Course: HIST. 4941
Professor: Dr. Arwin D. Smallwood, Office: 121 Mitchell Hall, Phone (901)
678-3869,
asmallwd@memphis.edu.
HIST. 4941
History of the American Indian
Course Description:
History 4949 is a survey on Native American History from its earliest
beginnings to present. The course examines the origins and varied cultures of
Native Americans and their relations with Europeans and Africans since 1492.
Events of major importance to Native Americans in the context of American
history will also be discussed in the context of American History.
For a Study Abroad opportunity for this course, visit: Study Abroad to Canada.
Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to help students better understand the
Native-American experience and how that experience has shaped and impacted the
lives of all Americans, from European contact to the present. Additionally, this
course will give students a detailed and thorough history of native people in
America. Students will be taught to think and write critically and to verbalize
historical viewpoints. Students will be expected to critically analyze both
events and personalities that have impacted the lives of Native Americans.
Required Books:
Forbes, Jack D. Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the
Evolution of
Red-Black Peoples.
Gallay, Allan. The Indian Slave Trade: The Rise of the English Empire in the
American South 1670-1717
Katz, William Loren. Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage.
Sutton, Mark Q. An Introduction to Native North America.
Trafzer, Clifford E. As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow.
All students will be required to:
1. Attend all classes on time daily;
2. Complete all reading assignments before class;
3. Take two exams, a final, and turn in one 10-15 page paper.
Assignment Schedule:
1st Exam
2nd Exam
Paper Due
Final Exam (See University Exam Schedule)
No Make-up exams without valid university approved excuse.
Course Grading System:
Course grade will be computed as follows:
1st Exam 20%
2nd Exam 20%
Paper 25%
Final Exam 35%
You will be graded on a ten point scale:
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = 0-59
Grading System for Paper
I. Structure = 25 points
A. Introduction
B. Body
C. Conclusion
D. Footnotes or Endnotes
E. Bibliography
II. Mechanics = 25 points
A. Grammar (including proper use of words)
B. Sentence structure and phrasing
C. Overall readability of paper
D. Correct usage of footnotes
E. Correct format for bibliography
III. Content = 50 points
A. Is it apparent that student is familiar with sources?
B. How well does student prove his/her point?
C. Does student use valid comparisons and contrasts?
D. Does the introduction give a thorough overview of paper?
E. Did student integrate 1) articles, 2) books, 3) lectures into paper?
F. How well does the paper address its thesis?
G. Does the conclusion bring paper to a proper close?
HIS 4941 Paper
Paper Topic: “The Tuscarora Indians of the Iroquois Confederation, 1585 to
2000.” The class will be divided into 5 groups and each group will research an
eighty year period of history using primary and secondary sources. Each member
of the groups will produce an 8 - 10 page paper on their sub-divided section of
that eighty year period.
Paper Requirements
Paper Format
Papers should be 8 -10 pages in length with a clear thesis, introduction, body,
conclusion, footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography. Papers are to be typed,
double-spaced, and written in clear and concise prose.
Plagiarism
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, MA.: Merriam-Webster
Inc., 1983) defines "to plagiarize" as "to steal and pass off (the ideas or
words of another) as one's own...without crediting the source." Plagiarism is
the worst form of academic misconduct. Thus, plagiarism is a serious issue, and
it can result in severe penalties. For students this could be a failing grade
for the work containing the plagiarized material. In some cases it could result
in a failing grade for the course or, in flagrant circumstances, even permanent
expulsion from the university. It is important to emphasize that paraphrased
ideas must also be credited the same as if they were a direct quote. Students
can avoid the risk of plagiarizing the source material by using an acceptable
citation style guide. You can avoid plagiarism by citing your sources using Kate
Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, most
recent edition. In all cases, if the student has any question about plagiarism
he/she should check with their professor before submitting the final copy.
Plagiarism is committed when the plagiarized material is submitted for class
credit.
Submitting Assignments
All assignments for this class MUST be submitted both electronically via the
website turnItIn.com AND as a paper hardcopy given directly to the professor.
Failure to submit any assignments by both methods will result in the assignment
not being accepted and not being graded.
Work Eligible for Class Credit:
Papers, reviews, and projects submitted for credit in another class at this
university or any other institution are not eligible for credit in this class or
any other class in The University of Memphis History Department. The submission
of such work will result in a grade of zero and, in some cases, can be referred
to the appropriate office for possibly more severe penalties.
Late Papers
Papers are due at the start of class on the due date. Late Papers will
automatically receive a grade of “F”.
Paper Components
Thesis
Your paper should have a thesis, a sentence that states the main point of the
paper.
Introduction
Your introduction should tell the reader in brief what you are going to discuss
in the body of your paper. It should indicate how the paper’s contents will be
organized and developed.
Body
Using the paper’s thesis as a guide, plan the major sections of the paper’s body
and make sure that each section relates directly to the paper’s thesis and
logically to the other sections in the paper. Provide transitional elements
(phrases, sentences, paragraphs) in the paper’s body to logically connect ideas,
paragraphs, and sections.
