Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Heidi Wyman
Part One
The Native American culture thrived in America for many years before the Americans came. In the first six chapters of Dee Brown’s book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, he describes how the Americans treated the Native Americans and how the Native Americans reacted to this treatment. He tells of treaties the Native Americans had with the Americans and how well these treaties were kept by the Native Americans but not respected by the new Americans. Dee Brown provides many examples of how the United States of America has failed in its treatment of Native Americans.
Dee Brown addresses the Navahos relationship with the Americans in the first part of his book. The Navahos’ were a group of Indian farmers who grew plants and raised animals. The Navahos entered into various peace treaties with the Americans, including one in January of 1861 that stated that both sides would be peaceful to each other. The peace treaty was successful for two years with both the Indians and Americans keeping peace. In 1863, Carleton came across the Navahos land with his army and decided that he wanted to have the land. In June of 1863, the Americans broke the peace treaty by starting a campaign, destroying the Indian troops, burning the Indian homes and capturing their animals. After four months, two parts of the Navahos tribe came to Carleton asking for a peace treaty. Carlton told them they could move to the Bosque Redondo reservation. Three months pass and more Navahos came to ask for peace. Carleton denied them and when the whole tribe came back to ask for peace he told them they could go to the reservation and he would transport them there. The journey to Bosque Redondo was three hundred miles, Carleton sent the first group with enough supplies to get to the reservation with the least amount of people dieing so the rest of the tribe would feel comfortable to leave. Two thousand four hundred Navahos were sent on the second trip to the reservation without all the supplies sufficient for the journey. One hundred ninety seven Navahos died on this trip to the reservation. The third group of Navahos had nine hundred forty six travelers and one hundred and ten died. Once the Navahos got to the camp it did not provide them with the land they needed to grow their crops, keep their animals and survive. The Americans again failed to keep their end of the peace treaty.
The next group of Indians that the Americans made a treaty with were the Santee Sioux. The Sioux had four divisions, the Mdewkantons, Wahpentons, Wahpekutes and Sissetons. Before the civil war, the Americans made a treaty with the Indians promising them annuities for the land they were taking from the Indians. In the ten years after the war, the Americans refused to give the Indians annuities, they took their hunting ground and killed off all of the game and buffalos the Sioux needed for food. The Indians were unhappy and responded to this treatment by fighting the Americans under the leadership of Little Crow. The Sioux were not successful and they were placed on trial by Sibley the leader of the American troop. Six hundred Indian Warriors were placed in jail, three hundred and three Indians were sentenced to death and sixteen Indians were sentenced to long-term prison. After the sentences, there were seventeen hundred Indian women and children that would be transferred to Fort Snelling These Indians were assaulted, stoned and clubbed. When the Indians got to Fort Snelling they were underfed and poorly treated. The Americans used the Santee Sioux’s uprising as and excuse to take their land without any payment, exterminate their military leaders and move the Santee’s to a reservation in Dakota. The Americans again failed to keep their end of the treaty with the Indians.
The American set another peace treaty with the Cheyennes that gave them right to build one road on the Cheyennes land, but the Cheyennes did not surrender any rights to land, fishing and hunting over the road and tracks. There was peace from both sides until the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush. Thousands of Americans fled to the Cheyenne land building forts and then Cities. The Cheyennes came back to the Americans trying to keep peace and give them some of their land but nothing more then they were already on. Again the Americans actions broke treaties they had signed with the Cheyennes.
Another treaty is made with the Cheyennes, stating that both sides will be peaceful. The Indians worked to avoid the American soldiers and keep peace. The Americans attacked Lean Bear as he approached in peace. The Cheyennes move from Fort Lyon and the Americans chase after them attacking them. The Americans attack the Cheyennes at Sand Creek and even though they had a peace flag. The Native Americans at Sand Creek were butchered and mutilated, women and children included. The Indians that were left signed a treaty that gave the Americans their land and agreed to live south of the Arkansas. Again, the Americans forced the Indians to give up their land by repeatedly breaking treaties and violent attacks.
The next American treaty made was with the Plains Indians for peace. An American military leader Connor stated that there would be no chance of peace with the Indians and that he would kill all Indians in his way. Connor came into the Indians land without permission, breaking the treaty, and started to build forts. Connor did not stop with one fort but instead pushed into the Native American territory to build a second, he pushed into the Indians land and eventually attacked the Arapaho camp in the Battle of Tongue River. Indian men, women and children were slaughtered and the village was destroyed. The Indians were able to regroup and push Connor from their land for a short time.
