Thursday, October 25, 2012
Readings for October 29 & Document Analysis #2
Readings for October 29 & Document Analysis #2
We have read so far about the immigration experiences of some of the many ethnic groups that made up the population of the United States by the early 1900s. Some of these came by choice, as with most European immigrants, and others by force, as with the vast majority of early African immigrants. Still others never, strictly speaking, "came" to the United States but rather were incorporated into its domains through conquest or annexation, as with the Native and Mexican peoples respectively.
Another important aspect of America's ethnic history revolves around the experiences of those groups of people once settled in the United States. How did they grow into their distinctly American identities? How did different ethnic groups relate to one another as they grew into "Americans" over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries? Before moving on with the 20th century in our textbook, let's pause to take a thematic look at the experience of one of those groups, Africans, as they became African Americans. Although the African experience in America has been in some ways as diverse and nuanced as the many African ethnic groups represented here, certain key themes resonate for nearly all who are descendents of the first African immigrants, and particularly so for those who still live in the American South. Among these themes are the legacies of enslavement, racial violence and the long struggle for civil rights.
We've already looked at the Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, a man who experienced slavery in the United States first-hand and wrote about it in 1789 to support the abolitionist movement.
For this week, then, begin by reading this very short bio of Angelina Grimke, a white abolitionist from the American South.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASgrimke.htm
Then, read Grimke's 1838 speech at Pennsylvania Hall. How does Grimke's double status as a "Southern woman," i.e. as both a Southerner and as a woman, strengthen her message in this speech?
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/grimke.html
Eventually, abolitionist sentiment succeeded in the US, but that did not put an end to racism. Southern blacks, in particular, continued to evolve their identities as Americans in an America partially defined by violence and discrimination, in communities subscribing to Jim Crow Laws where the fear of lynching was real and justified. The Abolitionist movement was over, but the Civil Rights movement was just beginning.
Read this (also very short) bio of Ida B. Wells, a black civil rights leader from the American South.
http://www.idabwells.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=53
Then, read Wells' influential 1893 speech and pamphlet, "Lynch Law." The "crime of outrage" Wells refers to is rape... why do you suppose rape is so prominently related to lynching in the context of the American South?
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/wellslynchlaw.html
Finally, watch Billie Holiday perform Strange Fruit, her powerful 1939 song about lynching.
http://dai.ly/edFCOY
Think lynching is a thing of the past in the US? Shamefully, it is a practice that has continued to shape the ethnic reality of African-descendent Americans even into the 21st century.
Brandon McClelland 2008
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5348.shtml
James Byrd 1998
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Byrd_Jr
Anthony Hill 2010
http://www.thegrio.com/news/sc-police-black-man-shot-to-death-body-dragged.php
Another important aspect of America's ethnic history revolves around the experiences of those groups of people once settled in the United States. How did they grow into their distinctly American identities? How did different ethnic groups relate to one another as they grew into "Americans" over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries? Before moving on with the 20th century in our textbook, let's pause to take a thematic look at the experience of one of those groups, Africans, as they became African Americans. Although the African experience in America has been in some ways as diverse and nuanced as the many African ethnic groups represented here, certain key themes resonate for nearly all who are descendents of the first African immigrants, and particularly so for those who still live in the American South. Among these themes are the legacies of enslavement, racial violence and the long struggle for civil rights.
We've already looked at the Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, a man who experienced slavery in the United States first-hand and wrote about it in 1789 to support the abolitionist movement.
For this week, then, begin by reading this very short bio of Angelina Grimke, a white abolitionist from the American South.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASgrimke.htm
Then, read Grimke's 1838 speech at Pennsylvania Hall. How does Grimke's double status as a "Southern woman," i.e. as both a Southerner and as a woman, strengthen her message in this speech?
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/grimke.html
Eventually, abolitionist sentiment succeeded in the US, but that did not put an end to racism. Southern blacks, in particular, continued to evolve their identities as Americans in an America partially defined by violence and discrimination, in communities subscribing to Jim Crow Laws where the fear of lynching was real and justified. The Abolitionist movement was over, but the Civil Rights movement was just beginning.
Read this (also very short) bio of Ida B. Wells, a black civil rights leader from the American South.
http://www.idabwells.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=53
Then, read Wells' influential 1893 speech and pamphlet, "Lynch Law." The "crime of outrage" Wells refers to is rape... why do you suppose rape is so prominently related to lynching in the context of the American South?
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/wellslynchlaw.html
Finally, watch Billie Holiday perform Strange Fruit, her powerful 1939 song about lynching.
http://dai.ly/edFCOY
Think lynching is a thing of the past in the US? Shamefully, it is a practice that has continued to shape the ethnic reality of African-descendent Americans even into the 21st century.