Conclusion
Your paper’s conclusion should summarize the main points of the paper in much
the same manner the introduction prepares the reader for what is to come.
Footnotes or Endnotes
Your paper should contain footnotes or endnotes which cite your primary and
secondary sources (No Parenthetical References). Failure to cite sources is
plagiarism, which will result in the grade of “F” (see Kate Turabian for format
and style, pp. 165-174).
Specific Instructional Objectives:
1. Discuss North America: Its climate, geography, and people before European
exploration.
2. Discuss the major Native American cultural groups found in South American and
the Caribbean before contact with Europeans.
3. Discuss the major Native American cultural groups found in North America
before European contact.
4. Discuss the Native American high cultures found in Central and South America:
Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas.
5. Discuss the Native American high cultures found in North America: Northwest
Pacific Coast, Northeastern Woodlands, Southwest and early Mississippian
cultures.
6. Discuss the role of Native Americans in the exploration, settlement, and
conquest of North America.
7. Discuss the Native American Slave Trade in the Caribbean, South America and
North America.
8. Discuss the Papal Decrees and the Treaty of Tordesillas, the “Line of
Demarcation” between Portugal and Spain and its impact on Native Americans.
9. Discuss Native American wars, revolts, and Maroon Communities in the Spanish,
Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch colonies of the Caribbean and the
Americas.
10. Trace the expansion of white settlements through wars with the Native
Americans during the colonial period in North America’s southern, middle and New
England colonies.
11. Discuss the social and legal status of Native American slaves in North
America during the Colonial era.
12. Discuss the role of Native Americans in early Colonial trade in the
Americas.
13. Discuss the role of Native Americans in the American Revolution.
14. Discuss the impact of African slavery on Native Americans during the
Antebellum Period.
15. Discuss goals of U.S. Indian Policy during the Antebellum Period.
16. Discuss President Jackson’s administration and Indian Removal, 1828 to 1836.
17. Discuss the role of Native Americans in the Civil War, 1861-1865.
18. Discuss the impact of the Civil War on the Native Americans of Oklahoma.
19. Discuss the Indian Wars of the West, 1865 to 1890, and their impact on the
Western Plains Indians.
20. Discuss the impact of reservations, civilization and allotment on the
Western Plains Indians.
21. Discuss the impact of the settling and closing of the west on Native
Americans.
22. Discuss the impact of progressives and progressivism on Native Americans in
the early 20th Century.
23. Discuss the impact of the “Great Depression” and the “New Deal” on Native
Americans.
24. Discuss the role of Native Americans in winning Word War II.
25. Discuss the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on Native Americans.
26. Discuss the religious, educational, cultural, and economic renaissance of
many Native peoples, 1970 to present.
27. Discuss the new problems of Native American identity: Full
Blood-Mixed-Blood, Generic, and Ersatz.
28. Discuss issues and problems that Native Americans may deal with in the
future.
Schedule of Assignments:
Week 1:
- Lecture. “Native Americans, an Introduction.”
- An Introduction to Native North America. Chapter 1, 2, & 3
Week 2:
- An Introduction to Native North America. Chapter 4, 5 & 6
Week 3:
- An Introduction to Native North America. Chapter 7, 8, & 9
Week 4:
- An Introduction to Native North America. Chapter 10, 11, &12
- Review for 1st Exam
Week 5:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapter 1 & 2
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 1 & 2
- Africans and Native-Americans. Chapter 1 & 2
- Exam #1, September 27
Week 6:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapter 3 & 4
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 3 & 4
- Africans and Native-Americans. Chapter 3 & 4
Week 7:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapter 5 & 6
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 5 & 6
- Africans and Native-Americans. Chapter 5 & 6
- Black Indians (entire book)
Week 8:
- No class October 16 “Fall Break”
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapter 7 & 8
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 7 & 8
- Africans and Native-Americans. Chapter 7 & 8
Week 9:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapter 9 & 10, “Native
Americans During the Civil War”
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 9 & 10
- Africans and Native-Americans. Chapter 9 & 10
- Review for 2nd Exam
Week 10:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapters 11 & 12, “American
Indians and the War for Control of the Plains.”
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 11 & 12
- Exam #2,
Week 11:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapters 13 & 14,
“Reservation Life and Indian Defiance.”
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 13 & 14
Week 12:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapter 15, “Indians and
Progressives.”
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 15 & 16
Week 13:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapter 16-18, “Indians and the
New Deal, Native Americans and their Role in World War II.”
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 17 & 18
Week 14:
- As Long as the Grass Shall Grow and Rivers Flow. Chapters 19-22, “Activism,
Alcatraz and Wounded Knee.”
- Native American Testimony 1492-1992. Chapter 19
- Paper Due November 29
Week 15:
- LAST DAY OF CLASS, REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM
- (See University Exam Schedule)