History 120

Post 3: Comments

I commented on:

1) Andrew Carlson's Post 1
A. Carlson Post 1 Comments

2) Shadiya Hossain's Post 1
Post #1: How did it all start?

3) Joshua Thomas's Post 1
J. Thomas Post 1 Comments

For my comment posts I commented on:

1) Andrew Carlson's Post 1
POST 1: A. Carlson

2) Shaiya Hossain's Post 1
POST 1 COMMENTS

3) Joshua Thomas's Post 1
POST 1: J Thomas

Women of Edenton

       

Post #2: "A New Place for Women"

    According to the authors of Nation of Nations, “Many colonials saw the Coercive Acts as proof of a plot to enslave the colonies.” “The Society of Patriotic Women of Edenton” is an example of how the colonists rebelled against British actions. The British view of patriot activism leading up to the revolutionary war is apparent in the cartoon. The image portrays a direct opinion of and attempts to discredit the women involved in activism. The artist displays promiscuous behavior, lack of responsibility, and loss of feminine qualities to achieve this goal.

In the picture we see many activities going on at once in a busy room full of female patriots. Amidst all this activity, the artist shows some of these women engaging in compromising behavior. In the very center of the image, a buxom woman appears in close contact with a man. Looking closer, the man has one hand on the woman’s breast and his other hand no where to be seen. By showing this public display of inappropriate behavior, the artist suggests that the women are of low moral character and little inhibition.

    Among other things shown in the picture we also see a large amount of alcohol being consumed—and from rather large containers. As well, in the left foreground of the image, there is a dog urinating on some discarded canteens. The dog is also licking an unattended child playing with what looks to be a platter of cookies or cakes, spilling them on the floor in the process. By showing heavy drinking and a lack of cleanliness, the message comes across that these women seem to have lost any sense of responsibility.

On the far right of the image two women can be seen, one woman is sitting at the head of the table and is apparently the leader, while the other stands idly behind her. These two women are portrayed rather unattractively with almost manly features. This says that their involvement in activism has caused a loss of an important quality a woman in this period holds, femininity.

    These women took bold actions to protect their coveted freedoms, such as those curtailed by the Coercive Acts, and in turn their reputation in England suffered. Even though the women of Edenton were mocked by the British, their acts were admired by the colonists. The women of the Revolution from North Carolina epitomized the dissatisfaction of many Americans with the English and the need for American freedom. The unexpected and audacious behavior shown by the women of Edenton proved successful to show the British, Americans were willing to defend their independence.

      

                     

“Entry #1: European Colonization Re-Writes Native American Creation Stories”

    When Europeans first arrived in North America, they came across a number of interesting customs relating to the Native Americans. European influences, however, would transform most of North America, including many of these customs. European colonization had an immense influence on the Native Americans resulting in a significant number of changes. Among these were those of alterations to Native American creation stories. These changes include the role of women, increased similarities to the European Biblical story and a greater amount of diversity.

    As a result of the increasing European presence in North America, Native Americans were continually exposed to their practices. This is evident in the decreased emphasis on the role of women in regards to creation. In the first creation story,
“Leonard Crow Dog, Remaking the World,” there are a considerable number of references to the importance of a woman. This story discusses God with a beautiful woman, whom God loved supremely. She descended from heaven and “brought forth more than one child,” she nurtured three creatures to maturity and when the world reached a “state of perfection, the common mother rejoiced and ascended to heaven.” By 1720, however, when “Origins of Ottawa Society” came about, the role of woman seemed to shift greatly. This story refers to men creating the human race, with the divine creature also being male. When the men come upon this divine creature, he states, “ Now I will give thee a companion…thou, woman, shalt do the cooking for thy husband, make his shoes, dress the skins of animals, sew and perform all the tasks that are proper for a woman.” By 1935, the time of “The Indians of the New Netherlands…” story, there was no reference to duties of woman in creation. These modifications can be seen as a result of the effects of colonial settlements on the Native American way of life. The textbook states, “Gentlemen of the expedition expected to lead rather than work.” Another cause is the marrying of French soldiers and Indian women. Indian women became responsible for gathering plants and seeds, making baskets, cooking meals, and tending fields. Cultivating crops, building houses, making clothing, pottery, and caring for children was also now seen as strictly women’s work. Over time shared forms of living among the Europeans and Native Americans resulted in minimized differences in regards to the role of women, which can be noticed through their creation stories.