The Americans attempt to make another treaty with the Plains Indians and ask them to come to Fort Laramie. This treaty would be for peace and passage through their territory. The Indians agree to go to Fort Laramie and sign the treaty but when Red Bull gets there and is waiting for the American representatives, they discover that while they are waiting to sign a treaty American soldiers are trying to take their land (the Cheyennes last hunting ground) by force and thus they back out of the treaty. At this point Red Cloud and the Cheyennes join with the leaders from the Arapahos and Sioux to work together against the Americans. They attack repeatedly on the Americans railroads, wagons and anyone who entered their territory. The Indians were successful and when Sherman came they got their hunting grounds back from the Americans for a short period of time.
The Americans repeatedly made treaties with the Indians to make them feel safe and then attacked them to get their land, animals or just to kill them. The Americans justified their action with a term created by Americans Manifest Destiny. This meant that the dominant race would rule the land. The Americans believed that they were the dominant race so they would be able to rule the Indians and all of the land the Indians owned. America has failed in its treatment of Indians, they over and over again made treaties with the Indians and never kept them. Americans fought the Indians when all they wanted was peace, they destroyed them when the Indians never had the proper equipment to protect themselves and fight back. The Americans destroyed their race out of greed, this is complete failure of proper treatment of Native Americans.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Frederick Douglass or Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey as named at birth, was an African American slave during the 19th century. He had many different masters who all forced him to work usually on the farms or boats. Frederick witnessed and received some of most gruesome beatings and shootings of African American slaves. During his time as a slave, Frederick never knew what abolition meant but he continuously fought for the cause especially after gaining his freedom. Fredericks intention for publishing his life story was to fight against the slavery of the south.
Frederick Douglass' felt his first obligation was to expose the treatment of the slaves to the citizens of the Northern states. Douglass' short book of one hundred and twenty one pages shows many times the cruel treatment the slaves received from their masters. One of the most striking examples Frederick gives is when a man ran into the lake to avoid being whipped. "He had given Demby but few stripes, when to get rid of the scourging, he ran and plunged himself into the creek, and stood there at the depth of his shoulders, refusing to come out." The overseer then "raised his musket to his face, taking deadly aim at his standing victim, and in an instant poor Demby was no more." (1) Douglass felt obligated to tell the people of the north of this outrageous treatment and that no legal action was taken against the overseer. Frederick wanted to inform people that this treatment continues every day in the southern states. Fredericks second reason for writing his book was to prove that he was and had been a slave. When people found out that Frederick knew how to read, write and speak eloquently, they questioned if he had ever been a slave. Frederick states that "People doubted if I had ever been a slave." (1) He felt he needed to tell details of his story to legitimize his messages. He was successful in his task giving those included enough information to verify his life story if they chose. Frederick felt it was very important to tell his story even if it meant he had to flee to Europe for a time.
Frederick's story did not just inform the people of the north, it shocked them, Wm. Lloyd Garrison states that these people were "so profoundly ignorant of the nature of slavery". (1) People of the north acknowledged that the southern states had slaves but they did not know how the slaves were being treated. The people of the north were oblivious to the injustice, exposure to outrages and savage barbarity that the southern slaves were facing. They were also not aware of the scourging, mutilations, branding and banishment of knowledge that the slaves were receiving. "When all the rights of the humanity are annihilated, any barrier remains to protect the victim from the fury of the spoiler." The people of the north were not only shocked because of the treatment of the southern slaves, they were also shocked because it was still happening. In other examples, such as stories from the holocaust, the events are over. Frederick was writing with slavery still going on and with African American people still being beaten. Not only does Frederick write about the slaves still in the southern states he expresses his concern for those slaves. "From that time until now, I have been engaged in pleading the cause of my brethren - with what success and with devotion, I leave those acquainted with my labors to decide." (1)
Frederick Douglass' intent when he wrote his life story was to fight against slavery. Douglass continued to fight against slavery for the rest of his life, writing another book, My Bondage And My Freedom, and working with Lincoln to free the slaves. Frederick was the best fit to lead the abolitionists toward freedom of the African Americans. From the years 1842 to 1844 Frederick made speeches and soon started to publish a news paper for the free African Americans of the North. Gregory Stephens states that "it is Douglass, rather than Lincoln, who represents the Republican Party's most inclusive legacy."(1) Frederick was a great leader to the fight against slavery and his efforts would pay off in the end. Frederick not only participated in the fight against slavery, he took part in fighting for womens rights. He had an important role in the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, where they would take the first step in getting women rights. When he started the fight for womens rights he, started to publish stories in his paper with titles such as "Right is of no sex, truth is of no color."(1)
Frederick was very successful with his autobiography fighting against slavery. Fredericks story shocked all who read it at the time and it continues to educate readers, it made people realize that the slaves of the south were being cruelly treated and that something needed to be done about it. The stories Frederick told were gruesome and new to the people of the north. The world of the nineteenth century was completely different then our world today. Today if things such as slavery were happening in one part of the world it would be on the news and everyone in the world would know about it. However, this doesn't mean the U.S. does anything to help or change these situations. We need motivations to get involved such as Frederick's book. In the nineteenth century, there was no television or news to inform the people of what was going on. Frederick Douglass took on the task of informing and fighting against slavery and was very successful.
