CONCLUSION PARAGRAH

All in all, the Ghost dance was given many interpretations some good and some bad. While to one group of people the Ghost dance was seen as a last ray of hope in dark times and to another group it was a sign of war that needed to be taken care of. However, in reality the Ghost Dance was nothing more than a strong religious belief that should have brought peaceful times. Despite what took places during the dancing ceremony the main belief of the religion was to not fight and be peaceful until the return of the Messiah.

 

OUTLINE

Thesis Statement:

            Even though American’s interpreted the Ghost Dance to be a threat, it was a religion to the Indians and one they strongly believed in. 
 

Outline:

I.                   Introduction

II.                 Origin of Ghost Dance

III.              Ceremony

IV.             American’s Perspective

V.                Indians Perspective

VI.             Conclusion

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brown, Dee.  BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE.  New York:  Henry Holt and Company, 1970.

Jensen, Richard E., R. Eli Paul, and John E. Carter.  Eyewitness at Wounded Knee.  United States of America:  University of Nebraska Press,  1992.

Mooney, James. “The ghost-dance religion and the Sioux outbreak of 1890.”  Washington:  Government Printing Office,  1896.  http://books.google.com/books?id=0wUWAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=james+mooney&hl=en&sa=X&ei=SC2cUa3EF8fW0QHYyoDYDA&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=james%20mooney&f=false.

Parker, Mrs. Z. A. “The Ghost Dance Among the Lakota.” PBS The New Perspectives on the West.  Last modified 2001 and accessed 10 May, 2013.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/eight/gddescrp.htm.

Pratt, Scott L. “Wounded Knee and the Prospect of Pluralism.”Journal of Speculative Philosophy 19,  no.2: 150-166.

Warren, Louis S. “Wounded Knee and the Ghost Dance: Christian Prayer, American Politics, and Indian Protest.”  Reviews in American History 39,  no. 4   (2011):  665-672.  doi:  10.1353/rah.2011.0135.

THE WINNER!

 

  

The topic I decided to write my research paper on is the Wounded Knee Massacre. My new research question is “What caused Wounded Knee?” My sentence description is “I would be writing about the role of Americans and Native Americans in Wounded Knee during the late 1800’s-1900."

          I choose this topic because I did not know much about it. After researching, I found it very interesting. It was interesting that not many people actually know why this massacre started in the first place. There are speculations and theories about how it started but no definite answer. Also I choose this topic because it had a great impact on Native Americans. I want people to know about this important event in history and how influential it was.

          As stated earlier I knew very little about this topic before I started my research. The only information I knew about Wounded Knee was what I had heard in my American History class. I knew that Wounded Knee involved Americans and Native Americans and that it was the last Indian removal. Also that over 200 Indians were massacred and that this event greatly influenced Native Americans. I do not believe that I am heavily influenced about what I already knew because I only learned this information a couple days before I started researching. So it was almost like the information I learned in class was confirming what I found through my research. I think diminishing any bias that I have against my topic from previous information will be a challenge because it involves Americans and Native Americans. Just hearing those two names together and I already start thinking that the Americans once again did something terrible to Native Americans. Also the history between those two ethnicities has never been that good. However, I do plan on attempting to see the American’s point of view during this event. Also I plan on talking about both sides in my paper. This will add a more natural tone to it.  

RESEARCH

While researching Women in World War 2 I found a good amount of information. Surprisingly, I did not find very many books about this topic. I don’t know if I was just looking incorrectly but I was unable to find any. Fortunately, I found academic journals and websites that provide me with adequate information. I found 5 academic journals and 3 websites (.edu). Each of these sources talk about what women did during World War 2 such as factory work and farm work and how the war affected women’s role in society.  After reading my sources I concluded that I would be able to use all of my academic journals for my paper because they all talk about what women did during World War 2. Even though each of them tend to overlap in information I believe that they each give different perspectives while focusing on certain aspects of women’s jobs. As for my websites I think I will only be able to use 2 of them. One of the websites does not give new information. One of the websites talks about what influenced women to start working and what men thought about women working. I found two primary sources. One was a diary about two women working in a factory during World War 2 and the other one was a museum website of World War 2. I believe that my sources respond to my questions about whether women played an important role and how that role changed. The only tweaking my questions need is more focus. My questions were originally broad because it just asked about all women but after researching I would narrow that focus to average women staying at home. My new sentence description is, Iwill be writing about the changing role of average women in America during World War 2.

