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Smallpox in Colonial America, 2004.
A look at the issues concerning epidemics and the use of smallpox in Colonial America.
1,823 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 12 sources, APA, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper focuses on disease as a catalyst, paying special attention to the role of smallpox in subjugating the Native American nations. The first part is an overview of how various diseases have affected North American Indians from the arrival of the first Europeans in the 1500s to the Spanish missionaries who first came to Mexico and California in the 18th century. The body of the paper focuses on the use of disease, particularly smallpox, as a biological weapon against the Native Americans during the Seven Year?s War. Finally, the paper assesses the short-term and long-term effects that disease has had on both the Old and the New Worlds, which include the decimation of the Native American population as a whole.
Outline
The Columbian Exchange
Smallpox and Warfare
Effects of Smallpox on Native American Populations
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The most immediate effect of the Columbian exchange, however, was seen in the massive decline of the Native American population. The European explorers were unwitting carriers of diseases such as smallpox and cholera, illnesses which were unknown in the New World. Because they lacked natural resistance, Native Americans quickly succumbed to the disease. They also transmitted the virus to other populations. In South America and the Caribbean, an estimated 8 to 20 million people died, many without even encountering a white man."
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Cabeza de Vaca?s Castaways, 2004.
Summary and analysis of Cabeza de Vaca's account of the 1528-1536 exploration of North America by Europeans.
1,434 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
This paper presents a summary of the experiences of Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca when he came to North America to seek his fortune. It then discusses the transformation of character Cabeza de Vaca undergoes as he spends more and more time with the Native Americans and comes to see them as human beings with value, rather than just uncivilized natives. Cabeza de Vaca's enlightenment is contrasted with the behavior of Hernan Cortes, another Spanish explorer, whose only interest in the Mexican natives, if he was not killing them, was how they could help him further his own ends.
From the Paper
"It is not only the story that we tell that matters but also the way in which we tell it, as we learn from Cabeza de Vaca?s Castaways, which was his telling of the 1528-1536 exploration of North America by Europeans. Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca had come to the new world to seek his fortune; what he found was far more valuable than the gold that inspired so many Spaniards to come to the New World: Enlightenment. As treasurer of Spanish expedition determined to claim for the throne of Spain a vast tract of land that today spreads across Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, he went with no intent of acknowledging the claims of the indigenous peoples to their land or their wealth. But when he and a few other men were shipwrecked and, seeking their own survival, underwent a long and arduous journey westward, where they would meet up with Hernan Cortes."
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The Assimilation of Native Cultures, 2002.
This paper is a personal essay, which discusses the benefits of assimilation of native and Caucasian cultures into the American mainstream culture.
915 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 0 sources, $ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper contends that members of the native culture themselves benefit most from their assimilation into the mainstream, and the mainstream society also benefits. The author bases his argument on his first-hand experience with the assimilation of a Navajo family living on a New Mexico Reservation. The paper points out that, for the Caucasian cultures in America, true and complete assimilation takes at least several generations and may not even be entirely possible.
From the Paper
"What constitutes a benefit? Admittedly, there is some room for subjectivity here, but something obtained by an individual or group that advances its progress toward whatever goals it has or the removal of an obstruction to those goals could be considered benefits. Some of these benefits could be characterized as availability of food, healthcare, education, wealth, influence, status, artistic achievement, freedom from prejudice, etc. How these things endure from one generation to the next could also be considered a benefit. Benefits can also be prioritized according to a scale of needs and wants, i.e., acquisition of food and shelter are higher priority than say acquiring a country club membership or a famous set of Kachina dolls."
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Bering Strait Theory, 2002.
An overview and discussion of the Bering Strait Theory regarding the origins of Native American immigration.
1,459 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
This paper presents a detailed examination of the Bering Strait Theory. The author of this paper explores the various theories about the Bering Strait and the belief that the Native Americans came across it during a migration out of Asia. The writer argues that the Bering Strait Theory has several conflicting elements, making it a questionable theory.
From the Paper
"As science continues to evolve there are many questions about mankind that are coming to light and being answered. One of the most pressing questions in recent history has been the question of migration and different races and cultures settling in various areas of the world. Historians, scientists, and others have been putting together facts as they are being discovered, and many of those facts point to the possibility that the theories society has accepted in the past may have been untrue. One theory that has been scrutinized lately has been the Bering Strait Theory. The Bering Strait theory contends that the Native Americans actually started out as Asians and migrated across the strait many years ago. Currently there are people who have begun to challenge the Bering Strait theory, claiming that the time lines and other evidence do not add up."
