Native American History Paper

Words: 698
Pages: 3
Open Document
Preliminary Research
My initial research conducted aimed to assess the perpetuated Image of American Indians within popular culture, and how this romanticised Image presents an inadequacy towards consideration of their often unjustifiable treatment at the hands of a European Society. I began research on this idea in regards to Mount Rushmore, but in doing so realised that this specific topic would prove fallible and decided to take a different path and explore the changing approaches of historical investigation towards Indigenous Americans. Sources used in doing this were mostly historical papers, written from a non-indigenous perspective, and varied from being primary and secondary. I selected such articles as whilst studying the historical …show more content…
In order to effectively discuss this change, I will first deliberate over the changing philosophies surrounding Indian history, how its dynamic nature presents a epistemological defiance to a politicized Western historical tradition. I will then progress to the context of historians who wrote on Indigenous history, and how their assumptions of European superiority resulted in a stubborn bias towards the professionalization of academic inquiry. This discourse is heavily influenced by their context, their writings reflecting the Euro-American colonial assumptions at the time, and the accompanying military subjugation of Native American communities. My paper will also delve into how such approaches have changed over time, taking into consideration conceptual, methodological, and theoretical shifts, along with socio-political historical events that have positively impacted Native sovereignty; such scholarly interpretations, changes in public policy, and race relations aiding the development of Native History. Such changing historical interpretations and perspectives of Native American history will be discussed in detail throughout my essay, analysing how this history was and continues to be largely ignored by historians, from Helen Hunt’s Jackson’s self published A Century of Dishnor in 1890 to the approaches of Social Scientists and Anthropologists in the century to …show more content…
A problem that may arise from using primarily secondary sources is that I will not effectively answer my question due to not being able to account for the changes in American Indian History, unable to provide secondary sources in order to more effectively highlight this. To counteract this, I will attempt to use a variety of other sources, notably primary; including personal accounts, religious commentary, and historical recordings of earlier times. The period of where I will gather my sources begins from the late 1800’s until current, this transgression over time allowing for me to effectively comment on the varying approaches to American Indian history, bringing fore the contextual influence on differing approaches. I would like to direct my essay on some of the thoughts presented in Schloraly essays “Native Americans and American History” by Flavin Francis and “From Savages to Sovereigns: A General Historiography of American Indian History” by Jeffrey P. Shephered, which discuss the deficiencies and limitations of Native-Indian history, yet comment on how such diverse history can be informative and engaging, with a variety of areas of inquiry. I will also endeavour to investigate
Show More

Related Documents: Native American History Paper

Native American History Research Paper

Introduction Native American history and culture has been generally misunderstood or misconstrued by outsiders. They were the first settlers of North America, yet why isn’t their history, culture, and feats been recorded in tomes of history books or taught to the average student in the elementary/secondary classroom? The ordinary person’s knowledge of Native Americans’ appearance, clothing, life-style, history, personality, and academic and artistic achievements most often comes from fictional…

Words 1653 - Pages 7

Native American Oppression Research Paper

Throughout history there have been many different cultures that have been oppressed. Oppression can occur in many different forms. The writer will discuss the Native American culture/people and their oppressed history over time. All so this paper will address this group and their oppression currently. Lastly the writer will discuss how this oppression could be ended. In this paragraph, the writer will discuss the history of the Native American oppression. In the 1830’s the Native American’s still…

Words 317 - Pages 2

The Myth Of The Frontier And Neighboring Natives Essay

The Myth of the Frontier and Neighboring Natives Ursurla L. Waller Ashford University HIS 204: American History Since 1865 Instructor Jessica Schmidt 2015 January 8 The Myth of the Frontier and Neighboring Natives Movement towards the Great West, known as, "the existence of an area of free land." fortified a boundary line that runs between savagery and civilization. Populated and seized by the Europeans in continental areas bordering the United States of America, the Western Movement began after…

Words 726 - Pages 3

Reflective Essay On The Trail Of Tears

have had a passion for Native Americans and what happened during the Trail of Tears for a very long time and I am thrilled to be able to fulfill my dream of doing justice to what happened during the Trail of Tears. When I first discovered the theme for the 2016 National History Day, I wanted to include other topics and see which was the best, but it was no competition, I was positive that I was going to do the Trail of Tears as my topic. The fact that I had many Native American museums and communities…

Words 466 - Pages 2

Native Americans Research Paper

michael Biondo World History Native Americans Ever since I was a little boy I was always interested in the Native Americans. Not only because I found them cooler than pilgrims but because they are so down to earth and were basically the founders of the United States. Native Americans have been around so long and have so many different kinds of tribes and cultural beliefs. Over the years they sort of have been diminished and sometimes made fun of as well. I respect the Native Americans for how they fought…

Words 838 - Pages 4

The Other Slavery Analysis

Resendez acknowledges current trends placing power in the hands of natives in regards to their relationships with Europeans. At the same time, he argues these attempts fail to recognize European adaptions to Native control. Resendez only retreats from the argument, Europeans controlled almost all aspects of their relationship with indigenous people, when for the first time in the monographs covered in this essay, the notion of Natives mass enslaving non-indigenous people is introduced. Despite this…

Words 1255 - Pages 6

Essay about The Significance of Trans-Appalachian Frontier

Yujing Zheng October 2, 14 Continental History is Part of the Atlantic History: Trans-Appalachian Frontier Is Not the Most Significant Area Throughout the Atlantic History Normally introduced as separate warfare, each of the wars duringin the period fromof 1754 to 1815, including Seven Years’ War, American Revolution, Indian Wars, and the War of 1812, were in fact intimately linked as dominos. In his article, “Trans-Appalachian Frontier in Atlantic History”, Francois Furstenberg stressed the importance…

Words 1693 - Pages 7

Native American Pristine Myth Summary

human population that interact with it. The Native American’s created deep and unignorable ecological changes prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. The article by William Denevan is a critical analysis of the ‘pristine myth,’ the idea that the Americas were virtually untouched by humans predating Christopher Columbus's arrival and most of the environmental impact on the land was solely perpetrated by colonial settlers. The mechanics of the papers concisely summarize the main points of evidence…

Words 722 - Pages 3

Native Americans in the United States and Book Essay

Paige O’Connor Professor Geer English 110 30 January 2015 Misunderstood Native American In this paper, we will be discussing the book, “The absolutely true story of a part time Native American”. This book really infiltrates the meaning of the term “other”. It is about a part time Native American, named Arnold, who seeks for a better like than what he suffers through. This book is quite amazing on how it depicts the Native American life and its upbringing. Arnold goes to a Reardan, a white school, to…

Words 1341 - Pages 6

How Did Andrew Jackson Affect America

one of the greatest influential leaders in American history. However, similar to the very country he helped form, Jackson’s life was full of contradiction. One of Jackson’s earliest biographers referred to him as a “ democratic autocrat” and an “atrocious saint” ("Legend | Andrew Jackson's Effect on America." The Hermitage ). Even today, while we know the abundance of feats Jackson accomplished, his lifestyle is still observed under a microscope. This paper will aid in shedding light on, what is considered…

Words 760 - Pages 4