Next I researched the Wounded Knee Massacre. I was able to find a large amount of information about this topic. While there was a large amount of information some of it did overlap. I found 5 academic journals, 4 books, and 7 website (.edu/.com/.org).  These sources talk about what happened during the Wounded Knee Massacre. There are different interpretations about how the actual massacre occurred. Some people believe that it started because one of the Indians did not surrender their gun or a medicine man was performing the ghost dance. Either way most of my sources talked about how the massacre was unjustifiable and it was unnecessary to kill the women and children. Also I was able to find a couple primary sources. They include letters, eye witness accounts, and, interviews from both sides. The books I found give a more detailed account of events that lead up to the massacre and the aftermath. Out of my 5 academic journals I would use 3 of them. The there two overlap in information and gave a perspective that I was not interested in. Out of my 4 books I would use two of them, “The Winter of 1890” by Dan Huls and “The Road to Wounded Knee” by Robert Burnette because they tell me in the most detail about the events that took place and what events took place that lead to the massacre occurring. From my websites I would use only 3 out of the 7 and one of those is my primary source. The other website did not tell me anything new. I found the same information in my academic journals and books. I believe that my sources answered my questions. They told me what happened, why and the effects. After researching my sentence description needs to be tweaked. My new sentence description is, I will be writing about the role of what caused the Wounded Knee Massacre to occur in America during the late 1800-1900’s.

        Finally, my last topic to research was the 13^th Amendment. Again I was about to find a good amount of information. I found two books, 6 academic journals, and 2 websites (.com/.gov). These sources told about what the 13^th Amendment was, how it was created, and how Lincoln got it approved. My primary source includes two websites. One website tells about the creation of the 13^th Amendment in detail and the other website is a newspaper article from that time period about the 13^th Amendment being ratified.  I believe that my sources answered most of my questions, especially the questions about the creation of the 13^th Amendment. I would use 3 of my academic journals, all my websites and books. My questions would not really need to be tweaked just cut down. My sentence description needs to be tweaked in a more narrow focus. My new sentence description is, I will be writing about the struggles to ratify the 13^th Amendment during the Civil War.

 

 

TOPIC IDEAS

·         Women in WW2

o   How did the average women’s life change during WW2?

o   I am writing about the role of women changing in America during World War 2

 

 

·         Wounded Knee Massacre

o   What happened during the Wounded Knee Massacre? Why?

o   What were the effects of this massacre?

o   I am writing about the role of Wounded Knee Massacre in America during the late 1800’s.

 

·         Abraham and the 13^th Amendment

o   How did Lincoln convince the Northern soldiers and people to lay aside their personal interests and make sacrifices to free slaves?

o   I am writing about the role of Abraham Lincoln in the signing of the 13^th Amendment during the civil war.

 

INTERPRETATION OF THE BURNING OF WASHINGTON, DC

After reading my primary source my interpretation is that the primary source gives us information from a British perspective of the burning of Washington, DC.  It tells us a little about how the British were feeling during this event, and what buildings they burned. The most important historical information given to us is the information about the capitol building, and the surrounding buildings related to government, being burned. Moreover, I believe that my primary source is creditable because of the information similar information found in my secondary source.

My thesis agrees with the secondary source, because the information found in it backs up the information found in my primary source. They both state that the same buildings were burned. The British burned the capitol building and several other surrounding buildings relating to government. Furthermore, the secondary source proves that I was right about the creditability of the primary source. One of my secondary sources, a book titled, “The Dawn’s Early Light” by Walter Lord, mentions that the British soldiers offered parley to the Americans but no one answered, and shortly afterward they were ambushed from a house. Therefore, they fired at the house and burned it. Also, my primary source is a journal entry from a British soldier, thus I find it hard to believe that he would writing in his journal. Plus, he was not writing his account for anyone else but himself.

