History Commons^™

Voices Of Resiliency And Persistence: Native Americans In Southern New England In The Seventeenth Century, Debra Taylor

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

During the early seventeenth century, the Algonquian Indians of Southern New England demonstrated courage and resilience as their societies survived a "massive depopulation" from diseases introduced through European colonization (See Fig. 1). It is a credit to the strength of their core values that Native Americans successfully combined remaining clan members and reconstructed stable communities. However, these communities became threatened as increased numbers of English colonists arrived believing that the devastation of Indian numbers was the divine hand of God paving the way for colonial settlement and supremacy. As contact increased between two vastly different worlds, colonists minimized Indians and …

Review Of The Book Denial Of Genocides In The Twenty-First Century, John A. Drobnicki

Publications and Research

Review of the book Denial of Genocides in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Bedross Der Matossian.

Decolonizing Memory: Erasure And Resurgence Of Indigenous History In The Intermountain West, Chase Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Decolonizing language, memory, and history is an important step in confronting dominant historical narratives in higher education and the general public. This paper focuses on the settlement of the US Intermountain West – where the violent roots of white settlement have been downplayed in the public historical consciousness through the dominant narrative of "pioneer heritage." Beginning with a study of Ogden, Utah, early histories of the area are reexamined, analyzing the contexts in which Native peoples are mentioned (or not) in order to understand their presence by the turn of the twentieth century. Next, my focus moves on to analysis …

Haunted In Desolation: The Murder Of Captain John Gunnison, Reconsidered, Todd Shallat

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Deserts confuse, fogging memory and electrifying the imagination. In 1853, on Utah’s Sevier River, a ritualized killing spawned a folklore of deserts that lives on to this day. Captain John W. Gunnison, an engineer, had detoured into an ambush. Dismembered, decapitated, his heart torn from his chest, he had died, it was said, by order of the Mormon prophet and Utah’s Latter-day Saints. Fabulized over the decades, the tale was contorted with an evil king in a desert kingdom, with ghoulish assassins and restless corpses undead. Folklore saw what historians have been slow to perceive about hauntings in desolation. Memories …

Piratical Transportation: Highlighting Silences In Carolina’S Enslavement And Exportation Of Native Americans, Jordan Stenger

Theses and Dissertations

When Carolina colony was established, its early financial success was inherently bound to its enslavement and exportation of countless Indigenous people in the colonial pursuit of Native land, wealth, and enslaved labor. However, given the Indian slave trade was largely illegal in Carolina, how did colonists export Indigenous people? This study seeks to expand the land-locked historiography and explore how enslaved Indigenous people appear in the historical record across the Atlantic world. Utilizing term proximity as a methodological approach in reading historical records, and privileging Carolina’s black-market trade with pirates, I propose that the trade with pirates also included enslaved …

On The Frontier Of American Cultures: Catholic Missionaries Among Native Americans And The Emergence Of Catholic American Culture, Anthony Falbo

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Climate In Crisis: Art And Activism At The Brooklyn Museum, Nancy B. Rosoff

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This paper explores the Brooklyn Museum’s activism-centered museum practice as exemplified by the exhibition Climate in Crisis: Environmental Change in the Indigenous Americas. The exhibition presents the collections of Indigenous art from North, Central, and South America through the lens of climate change and its impact on the survival of Indigenous people. The main thesis is that the current climate emergency is part of a longer history of environmental colonialism that began five hundred years ago. For millennia, Indigenous communities throughout the Americas have maintained profound and expansive relationships with the natural world. However, beginning in the 1500s, Europe’s …

Lost Memories, Lost Colonies, Emma C. Smith

Honors Theses

The Roanoke Colony was the first English colony in America. The colonists were abandonded by the Governor shortly after the colony was established. In public memory, the fate of the colony is highly debated and has since become an American founding myth. As a result of the contested fate, the story of Roanoke has since become a blank slate upon which other legends can evolve. These legends become a window for historians into the insecurities of those who created them. This paper discusses why the English wanted to establish a colony, the popularization of Pocahontas, the history of marriages between …

