4. Artifacts found at Jamestown tell us about the material conditions of the early British settlers including how they acquired food, what kinds of tools and domestic furniture they used, the ailments they suffered and how they were treated, even what they did for recreation. Drawing upon census materials, correspondence and the laws, as well as, archeological evidence, what can you say about the occupations, activities, and living standards of the British at Jamestown.
HIST 1301 Dr. C.A. Cody
Spring 2015 West Loop
CONFLICTS OF CULTURES IN COLONIAL VIRGINIA
INTERNET RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT
The purpose of this assignment is for students to use primary source evidence about the Native American, European, and African settlement of Virginia in the seventeenth century to answer a question about how Chesapeake society developed. Completion of this assignment enables students to develop proficiencies in several critical areas.
This assignment requires research, critical thinking and writing skills. It also fulfills several of the state and college mandated requirements of Hist 1301.
Program Learning Outcomes
1. Students will be able to create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
2. Students will be able to analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
3. Students will be able to analyze the effect of historical, social, political, economic, cultural and global forces on this period.
4. Students will be able to understand the importance of chronology and how earlier ideas and events shaped later events.
Students will visit three web sites, which include both primary and secondary sources about early Virginia and use primary sources to write a 1600 – 2000 word (about 6 pages) research paper selecting one of the required questions. Essays must draw upon material in these web sites. You may include a limited number of primary sources found at other web sites with my approval.
The research paper counts for 30 % of your grade with a maximum of 100 points available. Grading will be A (90 – 100) B (80-89) C (70-79) D (60-69) F (59 or fewer points) See grading Rubric included with this assignment for details on how your grade will be assigned.
**** Students will have the opportunity to earn an additional 10 Extra Credit Points on the paper Assignment by working with the in person English Writing Tutors at the West Loop campus. See my homepage for a link to their schedule. Also fliers are posted throughout the campus.
What are primary sources?
Primary sources are documents and artifacts created by participants or observers of a historical event. They represent a firsthand account. Examples of primary sources historians often consult are census and church records, laws, legal records such as court cases and contracts, and letters and diaries. Another example of a primary source can be found in the archeological remains or artifacts discovered and interpreted by scholars. The artifact, itself is a primary source. The artifact’s interpretation by an archeologist is a secondary source, but necessary to our understanding as historians, of the significance of the artifact. Historians often turn to this type of evidence when written records are sparse or biased. The problem of bias is especially great in that written records reflect British attitudes and conclusions about the Native Americans of the Chesapeake and enslaved Africans brought into the region.
What are secondary sources?
Secondary sources are histories or other accounts written about the past at a later date. Interviews with scholars as presented on the America 1607 web site are also secondary sources. All three web sites include examples of secondary sources in the essays and interpretations they provide. Students should use secondary sources for background and context.
YOUR INTERNET AND DOCUMENT INTERPRETATION TUTORIAL
Your internet and document interpretation tutorial, which we are doing today is designed to introduce students to the primary sources and how historians use these sources.
Here are our three web sites:
Created by the University of Virginia in 1998 “Virtual Jamestown” includes a broad range of primary source documents, some modern historians’ accounts and analysis, and modern maps and reconstructions. Materials continue to be added to this site on the early development of the colonies, interactions with the Native Americans and colonial material culture.
The “Virtual Jamestown” web address is: http://www.virtualjamestown.org
Created in 1997 by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) the Jamestown Rediscovery archeological project describes the ongoing archeological research of the 1607 remains of the Jamestown fort on James Island, Virginia. This site includes a description of the archeological work, historical background and photographs of some of the artifacts uncovered. A newsletter summarizes recent findings and additions to the project and includes brief interviews with the archeologists.
The APVA “Jamestown Rediscovery” web address is: http://www.preservationvirginia.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=1
This will take you directly to the archeology page. To find a recent update on the archeological research: Click on “News from the Dig.” Updates are now being published monthly and include short videos.