Evidence that I found in my secondary source was that the information was similar to my primary source. Both sources talk about how the attack occurred in the evening on August 24, 1814. It was mentioned that the city was pretty much deserted and that most of the people including the president’s wife had fled before troops arrived.  Both sources describe how they found food spread out on the table at the president’s house and that the soldiers ate the meal before burning the house. They also set fire to the Capitol, the Senate House, the Treasury building, the War Department building, Navy building, and other buildings. Additionally, I believe that my thesis is correct, because both sources mainly talk about how the British burned the capitol building and other surrounding government buildings.

Source:

          Lord, Walter. The Dawn's Early Light. New York: Norton, 1972. Print.

          Greenblatt, Miriam. The War of 1812. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2003. Print.

INVESTIGATING THE BURNING OF WASHINGTON, DC

While reading my primary source and investigating it I started thinking of questions such as, is this soldier telling the truth about why Britain came to burn the capital of the United States, and what did the British army burn at the capital. The primary source says that a British soldier named Gleig believed that the British army was coming to the capital to negotiate a truce with America and fell into an ambush. This ambush, which the British found unjustifiable, was the reason that they burned the capital. This was interesting because after reading other accounts of the burning of the capital, I found that most people believed that Britain planed to burn the capital all along in order to destroy America’s fighting spirit, insuring Britain’s victory. Additionally, there are not many accounts of what was actually burned during the British attack. I would like to find out what parts of the capital was burned.

My prior knowledge of this topic is very little when it comes to the war of 1812. I actually choose this topic in order to learn more about it. I did know that the war of 1812 was started because Britain kept interfering with America even after America gained independence from Britain. Also, I knew that the capital of the United States was targeted and burned but I did not know the details of this event. It is interesting that not very many people knew about the war of 1812 or the battles that took place during this war.

The secondary source that I found gives the date that the attack took place and the time of day that the attack occurred. On August 24, 1814 the British started to attack the Bladensburg Bridge that made a path to the capital. The attack began at 1:30 pm and lasted till 4:00pm. After winning against America, Britain made their way to the nation’s capital at night fall. The attack on the nation’s capital lasted till 8:00pm on August 25. After this attack they headed to Baltimore. This secondary source directly relates to the primary source because the secondary source has quotes from the same soldier in the primary source. I found this very interesting when reading the secondary source that both sources would have the same British soldier telling accounts about what happened during the burning of the capital.   

Sources:      

"The British Burn Washington, DC, 1814," EyeWitness to History, eyewitnesstohistory.com (2003).  

 Greenblatt, Miriam. War of 1812. New York,NY: Facts on File, 2003. Print.

 

 

PRE-INVESTIGATION OF THE BURNING OF WASHINGTON, DC

          The war of 1812 started closely after the revolutionary war had ended. Even though a treaty was signed stating that Britain recognized the United States of America, the British continued to interfere with them. British interfered with American International trade and committed impressments on American sailors. This angered America and led to a war between Great Britain and America.  After several battles, Great Britain came up with a plan to sever Americas fighting spirit. They believed that by capturing and burning the United States capital, the Americans would lose their spirit to continue fighting and would believe that it was hopeless to win. However, this attack had the opposite effect on the Americans.

          The primary source seems to be about the events that took place during the burning of the capital. It talks about how the British came to the town, which was basically deserted, for a truce and were ambushed. Then they went to the Presidents house and saw a feast on the table and after eating the feast they set the it on fire. They also set everything else in the town that was related to the government on fire. This included the Capitol, the Senate House, gun boats, and any other weapons that were found.