In Penn’S Woods: Intersections Between The Moravians, Indigenous Americans, And Nature, 1741-1760, Jane J. Chang

Masters Theses

The Moravian presence among Native American communities during the early colonial period (1741-1760) provides a valuable glimpse into the intermingling of European and indigenous cultures along with an environmental epistemology. Cross-cultural and knowledge exchanges were not uni-directional by any means. Moravians negotiated with indigenous Americans and their natural landscapes to construct syncretic space not only in their missionary efforts, but also the establishment of settlements. Integral in this shared space was the role of Moravian women, who played a crucial role in fostering intimate bonds with their indigenous Sisters. In this study, I examine Moravian hymns, architectural plans, and diaries …

Umaine Office For Diversity And Inclusion_ Happy Valentines And Self-Care! Email, Anila Karunakar, University Of Maine University Of Maine Office For Diversity And Inclusion, Sonja K. Birthisel

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Email from the UMaine Office for Diversity and Inclusion with various details of the Office's work, Black History Month events, and featuring a letter from Dr. Sonja K. Birthisel Director of the Wilson Center regarding the Wabanaki peoples of Maine.

In The Middle Of Appalachia: Balancing Teacher Talk With Student Discourse, Ronald V. Morris, Denise Shockley, Sonya Davis

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Appalachian students co-constructed knowledge with their teacher while examining a non-fiction book about Thanksgiving. Fifth grade students used an informational trade book to promote student discourse while using text-based evidence. Students learned about Native Americans and Pilgrims as they engaged in student discourse balanced with teacher talk. Students used an inquiry arc that involved questioning texts and examining sources, and inquiry helped students to investigate narrative text as a source of data. Students used inquiry to enhance their metacognition about historical events. Students exercised agency as they recounted family history and their heritage as part of their memory. Remembering was …

Letter, 9 November 1757, Written From London By The British Board Of Trade To South Carolina Governor William Henry Lyttelton (1724–1808), South Caroliniana Library

The South Caroliniana Library Report of Acquisitions

No abstract provided.

Umaine Office For Diversity And Inclusion_The Power Of A Story Email, University Of Maine Office For Diversity And Inclusion

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Email from the UMaine Office for Diversity and Inclusion with various details of the Office's work and specific events related to Native American Heritage Month.

Fur Trade In Minnesota: The Rise And Fall Of Ojibwe Power, Soraya Keiser

Library Research Prize Student Works

Before any Europeans came to the shores of North America, Native Americans inhabited these lands. They fished the waters, harvested the earth, and hunted the game. Within the large continent, the Great Lakes region was especially abundant, and the Ojibwe tribe lived off the land surrounding Lake Superior and much of northern Minnesota, stretching into present-day Canada (Warren 126). The Ojibwe traded with other tribes “along the waterways of present-day Minnesota and across the Great Lakes for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in the mid-1600s” (“The Fur Trade''). However, with the introduction of European settlers, trade only increased. Ojibwe …

Umaine Office For Diversity And Inclusion_Doing The Work This Native American Heritage Monthemail, University Of Maine Office For Diversity And Inclusion

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Email from the UMaine Office for Diversity and Inclusion with various details of the Office's work and events related to Native American Heritage Month.