    Another change in Native American culture that can be seen through the creation stories is that of increased similarities and references to the Biblical stories of Genesis. Only minor similarities can be found in the first and second creation stories, including the presence of a man and woman and a divine being that creates a companion character for man. As time went on, more and more resemblances could be seen. By the time of the third creation story, resemblances including a major disaster, a great flood, spending time on the water and select animals to stay, the rain than calms and creation begins once again are mentioned. This strongly parallels the biblical story of Noah and the flood. These transformations of the stories can be explained by the efforts of the Europeans to turn Indian villages into Christian communities. Spanish settlers set aside planned areas in their colonies for Indians, calling them missionaries. These taught the Native Americans prayers and Christian hymns. Jesuit missionaries also had the idea to “bring the Indians the right kind of Christianity,” along with English Protestants, who contested Native American beliefs with that of their own religious beliefs. Despite the fact that Native Americans were discerning when choosing what beliefs to accept, much of the efforts of the explorers were successful. This pressure from Europeans resulted in the acceptance of certain European religious beliefs.

    As a result of European existence in the new world, the Native American culture and lifestyle steadily diversified. As time progressed the creation stories mention greater variety in many aspects of the Native American way of life. “Leonard Crow Dog, Remaking the World” strongly conveys pre-European ideas, including heavy emphasis on divinity and mysticism. Another aspect of the first creation story is that it only mentions the importance of three animals. “Origins of Ottawa Society,” on the other hand, represent numerous different animals, mention weapons and warfare, new tactics for making food and other innovative and helpful ways to advance their society. “The Indians of the New Netherlands” furthers this and also mentions the creation of various races by saying, “he used red earth and white earth and black earth and yellow earth…” Causes of these developments can be understood by noticing what was happening in and around Native American land. Not only were the natives undergoing conflicts with the colonists, but they also had rivalries between tribes. As a result, they were exposed to a large amount of violence and warfare including battles in 1622, 1644, and the Yamasee War. Despite the violence and displacement, some changes did benefit the natives. Spanish missionaries not only preached Christianity but they also taught agriculture techniques, exposing Native Americans to new cultivation practices. Other reasons for the diversity of what is mentioned in these stories can be attributed to Native American exposure to European domesticated animals, including most importantly the horse, foods and vegetation. The horse modernized the lives of many Native Americans, it served as a new mode of travel, in which they could expand their territories, exchange goods, and hunt more easily. This new method of transportation, in turn, also exposed them to people and cultures they were previously unaware of.

    Although many changes in the Native American lifestyle and beliefs of creation can be attributed to the European colonization of America, these stories continue to put together and give meaning to the lifestyle of Native Americans.

my introduction post!

    My name is Sara. I am currently a sophomore at GMU. It is my second semester here, I transferred from Christopher Newport University because I did not like it. Throughout highschool I played soccer and field hockey and spent most of my childhood doing sports as well, including many years as a gymnast.
   I am very close with my family and I enjoy spending time with them. My family consists of my mom, dad,24 year old brother,dog and cat. He is currently in his last year of law school at the University of Richmond. He wants to be a lawyer, like my dad was, who is now a Fairfax County judge. My family owns a a bayliner speedboat and big bayliner boat, which we used to take week long trips all over the area on.
    I also love my friends, they mean the world to me. We like doing anything we can laugh and have fun together with. These things include bowling, days at the boat/pool, playing sports together and visiting each other at school. I have been dating my boyfriend for almost two years now and apprectiate him very much. We met about three years ago when we worked at the same restaurant. All of these people and activities are a big part of my everyday.
    I also tend to get sick easily and go to the doctor's office frequently. I spent the end of spring semester having mono, to not only have it for the end of my summer and still have it. It is the fourth time I have had it since seventh grade. Due to this, I am getting my tonsils taken out over winter break.
     I am fortunate to have parents that are willing to support my "college experience" and in the middle of August  I moved into my own townhouse with two roommates, despite the fact that my parents live about five minutes away. This is a very exciting thing for me and each day I am learning something new being on my own.