Citations
1) Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Signet Classics, 2005.
Frederick Douglass' felt his first obligation was to expose the treatment of the slaves to the citizens of the Northern states. Douglass' short book of one hundred and twenty one pages shows many times the cruel treatment the slaves received from their masters. One of the most striking examples Frederick gives is when a man ran into the lake to avoid being whipped. "He had given Demby but few stripes, when to get rid of the scourging, he ran and plunged himself into the creek, and stood there at the depth of his shoulders, refusing to come out." The overseer then "raised his musket to his face, taking deadly aim at his standing victim, and in an instant poor Demby was no more." (1) Douglass felt obligated to tell the people of the north of this outrageous treatment and that no legal action was taken against the overseer. Frederick wanted to inform people that this treatment continues every day in the southern states. Fredericks second reason for writing his book was to prove that he was and had been a slave. When people found out that Frederick knew how to read, write and speak eloquently, they questioned if he had ever been a slave. Frederick states that "People doubted if I had ever been a slave." (1) He felt he needed to tell details of his story to legitimize his messages. He was successful in his task giving those included enough information to verify his life story if they chose. Frederick felt it was very important to tell his story even if it meant he had to flee to Europe for a time.
Frederick's story did not just inform the people of the north, it shocked them, Wm. Lloyd Garrison states that these people were "so profoundly ignorant of the nature of slavery". (1) People of the north acknowledged that the southern states had slaves but they did not know how the slaves were being treated. The people of the north were oblivious to the injustice, exposure to outrages and savage barbarity that the southern slaves were facing. They were also not aware of the scourging, mutilations, branding and banishment of knowledge that the slaves were receiving. "When all the rights of the humanity are annihilated, any barrier remains to protect the victim from the fury of the spoiler." The people of the north were not only shocked because of the treatment of the southern slaves, they were also shocked because it was still happening. In other examples, such as stories from the holocaust, the events are over. Frederick was writing with slavery still going on and with African American people still being beaten. Not only does Frederick write about the slaves still in the southern states he expresses his concern for those slaves. "From that time until now, I have been engaged in pleading the cause of my brethren - with what success and with devotion, I leave those acquainted with my labors to decide." (1)
Frederick Douglass' intent when he wrote his life story was to fight against slavery. Douglass continued to fight against slavery for the rest of his life, writing another book, My Bondage And My Freedom, and working with Lincoln to free the slaves. Frederick was the best fit to lead the abolitionists toward freedom of the African Americans. From the years 1842 to 1844 Frederick made speeches and soon started to publish a news paper for the free African Americans of the North. Gregory Stephens states that "it is Douglass, rather than Lincoln, who represents the Republican Party's most inclusive legacy."(1) Frederick was a great leader to the fight against slavery and his efforts would pay off in the end. Frederick not only participated in the fight against slavery, he took part in fighting for womens rights. He had an important role in the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, where they would take the first step in getting women rights. When he started the fight for womens rights he, started to publish stories in his paper with titles such as "Right is of no sex, truth is of no color."(1)
Frederick was very successful with his autobiography fighting against slavery. Fredericks story shocked all who read it at the time and it continues to educate readers, it made people realize that the slaves of the south were being cruelly treated and that something needed to be done about it. The stories Frederick told were gruesome and new to the people of the north. The world of the nineteenth century was completely different then our world today. Today if things such as slavery were happening in one part of the world it would be on the news and everyone in the world would know about it. However, this doesn't mean the U.S. does anything to help or change these situations. We need motivations to get involved such as Frederick's book. In the nineteenth century, there was no television or news to inform the people of what was going on. Frederick Douglass took on the task of informing and fighting against slavery and was very successful.
Citations
1) Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Signet Classics, 2005.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Franklin Virtue
The virtue that I chose was cleanliness. I have chosen to use franklin's definition, tolerate no uncleanliness in the body, cloths, or habitation. I liked his definition because he covered all the bases, cleaning yourself and anything that will affect you. I picked this virtue because I am usually a pretty clean person but this summer with all of my work, summer work, sports and family functions, that has gone out of the window and my room along with other parts of my daily life has become very unclean. I plan to work on this virtue by keeping everything around me clean, making sure that the space I live in has no mess and is very organized so I know where everything is and I will be presented as a person that has it all together. I will make sure that the things I use are put back where I got them so some one else does not have to clean them up. I will clean one part of my clothes and habitation every day.
Saturday-
Today I wake up and do my normal morning duties, take a shower, brush my teeth, comb my hair and put it up and put in my contacts. This starts my clean day off well. My day continues and I participate in a chocolate slip and slide, this was not clean but as soon as it was done I took a shower with extra shampoo to clean off all of the chocolate and to get into clean clothes. I participate in a game of man hunt with the other teenagers at the campground and obtain a grass stain on my pants. I had to go back to the camp to change my pants and wash them so the stain will not be a dark as it could be.
