Week 1
Analyze one piece of evidence from the excerpts in the handout to determine how the writer/speaker "sees" the world.
Week 2
Construct an annotated bibliography of 5 books/articles on ONE of the following 4 topics as it applies to early colonial U.S. history: sex, money, power, freedom. (Note: you may include only one webpage source.)
Week 3
Using the texts (movies, books, articles, documents) we have examined so far, make an argument for ONE of the four "lenses" (sex, money, power, freedom) as the most helpful in understanding early colonial history. You MUST use quotes and examples from the texts to prove your argument. Include an annotated bibliographical citation for every text you use.
Week 4
A Group Project: Using the texts we've examined this week, present and analyze one clip from each Scarlett Letter film to illustrate: 1) how historians'/filmmakers' understandings of women's behavior in the early colonial era have changed over time, and 2) explain those changes by looking at the historical period in which the films were made.
Week 5
Find (through Consort or online archives) two pieces of primary evidence about the lives of men in the period between 1660 and 1730 in the North American colonies. Analyze them in comparison to the Byrd, Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, Ketagustah documents (do these men's lives seem similar? What are their concerns? Their interests?) and decide which of the historians' (Clark [our textbook], Lockridge, Nash, D'Emilio and Freedman) interpretations are most useful to you in understanding your sources. NOTE: This assignment requires you to learn how to - or perfect your skills to - navigate library and online resources for primary evidence as well as refine your analytical skills. Please include a copy of your primary document with your written analysis.
Week 7
A Group Project: Using the texts we've examined this week, construct a power point presentation which examines historians' (including film-makers) race, class, and gender understandings of the Revolution as they have changed over time. Have they changed over time? What factors do you think caused them to change? Which interpretation(s) do you find most convincing? Be sure to use primary evidence to support your arguments.
Week 10
Why and how did women win the new title of "Republican Mothers"? Was it an attempt to placate women who felt like they were being shut out of the new republic? Was it the result of the Founding Father's true belief that "all men" could be equal if women would teach them to be virtuous? (Note: in order to answer the question you can either take a side and argue it (placation or true belief), or see it both ways, but in order to do either you have to 1) explain what Republican Motherhood was and where it came from, and 2) define and explain what the Founding Fathers meant by "virtue" and why they thought it was important to a democratic republic.)