Jamestown & Plymouth: England's First Two Successful North American Colonies

So America, as we know it, is beginning to take shape.  European rivals are not competing for the land and resources of a "New World": The Americas.  England has taken her place on the Atlantic Coast and by 1733 will establish her original thirteen colonies-which will eventually become the first thirteen American states.

For this week's blog, you are going to take an in-depth look at England's first two successful colonies: Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620).  These two sites will be your main sources of info: Jamestown & Plymouth. Be sure on the Jamestown site to focus on the Jamestown info only by selecting the "Jamestown Settlement" tab on the left side of the page.  On the Plymouth site be sure to look at all the links under "Important Sources" and "Children of Plymouth".

For the comment section this week, please compare and contrast Jamestown with Plymouth.  How were these settlements similar? In what ways were they different?  Think about geography, motive for settlement, religion, politics and the many other things that might separate OR link together these two places.  I'm looking for some advanced analysis here.  Give it some real thought!

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca: A Conquistador Survivor Story

Cabeza de Vaca was one of four survivors of an exploratory crew led by Panfilo Narvaez in the early 16th Century.  De Vaca wandered throughout the southern regions of America for years before he left North America.  His surviving journals are the seminal (this means most important or the authoritative) documents about the goals, findings and misconceptions of the early Spanish conquistadors.  What I find most interesting about such documents is what attracted future explorers was often misinformation about the continent (like lots of gold, oceans in the middle of North America etc.).  People in Spain would read these records and rush over here, only to find they had been misled.

For this week's blog you are going to read a brief synopsis of De Vaca's travels on this website.  Then you will visit this website and choose ONE of the four journals written by De Vaca about his time spent roaming through America trying to survive.  In your the comments section this week, write about something that surprised you or that you thought was particularly interesting about De Vaca's experience.

Columbus: Hero, Villain or Heroic Villain?

Now that you have your feet wet, let's dig in deeper into this Columbus fellow.  Did you guys know he is one of the most hated men in history (if you ask descendants of Native Americans at least)?  People often ridicule the fact we have a national holiday to celebrate this guy.

Of course, nothing in history is a simple as "This guy is bad" or "This guy was good" etc.  Events are complex and every side usually has some merit/value.

Here's what you are going to do this week.  Watch this video, this video and read this article about the different view points about Columbus.  Consider what you watched last week and the twenty facts you recorded in the comments section (you may want to revisit that post to refresh your memory).  After two weeks of study, what is your opinion on the legacy of Christopher Columbus?  Should we have a national holiday for him? If so, what did he do that deserves such praise?  If not, why not?

Christopher Columbus: There's More To Me Than 1492

And we not stumble upon the first of my favorite topics for this class: Christopher Columbus!  Without giving too much away, the Columbus you think you know is not the whole story.  While he did land in the Americas in 1492, he probably was not the first European to do so.  Also, he certainly did not discover America because there were millions of native people here before he landed.  Depending on who you ask, Columbus was either a great and brave sailor whose "discovery" changed the fate of the entire world for the better OR Columbus was a great and brave sailor whose "discovery" led essentially to a mass genocide of Native Americans and the exploitation of an entire continent by Spain, France and England.  The most likely scenario is that he was some combination of both.

This week you are going to carefully watch the six videos on this website.  Please pay close attention to facts you have never heard before about Columbus and construct your comments around that.  In fact, for your comment section this week make a list of the 20 most interesting things you never knew about Columbus before you watched these videos.

Hohokam: Funny Name//Seriously Talented People

Pre-Columbian America was full of survivors.  Groups of people who found themselves living in difficult situations (geographically especially) who had to find ways to adapt or they would die out.

Enter the Hohokam.  Tucked into the Southwest corner of the continental United States, these people found ways to survive in a harsh desert climate without the aid of any modern convenience.  Spend some time at this website and the links provided on the page to explore the impressive Hohokam people.  In the comment section, describe what impresses you the most about the adaptability of prehistoric cultures.

The Aztec Empire: The Original Nation Builders

Perhaps the most surprising thing encountered by the European explorers of the North American continent was the massive Aztec civilization in modern-day Mexico. The Aztecs are essentially the "grandparents" of today's Mexicans. Based largely in the desert, the Aztecs built their empire around their main city of Tenochtitlan, which was on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco.  Imagine your utter shock, as a "sophisticated European", when you "discover" such a modern empire in the middle of such savage surroundings!  The Aztecs quickly became the prize for Hernan Cortes.  He and his men took down the Aztecs intentionally (warfare) and unintentionally (smallpox) by 1521.

For this week's blog, spend at least thirty minutes perusing this website. Be sure to spend some time on each of the links located on the left-hand side of the page (Timeline, Food, Art etc.).  In the comments section, discuss what you found was the most interesting part of the Aztec culture.  Remember to conclude your comments with your (word count in parentheses).

Welcome Back!: Where in the World Are We?

Hello and welcome to the Saints & Sinners blog for the 2013-2014 school year! I am very excited to be your tour guide through the first half of American history.  This blog will expose you to resources, websites, videos, songs, journals, articles, political cartoons and various other historical items you otherwise might never have seen.  Be sure to keep up with the blog assignments (each one is a quiz grade!).

For starters let's talk about the theories behind the settlement of North America.  If we believe life started in the Garden of Eden, then how in the world did people get to North America?  Numerous theories exist about how people came to live in Canada, the United States and Mexico (collectively known as North America), but which one is accurate?  How can we tell?  Is it possible to ever truly know how the first Americans arrived?

Your assignment for this week's blog is to research possible theories on American migration.  In the comments section describe TWO (2) of the theories you found, which website(s) they were located and of the two you picked which seems the most logical.