Sunday-
Being at the campground throws off my cleanliness, I have to get up and clean out the tent. This means that I have to take the pillows and blankets from the bed and bring them into the camper to put them under the couch. I had to then take down the air mattress and put it back into the bag. (This is not an easy task, but it keeps it clean.) When that was done I could do my normal morning things, shower brush my teeth and hair ect. We get home and we have to clean out the camper and bring everything inside. Once the camper is cleaned I can go to wal-mart and get the supplies to wash my car. I bring them home and take 2 hours to wash my car.
Monday-
Today I woke up and took a shower, brushed my teeth and hair and put my contacts in. My cousin had stayed the night and I had to pick up the air mattress that she had used. Cleanliness is not only cleaning yourself but cleaning anything that will affect yourself, like this bed in the middle of my floor. It occurred to me that cleanliness of habitat would imply making my bed every morning and I made my bed when I thought about it.
Tuesday-
I wake up and do my morning routine and added making my bed to my routine. I packed in my duffel bag all of the clean clothes that I would need for my sports of the day. I took another shower when returning from the rope swing in Hartland. I had to drive to Laura's house on her dirt road and got my car completely covered in dirt, I had to wash it off when I got home that night. After meeting Laura I changed into my softball clean clothes and then went to the game. After my softball game I had to change into my clean basketball clothes very quickly and play in the game. When the game was over I had to get out of the sweaty clothes and put on clean ones for the baseball game I went to watch.
Wednesday-
I wake up and do not take my shower because we are headed to the beach and I would get very dirty at the beach. When we got to the beach Laura and I set up towels on the sand so we could lay or sit down without getting the sand all over us. I went swimming in the ocean and then dried off on my towel so the sand would fall off me. I took a shower and put on clean clothes so I could ride home. My sister drove my car to the beach today, while I drove with my other siblings in my fathers car. I have to clean out my car from the mess that was made in it. When I get into my room I find another mess of clothes that are still in the laundry basket and dirty clothes that need to be taken down to the wash. I take care of the mess and start the wash.
Thursday-
Again I wake up and do my morning cleaning, shower, brush my teeth and hair, get dressed in clean clothes and make my bed. From the beach there is a lot of sand in my car so my cleaning for today is to vacuum out my car. I noticed that my dirty clothes were getting high and I sorted them and started the washer. That was my cleaning for the day.
Friday-
I got up this morning and had to watch my little brothers, this puts off my morning shower and clean up a little bit. I switched my clothes from the washer to the dryer. When the clothes were done in the dryer I took them to my room and took care of them. I also cleaned my room and the bathroom.
Evaluation-
I think that I did pretty well with my virtue. I cleaned one big part of my body, clothes and habitat on each day. I feel that my virtue is was hard at times and not hard at other times. I found it actually relaxing to clean and be by myself for the time I was cleaning. I also found out that cleanliness has a lot more to it then just picking up after yourself when you are talking about cleanliness in habitat. Many other people can make a mess in your habitat that you have to clean it, like my sister and my car. I also think that I was not always clean, I did not master my virtue. To tolerate no uncleanliness has its hard times, if you fallow it all the time then you will have to miss out on things like the chocolate slip and slide and other fun things. It is impossible to have no tolerance.
Saturday-
Today I wake up and do my normal morning duties, take a shower, brush my teeth, comb my hair and put it up and put in my contacts. This starts my clean day off well. My day continues and I participate in a chocolate slip and slide, this was not clean but as soon as it was done I took a shower with extra shampoo to clean off all of the chocolate and to get into clean clothes. I participate in a game of man hunt with the other teenagers at the campground and obtain a grass stain on my pants. I had to go back to the camp to change my pants and wash them so the stain will not be a dark as it could be.
Sunday-
Being at the campground throws off my cleanliness, I have to get up and clean out the tent. This means that I have to take the pillows and blankets from the bed and bring them into the camper to put them under the couch. I had to then take down the air mattress and put it back into the bag. (This is not an easy task, but it keeps it clean.) When that was done I could do my normal morning things, shower brush my teeth and hair ect. We get home and we have to clean out the camper and bring everything inside. Once the camper is cleaned I can go to wal-mart and get the supplies to wash my car. I bring them home and take 2 hours to wash my car.
Monday-
Today I woke up and took a shower, brushed my teeth and hair and put my contacts in. My cousin had stayed the night and I had to pick up the air mattress that she had used. Cleanliness is not only cleaning yourself but cleaning anything that will affect yourself, like this bed in the middle of my floor. It occurred to me that cleanliness of habitat would imply making my bed every morning and I made my bed when I thought about it.
