Romans had imposed upon them. They called it Roman Catholicism. Following the Renaissance and with the printing press making religious books more accessible, a questioning and protest of this 1500 year old version of the religion began throughout parts of Western Europe. This protest is known as the Protestant Reformation.

    We have read about reformers like Martin Luther & John Calvin who challenged the Roman Catholic version of Christianity. Look over your readings and answer the following question in the "comments" section. As is our practice, reply to two of your classmates with a statement or a clarifying question.

Does Martin Luther or John Calvin have a more significant impact?

• Use Key terms from our readings to both briefly describe and then defend your response.
• All responses are valid as long as we support our response with evidence from the readings.
• Look back at our "Rules" for answering questions completely from our classwork on 9/21.