due date: within 24 hrs

Instructions:

Select ONE of the following primary sources from First Peoples, Chapter 2: The Invasions of America to analyze:

• Chrestien LeClerq, A Mi’kmaq Questions French “Civilization (1677)
• John Easton, Metacomet Explains the Causes of “King Philip’s War” (1675)
• Declaration of Indian Juan (1681)

Question: 

One of the challenges of studying Native American history in the colonial period is the lack of sources written by Indians. As a result, historians must develop the skill to reconstruct Indian history from non-Indian sources. Your task is to critically analyze one of the primary sources above to judge the overall reliability of the source and its authenticity as an Indian voice. Your paper must address the following question: Given who wrote the document, is it accurate to suggest that the source provides a native perspective?

Citations: Please use parenthetical citations, e.g.,  (Calloway, 79). 

Additional research is positively discouraged. The purpose of this assignment is for you to practice interpreting primary source documents. First Peoples provides all of the background context you need.

Length: Approximately 2 pages, typed and double-spaced, 11-12 pt font, 1 inch margins.

Grading Criteria:  based on the quality of your reading (as evidenced by the argument & evidence and quotes you use) and your writing.  A successful paper states the argument in the introduction and supports it with effective use of evidence by ensuring that specific examples and quotations work to prove the argument the paper is trying to make. A good argument will make a specific claim in response to the question. Short quotations are more effective than quoting complete sentences. Block quotes are not permitted (more than three lines)

 Please read:

– Nicholas Mason, “The Sovereign People Are in a Beastly State: The Beer Act of 1830 and Victorian Discourse on Working-Class Drunkenness,” Victorian Literature and Culture, Vol. 29, No. 1 (2001), pp. 109-127, available in the Readings Folder in Course Reserves.

   And discuss: Begin by selecting one of the poems or images in Mason’s essay and A) discuss how it fits into his history of the Beer Acts.  and B) Discuss what this tells us about industrialization.