Tuesday-
I wake up and do my morning routine and added making my bed to my routine. I packed in my duffel bag all of the clean clothes that I would need for my sports of the day. I took another shower when returning from the rope swing in Hartland. I had to drive to Laura's house on her dirt road and got my car completely covered in dirt, I had to wash it off when I got home that night. After meeting Laura I changed into my softball clean clothes and then went to the game. After my softball game I had to change into my clean basketball clothes very quickly and play in the game. When the game was over I had to get out of the sweaty clothes and put on clean ones for the baseball game I went to watch.
Wednesday-
I wake up and do not take my shower because we are headed to the beach and I would get very dirty at the beach. When we got to the beach Laura and I set up towels on the sand so we could lay or sit down without getting the sand all over us. I went swimming in the ocean and then dried off on my towel so the sand would fall off me. I took a shower and put on clean clothes so I could ride home. My sister drove my car to the beach today, while I drove with my other siblings in my fathers car. I have to clean out my car from the mess that was made in it. When I get into my room I find another mess of clothes that are still in the laundry basket and dirty clothes that need to be taken down to the wash. I take care of the mess and start the wash.
Thursday-
Again I wake up and do my morning cleaning, shower, brush my teeth and hair, get dressed in clean clothes and make my bed. From the beach there is a lot of sand in my car so my cleaning for today is to vacuum out my car. I noticed that my dirty clothes were getting high and I sorted them and started the washer. That was my cleaning for the day.
Friday-
I got up this morning and had to watch my little brothers, this puts off my morning shower and clean up a little bit. I switched my clothes from the washer to the dryer. When the clothes were done in the dryer I took them to my room and took care of them. I also cleaned my room and the bathroom.
Evaluation-
I think that I did pretty well with my virtue. I cleaned one big part of my body, clothes and habitat on each day. I feel that my virtue is was hard at times and not hard at other times. I found it actually relaxing to clean and be by myself for the time I was cleaning. I also found out that cleanliness has a lot more to it then just picking up after yourself when you are talking about cleanliness in habitat. Many other people can make a mess in your habitat that you have to clean it, like my sister and my car. I also think that I was not always clean, I did not master my virtue. To tolerate no uncleanliness has its hard times, if you fallow it all the time then you will have to miss out on things like the chocolate slip and slide and other fun things. It is impossible to have no tolerance.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Third Week: Touching Spirit Bear
During Cole's time on the island, he spends a lot of time creating a totem pole to represent the change that is happening within him. Totem poles are an ancient tradition of the Northwest Native American tribes. They depict legends, clan lineages and notable events. They also illustrate stories historic people, represent shamanic people and they provide objects of public ridicule. Some poles represent quarrels, murder and/or debt. Native Americans created totem poles to celebrate cultural beliefs, artistic presentations and mortuaries. Native Americans drew inspiration from things around them such as animals or natural elements. They placed them on the totem pole in order of their importance. Many tribes used the bottom
as the most important. The totem pole was the first thing that people were going to see when they were on the tribes ground therefore the totem pole had to look representable. The tribes chief carver and his apprentice carved the totem poles, the chief would carve the bottom 1o ft and his apprentice would carve the top. The bottom would be of better quality and usually represented the most important event or legend. Cole used the totem pole to represent the change he was making, he used the animals he was seeing on the island to show the lessons he was learning. The most important part of his change was located at the bottom of the totem pole, helping Peter. Cole used the pole to help him change and it became the link to him helping Peter get past Cole beating him and putting him in hospital.
"Native American Totem Poles." 2007. Native Languages of America. 13 July 2008.
"Native American Totem Poles." Support Native American Art. 2008. 13 July 2008.
as the most important. The totem pole was the first thing that people were going to see when they were on the tribes ground therefore the totem pole had to look representable. The tribes chief carver and his apprentice carved the totem poles, the chief would carve the bottom 1o ft and his apprentice would carve the top. The bottom would be of better quality and usually represented the most important event or legend. Cole used the totem pole to represent the change he was making, he used the animals he was seeing on the island to show the lessons he was learning. The most important part of his change was located at the bottom of the totem pole, helping Peter. Cole used the pole to help him change and it became the link to him helping Peter get past Cole beating him and putting him in hospital.
"Native American Totem Poles." 2007. Native Languages of America. 13 July 2008
"Native American Totem Poles." Support Native American Art. 2008. 13 July 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Authors Intent: A midwife's Tale
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich has a strong background and interest in history. Mrs. Ulrich gained her bachelors degree in history at the University of Utah, her masters in English Literature at Simmons college and her Ph D in history at the University of New Hampshire. Professor Ulrich is now the James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History. Her books all center around women and their role in society during Early America. Her love of history and research and interest in exposing the roles of women in early American society have led to interesting nonfiction works enlightening us. Professor Ulrich's main interest in Martha Ballard's diary was to define the role of women in the late 18th early 19th centuries. Her authors intent was to inform and enlighten us of the roles of women in Hallowell, Maine and their workings in the community.