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Freedom of Religion, 2002.
This paper presents the argument that religious freedom in America is, in reality, just a myth perpetuated for generations.
2,273 words (approx. 9.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 70.95
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Abstract
This paper uses the experiences of two historical figures in early America, Bartolome de las Casas and Anne Bradstreet, to reject the notion of the right to religious freedom in America. Bartoleme de las Casas, while more humane than other Spaniards of his time, still represented the dominant philosophy of Spain during early America, that religious freedom meant the freedom to convert others to one's own religion. Bradstreet is described as belonging to a community, typical of the Puritan era, that rejected the rights of others who chose to believe differently.
From the Paper
"Bradstreet does not discuss the issue of freedom of religion in her poems but seems rather to live that freedom herself. She determines meaning by contemplation rather than by repeating lessons learned from some authority, for instance. She concentrates most on her family rather than on God and religious issues. She contrasts in this regard with Edwards, who gives all his concentration to religious matters and who judges everything in the community on the basis of how it accords with his religious beliefs."
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"The Last of the Mohicans", 2002.
A literary review of James Fenimore Cooper's novel "The Last of the Mohicans".
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper presents a brief overview of the book ?The Last of the Mohicans? by James Fenimore Cooper. The paper pays special attention to the role of women and how they were treated in those days, as well as their contribution to warfare as compared to present times. "The Last of the Mohicans" takes place in the midst of the French-Indian war. It focuses on one battle in a war that lasted for many years. This was the last and most important conflict over French and British possessions in North America.
From the Paper
"This book depicts the battle of Fort William Henry and adds the fictional kidnapping of two sisters Cora and Alice who are also the main female characters of this book. It is an account of two opposing tribes; the Delawares and the Hurons. The Hurons (Magua's tribe) are depicted as an extension of Magua himself. They are ambitious to take down the foresters, thereby avenging the warriors they have lost."
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Four Functions of Myth, 2002.
Discusses four functions of myth pertaining to the Native American Hopi culture.
2,270 words (approx. 9.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 70.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses and analyzes the topic of the functions of myth, as defined by author Joseph Campbell in his book, "The Power of Myth". Specifically, it explains Campbell's four functions of myth and show how they are demonstrated in Native American Hopi culture. The Hopis of Northern Arizona epitomize the four functions of myth in their culture and society. Their society is based on myth, religion and spiritual celebration and they have held on to these myths when many other tribes have turned away from their spiritual and mythical past. The paper shows that the Hopi's myths relate to the earth, the natural world surrounding them and their dependence on this natural world for their survival. They understand the importance of myth in a healthy society and, because of this, they have one of the longest surviving Native American societies in the Southwest desert.
From the Paper
"The priests in the ceremony carry the snakes in their mouths as they circle a central plaza in the village where the ceremony is performed. After several groups of priests make their way around the plaza with the snakes, the snakes are gathered up by "snake gatherers," and carried out into the desert below the mesas, where they are released. If the dance is performed correctly, the Hopis believe it will bring rain (O'Kane 196-205). The Snake Dance is an excellent example of myth in its purest form, as it is the physical acting out of only one of the most important and vital Hopi myths. The myth relates directly to the health and well being of the community, and celebrates the wonder of the rain and the snakes and their relationship to the natural (and unnatural) world. It is their belief the snakes can communicate with the spirits who will send the rain, and to make the spirits happy, they must use just the right snakes, and then send them home (their release in the desert) to carry their message."
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Black Seminoles, 2002.
Explores the history of Black Seminoles.
4,067 words (approx. 16.3 pages), 12 sources, MLA, $ 109.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the origin of the Black Seminoles; a unique American population made up of American Indians and runaway black slaves. It describes how the Black Seminoles changed over time and how their culture reflected both African and Seminole elements.
From the Paper
"The Black Seminoles began in the early 1800s in the most remote and swamplike parts of Florida, places in the state where runaway black slaves believed that they might be safe from those who were looking to reclaim them as their property. While some blacks did try to escape to the North, this was an especially difficult task for slaves beginning in Florida: The Mason-Dixon line was a very long way off from Florida and many slaves believed that they would be recaptured or killed if they tried to make it all the way to the North. Thus they fled south, into the swamps where the Seminole Indians often took them in."
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"Hernando de Soto and the Indians of Florida", 2002.
A review of "Hernando de Soto and the Indians of Florida" by Jerald T. Milanich and Charles Hudson.
