DISCUSSION QUESTION
Consider the following statement: “In preparing for the Cherokee removal, state and federal officials were motivated solely by desire to seize the natives’ land.” In your post, consider the following:
- Does this statement present the full picture? Revise this statement to present a more complex explanation of the motivations that drove state and federal officials (and the white citizens of Georgia) during the years immediately preceding the Cherokee removal. Explain the choices you made in your revision.
- Next, consider how you can take a similar approach to your own topic in order to more fully understand the historical complexity. What other viewpoints would you want to further explore in order to more fully understand your topic?
RESPONSE QUESTIONS
1. Name three historical lenses that you could apply to gain a fuller picture of the relationship between Natives and white settlers. Be sure to respond to this question in no more than one sentence, using proper grammar.
THESIS STATEMENT: Conflicts between Natives and white settlers in the early 19th century can be attributable to one overarching cause: disputes over land.
2. Revise the thesis statement above to reflect a more complex view of the relationship between Natives and white settlers. Your revised thesis statement should be longer than one sentence.
3. Massasoit’s decision to approach the Pilgrims about an alliance was contingent on what previous event or events? (Name one or two.)
4.Name one short-term consequence and one long-term consequence of the alliance between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims.
5. How has your understanding of the historical event in your paragraph changed as a result of your research? Describe one instance of a misconception or a wrong idea you had about your topic that has been corrected after researching and writing about it.
6. Name four historical lenses through which you could analyze the events of the Cherokee Removal. Specify one aspect of this event for each lens that you cite.
7. Agree or disagree with the following thesis statement: “The Treaty of New Echota was invalid, and the National Party was correct to oppose it.” Cite at least three historical facts that support your position.