Completed in 2007 National Geographic, in conjunction with the APVA group, has created a new web site “America in 1607: Jamestown and the Powhatan.” You can explore either the British or Native American societies principally through the work of the archeologists including more artifacts and interviews with the researchers. The National Geographic “America in 1607: web address is: com/2007/05/jamestown/jamestown-standalone“>http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/jamestown/jamestown-standalone
SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS TO EXPLORE
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European travelers and settlers often wrote about their observations of Native American societies. Although we recognize
this work suffers from the bias of ethnocentrism, many of these narratives provide us with detailed descriptions of Native American life at the time of contact. And each author varies in his attitudes about Native American cultures. Using the Firsthand Accounts at “Virtual Jamestown” analyze a selected narrative or multiple narratives as a source on one or more of the following issues:
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material culture (food, clothing, housing, farming, hunting, tools, etc)
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political and /or religious beliefs and authorities
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gender and /or class distinctions
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uses of the environment
2. British travelers were often more interested in the land and its resources than they were in the Native Americans, who occupied it. Select one or more early British traveler’s account of Virginia (or more broadly the east coast) and analyze how the author viewed the potential economic assets of the land.
3. Although the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619, the exact rules defining the institution of slavery evolved in the early seventeenth century. What do Virginia records tell us about the changing status of enslaved Africans and free people of color in the Colony between 1619 and 1720? (Hint: Be sure to consider their status in comparison with British or other European indentured servants)
4. Artifacts found at Jamestown tell us about the material conditions of the early British settlers including how they acquired food, what kinds of tools and domestic furniture they used, the ailments they suffered and how they were treated, even what they did for recreation. Drawing upon census materials, correspondence and the laws, as well as, archeological evidence, what can you say about the occupations, activities, and living standards of the British at Jamestown.
5. Although we tend to think about the Puritans of Massachusetts as the colonists with all of the rules, the Virginia colonists had many statutes related to moral conduct, respect for authority, trade, and relations with the Native Americans to “guide” them. What do these laws tell us about the concerns and priorities of early Virginia government and society? (Be sure to consider how punishments may reflect the gravity of a violation)
IMPORTANT DATES: Your research paper assignment requires the completion of three assignments to be turned in to me.
By Monday, March 2, 2015 you should turn in to me the first two of these assignments: the web site tutorial and a statement of your research topic and a list of the documents you will be using for your paper.
This is the In Class Tutorial which we worked on in class on February 25, 2015 and the “Topic Statement and Document List” noted on the syllabus. If you did not complete the tutorial in class you should finish it. Separately, on a typed page each student should indicate the topic you will be working on and a list of documents you intend to use. List the documents or artifacts by the specific name of the document, author when available and website. For the artifacts you may list a general category of artifacts you will be using.
You do not need to submit your documents, themselves with this listing. You will need to submit your documents and research notes with the completed paper. If you select any documents from additional web sites they must be listed here with their full web address. I will check these and determine if they are appropriate. You should stick with the assigned web sites as they have been vetted.
I will review your “Topic and Document List” and return it to you with comments.
By campus close on Wednesday, April 1, 2015,you will turn in your completed research paper, the documents and/or notes you used in doing your research, your approved Topic Statement and Doc.List and the tutorial assignment which we completed in class. Also include the Grading Rubric which I have provided for your consultation and your check list, including the signature of a Writing Tutor if you worked with one on this assignment. (Note this is a later date than listed on your syllabus because the college pushed the drop date back a week and I felt you could use the post-spring break time to work with a Writing Tutor)
Late papers will be docked 5 points for each late day, counting Monday through Friday. Plan accordingly.
SELECTING YOUR TOPIC AND DOCUMENTS
This is a step by step guide for you in conducting your research, organizing your ideas and writing your paper.
It may be best to begin by looking at some of the materials on “Virtual Jamestown” to get an idea about the general history of the settlement and some of the documents available. You should plan to devote an hour or more (beyond what we do in class) to looking at the web sites with the above questions in mind, this is beyond the time we spend in class working on the group tutorial.
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This is an important part of the research process. Selecting and evaluating sources.
Focus in on a specific question and search the web sites for specific documents and/or artifacts which address aspects of the question. Print out the sources you will use actively in writing your paper or take notes from them. If the source is very long, you might want to take notes on the important points. You will be turning in your notes, copies, etc. as part of the documentation you submit as your process.
Take advantage of the search features available for some of the documents on Virtual Jamestown. Remember you are required to turn in your research notes with your completed paper. Be sure if you are making notes from a document that you have the citation info for it, including the website and the title and name of the document author. Also make a note of when you accessed the site online.