Ulrich's first book was titled Good Wives, this book explained the role of "good' wives in traditional society. Ulrich was striving to provide insight on the lives of early American women in New England, she used court records, probate records, family papers, diaries of men, church records and contents of ministerial sermons to show the roles of women in early America. This book led Laurel Ulrich to search for more data related to women and early American history and she stumbled upon Martha's diary in the Maine state library. This let her to petition for the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities to allow her to study and interpret Martha's Diary. Professor Ulrich saw studying Martha's diary as a connection between past work and future work. Professor Ulrich's planned a two month study of the diary which turned into an 8 year dissection of Martha's diary that turned into A Midwife's Tale.
Professor Ulrich had many intents while writing this book. Her first intent was to examine an old and detailed diary that had not yet been used to its full potential. James E. North quoted a few passages from Martha's diary but he did not focus on the female aspects presented in the diary. The diary was partially neglected because of North's excerpts chosen for the History of Augusta. Professor Ulrich intended to provide us with a valuable exhibit of everyday life of the 18/19 century. Her book would show how the little town of Hallowell functioned from when Martha moved to Hallowell 1785 to Martha's death in 1812.
In her first book Good Wives, Professor Ulrich had a hard time finding women's writings and accounts from the early New England time period. Thus making it harder to write her book. When she started to research Martha's diary, she was amazed at the amount of material in it. She states that "Martha's diary is an unparalleled document in early American history." and that it is "powerful in part because it is so difficult to use". Ulrich's initial intention was to have a short paper that would connect her current writing and her future writing, that would only take her the summer. As she started to read and dissect Martha's diary, her intent changed from just being a short connecting paper to a book that would explain the daily life of early Maine.
Ulrich's intention was not to publish Martha's diary or to make a substitute for Martha's diary but to interpret the diary for twentieth century readers. With this intent Ulrich had to do additional research looking at wills, tax lists, deeds, court records, medical treatises, novels, and fragmentary papers of Maine physicians. With this research and Martha's diary, Ulrich was able to create a book about the womens role in the 18th/19th centuries with great support from Martha's records. It gives us insight into the community from a woman's view and an idea of women's daily life in this time period. Professor Ulrich was successful at defining the role of women in the late 18th early 19th century.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich has a strong background and interest in history. Mrs. Ulrich gained her bachelors degree in history at the University of Utah, her masters in English Literature at Simmons college and her Ph D in history at the University of New Hampshire. Professor Ulrich is now the James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History. Her books all center around women and their role in society during Early America. Her love of history and research and interest in exposing the roles of women in early American society have led to interesting nonfiction works enlightening us. Professor Ulrich's main interest in Martha Ballard's diary was to define the role of women in the late 18th early 19th centuries. Her authors intent was to inform and enlighten us of the roles of women in Hallowell, Maine and their workings in the community.
Ulrich's first book was titled Good Wives, this book explained the role of "good' wives in traditional society. Ulrich was striving to provide insight on the lives of early American women in New England, she used court records, probate records, family papers, diaries of men, church records and contents of ministerial sermons to show the roles of women in early America. This book led Laurel Ulrich to search for more data related to women and early American history and she stumbled upon Martha's diary in the Maine state library. This let her to petition for the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities to allow her to study and interpret Martha's Diary. Professor Ulrich saw studying Martha's diary as a connection between past work and future work. Professor Ulrich's planned a two month study of the diary which turned into an 8 year dissection of Martha's diary that turned into A Midwife's Tale.
Professor Ulrich had many intents while writing this book. Her first intent was to examine an old and detailed diary that had not yet been used to its full potential. James E. North quoted a few passages from Martha's diary but he did not focus on the female aspects presented in the diary. The diary was partially neglected because of North's excerpts chosen for the History of Augusta. Professor Ulrich intended to provide us with a valuable exhibit of everyday life of the 18/19 century. Her book would show how the little town of Hallowell functioned from when Martha moved to Hallowell 1785 to Martha's death in 1812.
In her first book Good Wives, Professor Ulrich had a hard time finding women's writings and accounts from the early New England time period. Thus making it harder to write her book. When she started to research Martha's diary, she was amazed at the amount of material in it. She states that "Martha's diary is an unparalleled document in early American history." and that it is "powerful in part because it is so difficult to use". Ulrich's initial intention was to have a short paper that would connect her current writing and her future writing, that would only take her the summer. As she started to read and dissect Martha's diary, her intent changed from just being a short connecting paper to a book that would explain the daily life of early Maine.