          The primary source was written by a British soldier. The soldier’s motivation for writing this source was to tell people about Great Britain’s side of the story for the burning of the capital. I believe that he wanted to tell people about how America had ambushed them when they were only there for a truce. In the article “The British Burn Washington, DC, 1814”, the soldier describes the ambush as a “…conduct so unjustifiable, so direct a breach of the law of nations, roused the indignation of every individual, from the General himself down to the private soldier”. It seemed that the soldier believed it was only fair to burn the town for its unjustifiable conduct towards them. Also I believe that it was written to let people know what happened during the burning of the capitol since no one was there to witness it. From this source people know what was burned and the state the town was left in.

          The context of the primary source was during the war of 1812. The British soldier was an eye witness because he was there during the burning of the capitol. I believe that the primary source was written to prove that the British had a valid reason for burning the capital. When America found out that the capital was burned, it was a huge humiliation for them. They were angry that the British even targeted the capitol because it held no significance during the War of 1812. Additionally, it seemed senseless to burn the capitol when they could have just captured it. I think the British was seen in a bad light because of this and maybe the British soldier wanted to prove to people that the British would not burn down a town unless they had a valid reason.

Source:

          http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/washingtonsack.htm

 

THE BURNING OF WASHINGTON, DC

 

 

The primary source that I will be using, is the eyewitness account of The British burning Washington, DC, 1814.

Source:

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/washingtonsack.htm

 

COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

    In 1492 Columbus went on a voyage sponsored by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. He wanted to prove that you could reach the East Indies by sailing west. Columbus eventually landed on a tiny Caribbean Island. This voyage started what is now known as the Columbian Exchange. The book “The American Promise” defined the Columbian Exchange as “a transatlantic trade of goods, people, and ideas that has continued ever since”. The Columbian Exchange had long lasting impacts that greatly affected the culture of both the Europeans and Native Americans. Three major impacts include plants, technology, and disease. 

    When the English first came to the new world they struggled to find enough food to eat, and starvation was quickly approaching. This happened because the men that came over to the new world came without skills. According to Dr. Holden, a professor at Greenville College, “mainly rich men came over”. Fortunately the Indians brought over food, therefore, introducing them to provisions such as maize and potatoes. The colonists would trade their goods such as iron pots, steel knives, and axes. These plants grew in popularity among the colonies. The maize was popular because it was adaptable and grew quickly. In the same way, the potatoes were also important because of the fact that it “could resist cold and grow in thin soil” (Malone). It even made its way back to England. Tobacco also became widely known and demanded in England. It quickly became a cash crop in certain colonies. One plant that was introduced to the new world was sugarcane. It was difficult to grow in England, but the climate in North America made it ideal for growing. People quickly became addicted. It was “used in coffee, tea, chocolate, and rum ... making it one of the largest cash crops in history” (Malone).

          Furthermore, technology had a great impact on the Native Americans. The Europeans taught the Indians formal written language. In order to break down language and cultural barriers the “Europeans educated Natives by teaching them to read and write a European language...thus integrating culture” (Malone). One of the main motivations for educating the Native Americans was for trading purposes and to convert them to Christianity. They believed that if the Natives became Christians they would be better people and less barbaric. However, the Natives learning to write really only benefited the Europeans. Another form of technology introduced was weapons. The Indians primarily used bows and arrows when hunting but they would need more than one arrow to kill larger animals. After witnessing the power of a gun they realized that they could use that to hunt larger animals quicker. At the same time horses were introduced and provided Indians with a quicker way to chase down animals. Europeans also brought the plow to the new world which “cultivated large areas of land creating a surplus of plants for both Natives and Europeans” (Malone). Since the soil was rich, crop fields were established which brought about towns and farms. Even the Natives started to set up villages and settle down instead of constantly moving.