Umaine Office For Diversity And Inclusion_Reflecting On Indigenous Peoples Day Email, University Of Maine Office For Diversity And Inclusion

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Email from the UMaine Office for Diversity and Inclusion with various details of the Office's work and reflecting on Indigenous Peoples Day

The Historical Role Of Leviticus 25 In Naturalizing Anti-Black Racism, James Watts

Religion - All Scholarship

Leviticus 25:39–46 describes a two-tier model of slavery that distinguishes Israelites from foreign slaves. It requires that Israelites be indentured only temporarily while foreigners can be enslaved as chattel (permanent property). This model resembles the distinction between White indentured slaves and Black chattel slaves in the American colonies. However, the biblical influence on these early modern practices has been obscured by the rarity of citations of Lev. 25:39–46 in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources about slavery. This article reviews the history of slavery from ancient Middle Eastern antiquity through the seventeenth century to show the unique degree to which early modern …

Fools’ Gold: Racism, Social Mobility, And Native Americans During The Gold Rush, Natasha Stange

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

By the mid-1850s, more than 300,000 individuals had migrated to California, as the discovery of gold tempted many to abandon their poor working and living conditions for the chance to “strike it rich” out west. Often considered the dawn of a new era with boundless opportunities and riches for anyone, the rapid, widespread transcontinental migration spurred by the Gold Rush replicated and exacerbated pre-existing societal issues—namely racism, mistreatment of Indians, and unequal economic opportunity—in the United States. Racism, maltreatment of Native Americans, and unequal economic opportunity are all problems that have plagued American society from its inception. By failing to …

The Reliability Of The Physical Evidence At The Battle Of The Little Big Horn: Can The Physical Evidence Found Provide An Accurate Picture?, Albert Winkler Dr.

Faculty Publications

Often, artifacts, most importantly bullets and spent shell casings, found at the location of the Battle of the Little Big Horn have been used independently of other sources to make or refute certain theories on the encounter. Books and articles based on these finds have advanced many arguments on troop dispositions, types of weapons employed, army movements, the locations of the fighting, and the duration and intensity of combat. Yet many of these studies have not adequately addressed the question of the validity of this physical evidence. The purpose of the this article is to summarize earlier arguments on the …

Interpretresses: Native American Women Translators In Colonial America, Faith Clarkson

Undergraduate Research Awards

Underlying all the disputes and treaties between native Americans and Europeans was the need for an understanding of what the groups were saying to each other. Translation was the common denominator throughout the numerous interactions between native tribes in America and colonists coming over from Europe. In colonial America, translators were crucial to establishing relationships between native Americans and the Europeans that came to North America to create colonies. These interpreters operated in the in-between of two different cultures and they needed to be knowledgeable enough about both of them to correctly convey meaning to either side. It was also …

Pueblo Sovereignty And Voting Rights: Miguel Trujillo And A New Tactic For Self-Determination, Alexander Douglas Bright

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the 1948 Trujillo v. Garley case and contextualizes it with the long history of Pueblo sovereignty in New Mexico. Recent literature on Indigenous electorates in the U.S. southwest has led to new understandings about Pueblo participation in elections. Given this new context, this thesis argues that the Trujillo v. Garley decision has been a misunderstood moment of Indian activism. Rather than marking the end of a long campaign for voting rights, the 1948 court decision was pushed by non-Pueblo advocates and only supported by a handful of Pueblo Indians. When Pueblo Indians, like Miguel Trujillo, began to …

The Civil War In Indian Territory, 1861-1865, Zachery Cowsert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation explores the American Civil War in Indian Territory, with a particular focus on the experiences of the Five Tribes—Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. Throughout the dissertation, I offer three overarching arguments. First, the Civil War in Indian Territory was truly an Indian civil war, shaped by Native American politics and culture. Second, the Civil War constituted a forgotten but immensely destructive moment in Native history, the second great trauma endured by the Five Tribes in the 19^th century following westward removal. Third, the Civil War marked the violent crescendo of older Southeastern issues of removal and …

The Saintly Indian: American Catholic Identity In The Indian Sentinel, 1902-1922, Abigail Clare Joranger

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how Catholics writing about Native Americans in the early twentieth century used the popular and political discourse surrounding Native Americans to Americanize the image of American Catholics. It also examines the ambiguity that many Catholic authors displayed towards becoming full participants in American culture, and how that ambiguity was expressed through these writings even while the authors expressed their wish to be accepted as American citizens. The pieces analyzed in this study consist of articles from The Indian Sentinel, a magazine published by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions for the purpose of raising funds for Catholic …