Ulrich's intention was not to publish Martha's diary or to make a substitute for Martha's diary but to interpret the diary for twentieth century readers. With this intent Ulrich had to do additional research looking at wills, tax lists, deeds, court records, medical treatises, novels, and fragmentary papers of Maine physicians. With this research and Martha's diary, Ulrich was able to create a book about the womens role in the 18th/19th centuries with great support from Martha's records. It gives us insight into the community from a woman's view and an idea of women's daily life in this time period. Professor Ulrich was successful at defining the role of women in the late 18th early 19th century.
Monday, July 7, 2008
There are certain basic parts to being a community, parts that every community should have whether it is successful or not. A community starts with providing a safe place to live. Safety usually stems from some sort of organization, law or community rules that allow people to successfully get along and live together. A more successful community would include developing friendships, social relations such as barn raisings and dances and developing groups which people interact with such as churches, clubs or community centers. These other activities may mean that you have a bigger community not necessarily a more successful community.
In the late 18th early 19th century town of Hallowell, a high percentage of the people worked to make a successful community. Almost every person in the town had a part in the community, whether they were the midwife traveling to all of the homes tending to the sick and delivering babies or the women working together to make quilts and textiles. Trying to create a successful community played a larger role in the lives of the citizens of Hallowell, Maine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries than today. Martha Ballard shows many examples of this in her diary.
First, Martha talks many times of the women of the town attending the births of other women to assist the new mother. The women attending did not have to have any relation to the mother to be, they simply wanted to lend their help and knowledge to a community member. Martha noted this several times throughout her diary, " The babe weighted 11 pounds Sally Cleark & Preuda Snow came at evening, there all night." , "Pruda helpt wash Sally assisted. She tarried all night." (1, pg 314) During most childbirth today, the people that assist the mother in the hospital are usually family members and close friends along with the doctor that is delivering the baby. Other community members from where the women lives do not attend the mother during delivery.
A second example Martha discusses is how citizens work together to help each other out. When the Ballard mill had burned, she explains that the men came to help and the women prepared for the dance that would fallow the finishing of the mills. "The working men came to begin the framing.", "We raised the saw mill fraim Mr. Marsh & Thomas were hurt. The business otherways done with safety.", "The young folks had a dance at evening, dispersed at midnight." (1, pg 71) The people of Hallowell came together to help a man in need of a mill and successfully built one. This kind of help was common during Martha's time, she talks of other times when barns had burned or were needed and the Hallowell town came together to help rebuild/build the barn. Martha referred to these as barn raisings. Today when a barn burns the town goes out to watch but no one thinks about helping to rebuild the barn, we hire a contractor. The occurrence of a community coming together to rebuild a home does happen rarely and many times it is for tv publicity.
A third example is seen throughout Martha's diary, she talks about dressing and preparing members of the community that have died. Martha and other midwife's who tend to the sick and dying, wash the bodies and put on the burial clothes when they die. "I went to Doct Colmans at 1 hour pm. His child expird at 4. I put on the grave cloaths and tarried till 7. " (1, pg 72) "Shee departed this life about 1 pm. I asisted to lay her out." (1, pg 39) When a person dies today they are sent to a mortician, who cleans prepares the body and makes the body presentable to family and friends. This job is usually done by one man who preforms this duty by himself for many years, not the community as a whole. Martha's examples show the difference in importance of a community in the lives of people in the late 18th early 19th century and the lives of people today.
Martha's diary gives us a final example revolving around citizens trading trading in the community. People within the Hallowell community frequently traded goods and services to help their neighbors and themselves. "Mrs Savage here. Shee has spun 40 double skeins for me since April 15th and had 2 bushl of ashes & some phisic for James... I let her have skein of lining wrap. The whole is 6/ X", "Called at Daughter Lambards. Brot 6 lbs 3/4 veal from her. Lafaett Ploughd the S end of our field." Martha and Daughter Lambard have traded veal for a plowed field. Today our primary way of obtaining what we need is to use money as payment, their is very little trading of goods for services, goods for goods, etc. in our communities.
In the late 18th early 19th century town of Hallowell, a high percentage of the people worked to make a successful community. Almost every person in the town had a part in the community, whether they were the midwife traveling to all of the homes tending to the sick and delivering babies or the women working together to make quilts and textiles. Trying to create a successful community played a larger role in the lives of the citizens of Hallowell, Maine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries than today. Martha Ballard shows many examples of this in her diary.
First, Martha talks many times of the women of the town attending the births of other women to assist the new mother. The women attending did not have to have any relation to the mother to be, they simply wanted to lend their help and knowledge to a community member. Martha noted this several times throughout her diary, " The babe weighted 11 pounds Sally Cleark & Preuda Snow came at evening, there all night." , "Pruda helpt wash Sally assisted. She tarried all night." (1, pg 314) During most childbirth today, the people that assist the mother in the hospital are usually family members and close friends along with the doctor that is delivering the baby. Other community members from where the women lives do not attend the mother during delivery.