2. Creating and submitting your Research Topic Statement and Doc.List for approval.
Your statement of topic and your document list needs to be approved. This is an important step in the process in that I can make sure you are focused on topic and identifying the important sources from the assigned web sites. This should not exceed 1 typed page in length. Also, if you check the Grading Rubric, 10 points (from a possible 100 available on the paper assignment) are awarded for completing the Research Topic Statement and Doc.List.
An example of a Research Topic Statement and Doc.List would look something like this:
I will be examining the clothing and the food ways of the Native Americans of Virginia with a particular emphasis on the roles of gender and status.
I will be using the following document:
John White (?) “The True Pictures and Fashions of the People in the Part of America Now Called Virginia” (this is a book length work with illustrations and one source will be adequate) at http://www.virtualjamestown.org
The reason that only one document is acceptable for this question is that this is a book length document. You do not have to present a fully developed Thesis Statement or Thesis Paragraph at this time. You are still working on the research process.
WRITING YOUR PAPER
3. Researching and Organizing your evidence and ideas
READ through your primary source evidence, develop your thesis and select the examples you will present to support your argument. Highlight or make notes of your examples so when you are writing your paper you will be able to organize your evidence and properly cite your sources. Make an outline (it does not have to be elaborate or formal) in which you order the topics you will be discussing and arrange the examples you will develop.
You will need to turn your research materials in with your paper, so I can see your research process. Check the Grading Rubric to see how providing evidence of your research process will figure into your grade on the Research and Analysis/Critical Thinking portion of the evaluation.
4. Now you are ready to write your first draft.
Your research paper should have three main parts.
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First an introductory or thesis paragraph in which you present your thesis statement. You should begin with a strong sentence stating your argument, for example:
“According to British observer John White, Native American people utilized their environment effectively in hunting and gathering, as well as, the farm production of food.”
Elaborate in a few sentences on the key points you will be addressing in your paper.
Then describe, briefly, your sources, for example:
“This paper will draw upon The True Pictures and Fashions of the People in that part of America Now Called Virginia believed to have been written by John White in 1584 and 1588.”
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The body of your essay pulls together the primary source evidence, which you will analyze to support your thesis. Arrange this material topically or chronologically to present a structured and coherent argument. This discussion of the evidence, your examples will be the bulk of your paper.
Because this is a research paper, it is important that you indicate both in your works cited page and in the text of your
paper the basis for each statement. Who or What is the authority upon which you are basing your discussion?
One of the ways you can accomplish this is to make your sources alive in the paper. Use phrases like “As described by John Smith” or “Writing in 1732 Robert Beverley reports . . .”
Paragraphs are usually 100 or more words in length. If you just have a single sentence, you do not have enough material on a topic for it to stand alone as a paragraph.
Some of this documentation may be presented in direct quotations or indirect quotations, which need to be cited in the text, and on your “Works Cited Page”. Students should use the MLA style sheet as their citation form. (Historians typically use the Chicago Manual of Style in their publications, but I know students are usually more familiar with MLA. So you may use what you know best.)
Link to the MLA style sheet: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_o.html
Select “humanities” for the links to both MLA in text and Works Cited page information.
You may not always have all of the information you need for a full citation, but do your best. (Primary sources often present problems in citation) The Virtual Jamestown home page has a link to citation information and I have included some hints at the end of this assignment.
Here is an example of a direct quotation from Richard Frethorne’s 1623 letter to his parents included in the text of a paper and the MLA Style citation associated with it on the Works Cited page.
Richard Frethorne writing to England in 1623 described the food shortages at Martin’s Hundred, ”And when we are sick there is nothing to comfort us; for since I came out of the ship I never ate anything but peas, and loblollie (that is water gruel). As for deer or venison I never saw any since I came into this land.” (Frethorne, p. 1)
Works Cited (page at end of research paper))
Frethorne, Richard. “Letter to Father and Mother,” 1623 at “Virtual Jamestown,” http://www.virtualjamestown.org
(web address of the document) and accessed February 25, 2015 (date you accessed it)
Remember that you must also cite indirect quotations and paraphrases where you put the author’s ideas and words
into your own. Do this in the same way. Step 1 Make your Source Alive in the Text and include the shorthand link to the
works cited page and Step 2 Works Cited page with a complete citation.
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Once you have completed your presentation of supporting evidence you should end your paper with a conclusion which summarizes the evidence you have presented and how you have supported your thesis.