          Unfortunately, the Columbian Exchange also brought about negative effects. The Europeans spread deadly diseases to Native Americans.  Some of these diseases included influenza, small pox, and measles. The infectious diseases were unintentionally brought and the Native Americans mainly were infected, “due to the biological isolation and the limited intrusion of infectious diseases” (Crouthamel). These diseases killed about “80-90%” of the Native population. The deadliest disease was the small pox. The diseases spread rapidly because they were transported by air and touch. The Natives were not the only ones to be infected. The Europeans also became infected with certain diseases. However, the number of diseases that the Europeans were infected by was much smaller. They were infected by syphilis, polio, hepatitis, and Encephalitis.  The main disease that affected the Europeans was syphilis. It started out small then quickly became epidemic reaching Europe and infecting a large number of people

          Therefore, food, technology, and disease had a great impact on the culture of both the new and old world. There were not only positive impacts but also negative impacts that came from the Columbian Exchange. While the introduction of new foods helped increase population, the spread of infectious diseases also decreased population. Both negative and positive affects have impacted the European and Native Americans in ways that neither could image. 

Bibliography:

Crouthamel, Stephen J. "Columbian Exchanges." Columbian Exchanges. Palomar College, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://www2.palomar.edu/users/scrouthamel/colexc.htm.

Malone, Cory, Sarah Gray, Sean Ross, and Katie Ryan. "The Columbian Exchange." The Columbian Exchange. Gettsyburg College, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://public.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/hist106web/site19/index.html.

Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, and Susan M. Hartman. The American Promise. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print. 

BRITISH COLONIES

Over the years the number of people coming from New England and other areas to the new world increased. With the increase of population three different colonies gradually emerged. People started to come to the new world because of the stories they heard, plentiful land, and job opportunities. These colonies were known as the Northern, middle, and Southern colonies. The North colonies included New Hampshire, Massachusetts (Plymouth), Rode Island, and Connecticut. The middle colonies included Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. The Southern colonies included Carolina (SC and NC), Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland.  Even though economy and society showed that each of these colonies had many differences, they were also similar in certain aspects.

The Northern colonies had high marriage rates. Many families came to this colony which increased population and the opportunities for marriage. They had low infant mortality rate. The colonists lived in settlements or towns and created a government. They elected one governor to lead the people. Religion was the center of the colony. Some of the religions were Puritanism, Calvinism, and Quakers. Their economy consisted of farming, fish trade and timber. The fish trade brought about “shipbuilding and trained generations of fishermen, sailors, and merchants, creating a commercial network” (Roark 104) . They also did trade in livestock. All the work in the colony was done by the colonists themselves. They had no need for slaves.

          The middle colonies were the most diverse of all the colonies. They consisted of Germans, Pennsylvania Dutch, and “Scots-Irish”. Since the middle colonies were diverse they “were not as cohesive as the New England colonies because colonists in this region were not united by a single religion or code of beliefs” (The Middle Colonies). The colonist set up small farms with occasional cities here and there. Land was plentiful in Pennsylvania and there was an increased number of Quakers. The Quakers had a big influence on middle colonies. With the great diversity in the colonies, religious tolerance was practiced. No one forced anyone to practice a certain religion. Their major crop was wheat. They had a high standard of living thus allowing colonists to enjoy a wide range of imports. Instead of having slaves, people in the middle colonies had “redemptioners” (Dr.Holden). These people were like indentured servants.

          The Southern colonies had the largest population. The region was defined by slavery. The lives of the colonists were centered on farming. Their major cash crops were tobacco and sugar cane. In order to keep up with the farming they needed extra help. They began to use slaves to take care of the tobacco farms.  The people that first came to the Southern colonies were mainly men who were unskilled. In other words they were rich men who had no skills for farming. The population of women was low. A governor was selected to lead the people and the House of Burgesses was created. This was the wealthiest region. The classes were united by white supremacy. Wealthy dominated politics and the poor men were not allowed to vote.

Despite the many differences that contributed to their own identities they also had similarities. They each had rapid population growth. Their economics were based on agricultures. All three of them farmed a type of crop. They all saw a decline in religious fervor. Deism became prevalent among some elites. Deism means that God is watching but will not intervene. They all shared a British identity. Meaning that they functioned how British set them up and they united against potential enemies. Governors were common among each colony. Money came from the joint-stock company.