Brandon McClelland 2008
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5348.shtml
James Byrd 1998
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Byrd_Jr
Anthony Hill 2010
http://www.thegrio.com/news/sc-police-black-man-shot-to-death-body-dragged.php
Presidential Election 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Midterm Study Guide
America’s Ethnic History /
Andrews (Fall 2012)
Midterm
Study Guide
All questions
on your midterm will be in Short Answer format. You will be asked to write on 8
of the following topics. You should spend no more than 5 minutes on each
response, for a total of 40 minutes. Then spend the remaining 10 minutes
reviewing and revising your answers.
Why do some people object to calling US citizens
“Americans”?
What is meant by the American “singularity”?
What is meant by “American exceptionalism”?
What is the “problem of history” with regard to American
Indians? Is there a similar problem of history with regard to Americans whose
ancestors were slaves from Africa?
Discuss Erlandson’s theory of the Kelp Highway. In what ways
might this theory threaten or disrupt our traditional ideas about what it means
to be an “American”?
Discuss Ravenstein’s laws of migration, with particular
attention to push, pull, means and efficiency. Use examples from students’ oral
history presentations to illustrate these laws.
In what ways is the notion of the United States as a
“melting pot” a myth?
Were African slaves immigrants? Why or why not?
Discuss the role of indentured servitude in the peopling of
America. Which groups resorted to this practice and why?
How did transportation options to the Americas evolve as
migration patterns changed over time?
Why is it important to read first-hand accounts like
Equiano’s?
What do we know about the African history and culture slaves
brought with them to America?
What are some of the challenges involved in attempting to
trace the immigration histories of various groups such as Germans, Poles and
Jews?
How can the Cajun experience be used to illustrate the
impact of a group’s attitudes towards assimilation?
What are the roots of Anglo-conformity? Why was the founding
concept of American-ness so Anglicized?
What is meant by the “ethnic escalator”?
Why did some consider early Chinese and Japanese migrants
“sojourners”? Were they considered immigrants? Why or why not?
Who were the “paper sons”?
In what ways and why did Polish immigrants maintain their
national heritage while residing in the United States?
In what ways were Irish settlers involved in US politics?
How could attitudes towards education have an effect on a
group’s success or failure in the United States?
Why did males outnumber females in the immigrant populations
from so many different countries? Discuss the impact of the male/female ratio
of two of the groups we’ve studied.
What is the “Turner thesis”?
Today is Columbus Day. Should the US continue to celebrate
this holiday? Why or why not?
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Oral History Research Project
Oral History Research Project
Please conduct an Oral History interview of a person who immigrated to the United States. Your interviewee must have been old enough at the time to remember details about his or her country of birth.
Develop a series of specific questions prior to your interview. What do you want to know? What can you find out through research before you meet for the interview? What can you find out only by experiencing the person’s face-to-face presence? During the interview, attempt to find answers to the questions you have developed. After the interview, attempt to fill any gaps that remain.
Be sure to record your interview in some manner. This recording or transcript of your interview is a primary source document and should not be discarded. Recording equipment is available for you to borrow... you will find this equipment on 48-hour reserve in the Library.
Write a paper that attempts to answer one or more of your questions using the recording or transcript of your interview as a primary source. Note that your interview recording or transcript is only one of the sources you will use for this research project. 4-8 pages.
Please conduct an Oral History interview of a person who immigrated to the United States. Your interviewee must have been old enough at the time to remember details about his or her country of birth.
Develop a series of specific questions prior to your interview. What do you want to know? What can you find out through research before you meet for the interview? What can you find out only by experiencing the person’s face-to-face presence? During the interview, attempt to find answers to the questions you have developed. After the interview, attempt to fill any gaps that remain.
Be sure to record your interview in some manner. This recording or transcript of your interview is a primary source document and should not be discarded. Recording equipment is available for you to borrow... you will find this equipment on 48-hour reserve in the Library.
Write a paper that attempts to answer one or more of your questions using the recording or transcript of your interview as a primary source. Note that your interview recording or transcript is only one of the sources you will use for this research project. 4-8 pages.
In addition to writing your paper, you will also present your findings to the class. If you wish, you may pre-record your presentation and post it to your blog (or post it to youtube and post the link on your blog). In this case, your recording must be between 3 and 4 minutes in length.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Cajun French...
... spoken by a Cajun.
Also an example of how you might present an Oral History.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvPqifZqjM4
Also an example of how you might present an Oral History.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvPqifZqjM4
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