Horses, Culture, And Trade: The Impact Of The Horse On Southeastern Native Nations, 1650-1830, Jacob Featherling

Master's Theses

A small portion of the regional literature details the impact of horses on Southeastern Native nations and focuses on a few of the larger groups, particularly the Choctaw, from the mid-eighteenth to the nineteenth century. This thesis intends to increase the scope to analyze the entire Southeastern region, as well as multiple Native nations in the area. The thesis argues that Southeastern Natives slowly adopted horses into their economies and cultures over a longer period of time than previously believed, allowing them to increase their use of horses easily to meet market demands. Instead of southeastern nations rapidly adapting their …

Umaine News Bilingual Signage — English And Penobscot — Now At Umaine, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing & Communications

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of the UMaine News webpage featuring a story regarding the fact that new University of Maine building and road signage on campus was now bilingual, English and Penobscot.

Lesson Plan, History, 7th Grade, Sylvia Garza

Summer Institute June 2019

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): 7.1A, 7.2A, 7.8A, 7.9A, 7.19A, (7.13A)?, 7.21A

Lesson objective(s): The student is expected to: 1. Geography: identify ways in which Texans have adapted and modified the environment 2. Culture: Describe how people from various ethnic groups maintain their cultural heritage 3. Gulf Native Texans: Identify the major era of Texas history.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs: -Using maps and the attending of the Sal del Rey can be used to make connections with local events -The use of salt rock and stories of the Silk Route to make connections with how important …

Herbert Hoover And The Problem Of American Indians, Mary Levine

Across the Bridge: The Merrimack Undergraduate Research Journal

In the 1930s, federal American Indian policy shifted dramatically away from seeking to end all tribes and break up reservation lands. The shift towards re-recognizing American Indian Native nations as enduring political entities is often characterized as beginning under President Roosevelt and with the guidance of John Collier. In fact, it was Roosevelt's predecessor, Herbert Hoover, who gave attention to and laid the foundation for this profound shift in federal Indian policy. This paper presents the historical evidence of Hoover's deeply held interest in American Indian affairs and the consequences of this interest. Hoover began his term as president with …

Looking Through The Grille : An Analysis Of Ursuline Religious Agency In An Early French Colonial Context., Molly If Laporte

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on the agency of the Ursulines in French New Orleans from 1727 to 1732. It analyzes the letters of Marie Hachard and several other documents from the Ursuline archives and places them within the context of French colonial New Orleans. The Ursulines’ establishment in Louisiana and their missionary efforts were situated in a larger colonial context of violent conflict between the French and the native populations, the colonists’ endless struggles to develop an economy and secure funds to survive, and the slow evolution of official systems of power. The Ursulines’ decisions to leave their homes for the …

Creating An Indigenous Multicultural Faith: The Russian Orthodox Mission In Alaska And The Centrality Of Cosmology, Niklaus Von Houck

History Undergraduate Theses

This paper applies letters, journals, history interviews, government-company contracts, international treaties, theological works, and images to examine the convergence of Russian Orthodox Christianity and Alaskan Indigenous shamanism cultures to explicate the harmonizing of an Indigenous multicultural Christian faith in nineteenth-century Russian Alaska. Central to this examination is the evaluation of effects of Orthodox Christian missiology on native Alaskans and the Indigenous religio-cultural response to Russian missionaries. Not merely a historical overview of contact between natives and missionaries in Russian Alaska, this paper harmonizes the commonality of cosmology between native Alaskan shamanism and Orthodox Christianity. It analyzes the impacts of comparatively …

“The Educated Indian:” Native Perspectives On Knowledge And Resistance In The Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries, Madison Michelle Kahn

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.