All in all one will notice that each of the three colonial regions had their own identity. They each came up with different ways to make their colony prosperous. The colonists that came to each colonial region also impacted how the colonies ran. Even though the land, economy, and society shaped the colonial regions in different ways they also provided similarities for each of the regions.

Bibliography:

"Comparing Settlement Patterns: New Spain, New France, New England." Comparing Settlement Patterns: New Spain, New France, New England. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. http://people.umass.edu/hist383/class notes/Comparing Settlement Patterns.htm.

"The Middle Colonies." The Middle Colonies. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. http://www.radford.edu/~rvshelton/Middle.htm.

Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, and Susan M. Hartman. The American Promise. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print. 

 

SALEM WITCH TRIALS

 

In Massachusetts there was a small town known as Salem. This town consisted of English people who were puritans. They had a great deal of faith in their religion and centered their lives on it.  According to Douglas O. Linder the author of the website “Salem Witch Trials”, this group of puritans had a “strong belief that Satan is acting in the world”.  This was supported by the diseases, natural disasters, and other negative things that occurred in the world. The Salem Witch Trials caused hysteria in a small town becuase of the actions of a few girls, mixed with religious beliefs.

Reverend Samuel Parris’s daughter Betty and her cousin Abigail would often listen to fascinating tales about voodoo and magic told by a slave named Tituba, in order to provide a distraction from stressful family situations. They decided to invite several of their friends over to listen to the forbidden tales. In 1692 the girls suddenly had strange, unexplainable symptoms come over them. They would randomly scream, mumble nonsense, contort their bodies, and have convulsions. The doctor could not explain what brought about such strange behaviors.  Therefore, the puritans turned to the supernatural for answers. The only reasonable answer to the puritans was that the girls had been bewitched.  The girls named people responsible for their bewitchment and they were three women who were misfits in the town.

This chain of events started what would become famously known as the Salem witch trials. “Most of the accused witches were older women, and virtually all of them were well known to their accusers” (Roark 108). There were some children and men that were also occasionally accused. They would be accused of sending their specter after a person and harming them such as chocking, pinching, or controlling their bodies.  Anybody could accuse someone of being a witch and that person would then be arrested and taken in for an interrogation by a magistrate and were given the chance to tell their testimony. Sometimes people would be accused of being a witch because they offended a certain person. The reverends daughter would accuse people that were against her family. After being examined by the magistrate they decided whether the accused is guilty or not, if found guilty they are placed in jail to wait for the trial. Then the trail is held by the grand jury and this is where witnesses are heard. The next trial is held by the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The verdict from this court is the deciding factor. Most of the accused were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging (Linder). However, if the people accused of being a witch confessed to being a witch then their life was spared and they were kept in jail. The court would keep them alive in order to testify against other accused people.  Additionally if the person accused was pregnant they were left alone.

The Salem witch trials ended when Governor Phips’ own wife was accused of being a witch. He replaced the current court with a superior court and ordered them to excluded spectral evidence and use only clear evidence. This decreased the number of convicted significantly. The town’s people were also starting to doubt that all the people accused were actually witches. Phips eventually released all the accused from jail.  According to the website National Geographic, “Salem’s time to kill…claimed 25 lives”. “Nineteen convicted witches were hanged, and more than 150 accused witches crammed the jails before the trials were called off…” (Roark 106).  The other 5 people died while in jail which also included an infant and one was “pressed under heavy stones until his death” because he refused to give a plea at his trial (Linder). It was later revealed that every person that was accused of being a witch was actually innocent.

All in all the Salem Witch Trials was a very tragic event that turned a town upside down. It turned friends and neighbors against one another during a time when they were most needed. Anyone could be accused of being a witch or associating with a witch and their life would be over. It’s interesting that most of the evidence that produced a final judgment was simple the words from either the people in town or witches themselves.

Bibliography:

Linder, Douglas O. "The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692." The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM.

"National Geographic: Salem Witch-Hunt--Interactive." National Geographic: Salem Witch-Hunt--Interactive. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem/.

Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, and Susan M. Hartman. The American Promise. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print.