A second example Martha discusses is how citizens work together to help each other out. When the Ballard mill had burned, she explains that the men came to help and the women prepared for the dance that would fallow the finishing of the mills. "The working men came to begin the framing.", "We raised the saw mill fraim Mr. Marsh & Thomas were hurt. The business otherways done with safety.", "The young folks had a dance at evening, dispersed at midnight." (1, pg 71) The people of Hallowell came together to help a man in need of a mill and successfully built one. This kind of help was common during Martha's time, she talks of other times when barns had burned or were needed and the Hallowell town came together to help rebuild/build the barn. Martha referred to these as barn raisings. Today when a barn burns the town goes out to watch but no one thinks about helping to rebuild the barn, we hire a contractor. The occurrence of a community coming together to rebuild a home does happen rarely and many times it is for tv publicity.
A third example is seen throughout Martha's diary, she talks about dressing and preparing members of the community that have died. Martha and other midwife's who tend to the sick and dying, wash the bodies and put on the burial clothes when they die. "I went to Doct Colmans at 1 hour pm. His child expird at 4. I put on the grave cloaths and tarried till 7. " (1, pg 72) "Shee departed this life about 1 pm. I asisted to lay her out." (1, pg 39) When a person dies today they are sent to a mortician, who cleans prepares the body and makes the body presentable to family and friends. This job is usually done by one man who preforms this duty by himself for many years, not the community as a whole. Martha's examples show the difference in importance of a community in the lives of people in the late 18th early 19th century and the lives of people today.
Martha's diary gives us a final example revolving around citizens trading trading in the community. People within the Hallowell community frequently traded goods and services to help their neighbors and themselves. "Mrs Savage here. Shee has spun 40 double skeins for me since April 15th and had 2 bushl of ashes & some phisic for James... I let her have skein of lining wrap. The whole is 6/ X", "Called at Daughter Lambards. Brot 6 lbs 3/4 veal from her. Lafaett Ploughd the S end of our field." Martha and Daughter Lambard have traded veal for a plowed field. Today our primary way of obtaining what we need is to use money as payment, their is very little trading of goods for services, goods for goods, etc. in our communities.
Today the size of our communities is much larger then the size of the Hallowell community. With so little people in Hallowell, most folks knew all of the people that live around them and and in the grater community of Hallowell. The people in this community was very dependent on other to get through daily life. Members of the community depended on Martha to help them get better and to deliver their babies while Martha depended on Sally and other housekeepers to keep her house clean. The towns and communities of today are mostly much larger then the small town of Hallowell in the 1700's. We do not depend on the members of our town to take care of us in bad health or to clean our homes, like the members of the Hallowell community. The size of Hallowell directed the members to be a community that worked together to get through daily life. The size of our towns and communities today give us the choice to be part of our community or not.
In Martha's time a higher percentage of people made building and maintaining a community an important part of their lives. Today being a part of building and maintaining a community is more of a choice. You can live and function in a town/community and choose not to be a part of the community activities or you can take action and be a part of the community. This was not true in Hallowell, Maine in the 18th and 19th century. To survive you had to have community connections to get weaving, food, a home built, etc. Today developing and improving our community does not seem to be such a high priority for everyone.
Source
1) Ulrich, Laurel T. A Midwife's Tale. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
In Martha's time a higher percentage of people made building and maintaining a community an important part of their lives. Today being a part of building and maintaining a community is more of a choice. You can live and function in a town/community and choose not to be a part of the community activities or you can take action and be a part of the community. This was not true in Hallowell, Maine in the 18th and 19th century. To survive you had to have community connections to get weaving, food, a home built, etc. Today developing and improving our community does not seem to be such a high priority for everyone.
Source
1) Ulrich, Laurel T. A Midwife's Tale. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Cole in start of this section gets attacked by a bear and gains nerve damage in his arm. I was interested in how much the muscle damage would effect him when he was back on the island building his own shelter and fending for himself. There are three types of nerve injury, neurapraxia, axonotmesis and neurotmesis. In a neurapraxia injury the nerve stays intact with the nerve fibers having an interruption in the condition of communication. This type of nerve damage can be fully recovered. In a axonotmesis injury there is damage to the neuronal axon, the nerve communication to the brain and its protective shield. This type of injury can paralyze the motion and feeling in the area and is only fully recoverable if surgery is preformed soon after the damage is done. In a neurotmesis nerve injury there is damage to the neuronal axon and also cutting off the connection to the tissue, disrupting the structure of the nerve. Motion and feeling is completely lost and the nerve is completely divided causing permanent damage that is not often fixable. Cole's damage from the description in the book is most like axonotmesis nerve injury, he has motion in the arm and he can feel it but it did not fully recover all of the motion and feeling. This injury will make it hard for Cole to build his new shelter when he must reach over his head with his weak arm. Cole's injury will give him trouble for the rest of the book.
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