REQUIRED READING
There are three (3) required books for this course:
Polk, William R. The Birth of America. From Before Columbus to the Revolution. Harper Perennial, 2006..
ISBN: 978 0 06 075093 0
Robertson, Lindsay G. Conquest by Law. How the Discovery of American Dispossessed Indigenous Peoples of their Land. Oxford: University Press, 2005.
ISBN: 13 978 0195 1 48695
Riggs, Sidney H. Arrows and Snakeskin. Martha’s Vineyard, MA: Cleaveland House Publishing, 2000.
ISBN: 978 098 4444 601
Founding Documents: Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution. These are available online or in a number of pamphlets. The one I like the best is in the WCC bookstore.
All of the books are available in the College Bookstore and except for Riggs, all are available from online sources. The Riggs book can only be purchased from the College bookstore. It is a reprint of a book published in 1962.
Summary of the 4 Assignments:
There are four (4) assignments in this course. Each is worth 25% of your final grade.
- Study questions on Polk (at least a page on each [250 words].
- Book Review on Riggs (minimum of three pages – summary of book, one page; critique of book, one to two pages; assessment of book, one page)
- Study questions on Robertson (solid paragraphs on each question)
- Comparison of Documents (Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution)
BOOK REVIEW OF RIGGS
The book review should be four to five pages in length and divided into the following three categories:
- Summary of book (one to two pages)
- Critique of book (two pages): Who is the author? What are his credentials to write this book? What are the themes of the book? How persuasive is the author in advancing his message?
- Evaluation of book (one page): What is the relevance of this book for this course? Would you use it again?
The Riggs book has been very popular with students and I highly recommend it.
STUDY QUESTIONS ON ROBERTSON, CONQUEST BY LAW
Please note the change in this assignment. You will be responsible for reading the Preface, Chapter 1, Chapter 6 and the Afterword–a total of 55 pages.
For additional help in answering the following three (3) questions, please refer to File on Lectures.
1) Who is the author, Lindsay G. Robertson, and what were his aims in writing this book?
2) What were the circumstances surrounding the origins of the “discovery” theory of land ownership?
3) What were the justification and legacies of Chief Justice John Marshall’s decision?
POLK STUDY QUESTIONS
Each one of these questions represents a substantial part of Polk’s book. Please treat them accordingly and write a solid paragraph of at least five to seven sentences capturing what Polk is communicating in each chapter.
Introduction: What were the obstacles to acquiring information about colonial American and how has the history of the era past been revised by historians over the years?
Chapter 1: How would you describe the common features of the basic life style of Native Americans and what differences did you find most noteworthy?
Chapter 2: What threats did the Altlantic passage pose and how were they overcome?
Chapter 3: What was the connection between the sugar industry and the slave trade?
Chapter 4: What was the role of privateers in trade in the colonies?
Chapter 5: What was the European context for the colonialism?
Chapter 6: How did the slave trade take hold in Africa?
OUTLINES FOR POLK STUDY QUESTIONS
Study Questions for William Polk, Birth of America
Author: Who is William R. Polk and what are his background and authority to write the book, The Birth of America?
Introduction: What were the obstacles to acquiring information about colonial America and how has the history of the era been revised by historians over the years?
Chapter 1: How would you describe the common features of the basic life style of Native Americans and what did you find most noteworthy?
Chapter 2: What threats did the Atlantic passage pose, how were they overcome and what were the conditions?
Chapter 3: What was the connection between the sugar industry and the slave trade and how did both oppress and exploit the Africans who were kidnapped to serve the colonial empires?
Chapter 4: What was the role of privateers and pirates in trade in the colonies?
Chapter 6: How did the slave trade take hold in Africa?
Chapter 7: Who were the earliest settlers and what was life like in the early days of the colonial settlements?
Chapter 9: How had colonial life changed by the middle of the eighteenth century (1750)?
Chapter 10: What was a typical experience of an African slave from capture to sale to plantation life?
Chapter 11: What was the effect of European colonialization on Indian communities in North America?
Chapter 12: What and when was the French and Indian war and why is it sometimes called the first world war?
Chapter 14: How were production and commerce developed in the colonies and with what results?
Chapter 15: Why were representation and taxation an issue for the colonists and how did they shape their history?
Chapter 16-18: What were the most significant incidents leading to the Revolutionary War against Britain?
Evaluation: What stands out in Polk’s book and would you use it again in this class (why or why not)?