924 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how "Hernando de Soto and the Indians of Florida" by Jerald T. Milanich and Charles Hudson which chronicles the expedition of the titular Spanish explorer through which what was to de Soto?s eyes a New World and to the Native inhabitants a homeland. It analyzes how the New World that promised to enrich de Soto and his nation of Spain ultimately proved the cause of his demise and how de Soto?s expedition, more importantly, caused the demise of the Native way of life of those whom de Soto engaged in combat and in contact with. It looks at how the authors Milanich and Hudson attempt to present a more three-dimensional, non-European counter and compliment to de Soto?s work through the use of archaeological evidence.
From the Paper
"Milanich and Hudson do not take issue with the characterization of de Soto as a man bent on personal enrichment as well conquest, though they do view his reportage of his encounters with interest as well as trepidation. But their new archeological information regarding Native life provides the ?other side? that has so long been missing from accounts of de Soto?s expedition. Providing this ?other side? is particularly important, given that de Soto?s relationship with the Native Americans were more often than not, adversarial. Relying solely upon de Soto?s accounts as an objective source is not unlike relying solely upon the winning side?s words in evaluating a war."
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"Tracks", 2002.
A historical and literary review of Louise Erdrich?s "Tracks".
1,284 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 14 sources, MLA, $ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews the novel ?Tracks" by Louise Erdich, which chronicles the lives of Ojibwa people living in North Dakota between the winter of 1912 and the spring of 1924. The challenges of becoming a member of a mixed society are many and within the novel "Tracks" can be seen the assumed realities of the changing world of the Chippewa people. The paper focuses on the lives of the Chippewa people and their interaction with mainstream America at the time.
From the Paper
"Rather early in the post-colonial phase, ?Tracks chronicles the lives of Ojibwa people living in North Dakota between the winter of 1912 and the spring of 1924.? (Stookey 1999) Scholarship on the issue of colonial native America has recently headed toward the interdisciplinary approach and has learned to embrace narrative fiction. ?The elements of a sound Native American history would include an interdisciplinary perspective, reconstruction of the American Indian experience, and a more complete description of how Native societies adapted to changing conditions."
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"A New Home?Who?ll Follow?" and "The Pioneers", 2002.
A literary comparison between "A New Home - Who Will Follow?" by Caroline Kirkland and "The Pioneers" by James Fenimore Cooper.
1,714 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 55.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews Caroline?s Kirkland?s "A New Home?Who?ll Follow?" and James Fenimore Cooper?s "The Pioneers". Both are novels from the nineteenth century that examine the life of the American frontier. This paper shows how the authors achieve their goals by examining the similarities and the differences between the two novels. The predominant theme each author uses is realism, focusing on elements that would create within us a sense of understanding about that era in time.
From the Paper
"In addition, similar descriptions of circumstances reveal to us the type of life one might expect in Cooper?s The Pioneers. Issues of concern and disputes relevant to that time are discussed in a way that help us understand how the settlers communicated with the natives. For instance, the deer that has been shot becomes a point of attention when an argument arises because no one can say to whom the deer belongs. Cooper demonstrates the ability of two different people being able to communicate with each other."
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Sherman Alexie, 2002.
Discusses how this explores the theme of the loss of Native American society in his novel, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven"
1,311 words (approx. 5.2 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 44.95
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Abstract
Sherman Alexie, in his book "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven", takes the role of the storyteller in society, the one who puts the attitudes and concerns of the community into narrative form. The paper shows that Alexie is dealing directly with the role of the storyteller in Native American society and how that role affects the social order, is fed by that same order and both conveys and creates myths as a result. The paper shows that a theme that recurs in the stories in this collection concerns the birthright of the Indian and the way it has been compromised by white society, which seeks to adapt it to its own uses.
From the Paper
"Poverty is another theme in this book, for poverty is the condition to which the people on the reservation have become accustomed as they have become more alienated from their birthright. This is also a condition passed from father to son: "On Christmas Eve when he was five, Victor's father wept because he didn't have any money for gifts" ("Every Little Hurricane" 4). This is another reason for the alcoholism, which in turn contributes to the poverty. A deadly cycle is thus created, a cycle that continues from one generation to the next with little sign of any change. There is some memory of earlier times when Indians believed they had achieved something by selling land or oil rights to whites, but that was an illusion. Poverty is the reality and alcohol the way to make it all seem better: "He thought one more beer could save the world.""
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