4) Your paper should include a Works Cited page as you are using the MLA Style sheet.
A REMINDER ABOUT WRITING TUTORS
Students may ask the English Tutors for help writing, editing, and proofreading their papers. At West Loop Spring Semester the in person tutors writing tutors can be found in Room C-230 on:
Monday/Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon).
Writing tutors are on campus to help students with all assignments, not just for English Composition and working with a Writing Tutor on this assignment can earn you 10 Extra Credit points on your paper.
SUBMITTING YOUR PAPER
Papers must be double-spaced and the pages (except the first page) should be numbered. Papers must be submitted in a two-pocket folder, which includes the following:
1) Your completed Web in Class Tutorial (this has been returned to you)
2) The approved copy of your Thesis Statement and “Doc.List” (also returned to you)
3) Copies of all primary sources used, or the notes you made from longer documents. Your outline and paper’s earlier drafts
and any other materials which reflect your research and writing process.
4) Your completed research paper with a Title page including the title of your paper, your name and your class, (i.e. HIST 1301
11:00 a.m. Fall 2014, Dr. Cody) which should be centered on the page
5) Your Grading Rubric
6) Your Check list of Items in Your Folder (on the other side of the Grading Rubric)
7) Also you are required to submit a copy of your of your research paper including your works cited page to me electronically.
Send this as a Word file to [email protected]
As always, all work must be your original analysis and written (except where cited) in your own words. Do not submit any work to me, which is plagiarized. The penalty for plagiarism is an “F” for this Assignment.
SOME PEARLS OF WISDOM ABOUT THIS ASSIGNMENT
I have been working with students on some version of this assignment for about fifteen years and have a few suggestions about making both the process and the result easier on all of us.
1. Do not leave your research to the last minute. Sometimes servers go down or are taken down to add material. And as much as we would like to believe that technology will be stable, sometimes “things” happen.
2. Do not make this assignment more difficult than it is. This is a medium length paper of about six pages, not a full length (twenty page) research paper. Focus your research and topic.
3. You may include illustrations in your paper. (Some topics may encourage this), but the length is determined by word count, not page count.
4. If you have a hard time with the old style English in the written documents you have several options. 1) at the top of the
document Click on Modern English Spelling Version. (this doesn’t always work, but will help with some documents on
“Virtual Jamestown”); 2) send me an e-mail or come to my office hours and I will help you translate or 3) select a topic which is light on the old style English and emphasizes the archeology sources.
5. In writing your paper avoid lengthy quotations. Try to limit quotes to no more than two or three sentences. And mix it up, use some direct quotations and some indirect quotations, just remember to always cite your source and make your source alive in the text of your paper.
6. Follow Instructions in submitting your paper.
CITING YOUR SOURCES FROM THE WEB SITES In Your Works Cited Page
Interviews
Cite the person being interviewed, the topic, the name of the web page, web address and the date you viewed it.
Example From the National Geographic Site
Sharon Walls Interview. “Open Fire Cooking,” at America in 1607: Jamestown and the Powhatan, Explore
Werewocomoco, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/jamestown/jamestown-standalone(and the date you
viewed)
Example From Virtual Jamestown
Sue Elliot Interview. “Monacan Nation,” at Virtual Jamestown, http://www.virtualjamestown.org/ (date you viewed it)
Images and Artifacts
Cite the name of the artifact or image, the name of the web page, web address and the date you viewed it.
Example from APVA site Jamestown Rediscovery
“JR102C,” The Things, 1998 National Geographic Exhibit at Jamestown Rediscovery, http://www.apva.org/jr.html (and
the date you viewed it)
Images and Reports from the Historical Jamestown Newsletters “from the Dig”
“News from the Dig” (date of the newsletter) at Historic Jamestown, http://www.historicjamestowne.org/the_dig/ (and
the date you viewed it)
Written Documents from Virtual Jamestown
First Hand Accounts with author information
Author, title of the report (book, letter, etc) date of publication of the document at Virtual Jamestown,
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/ (and the date you viewed it)
First Hand Accounts without author information Author unknown (and then as above)
Laws from Virtual Jamestown
Date of the Law, title or topic of the Law (ie “Law on the Punishment of servants and slaves), general category of the law
(ie. Laws on Indentured Servants) at Virtual Jamestown, http://www.virtualjamestown.org/
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