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Big Idea Overview and ResourcesBig Idea 1: The Sacred Earth and the Power of Storytelling Big Idea 2: Life in the New World Big Idea 3: The Road to Independence Big Idea 1: The Sacred Earth and the Power of Storytelling Overview We all value the land on which we live for the resources it provides us with. But early Native Americans valued the Earth and all living things on a spiritual level as well. Generations of Native American storytellers have passed down tales that illustrate their profound respect for the Earth and its creatures. This respect served as the foundation for Native Americans' religious beliefs. Native Americans' ceremonies focused on the natural cycle of life, and their stories and songs expressed their great reverence for life. To them, all living things have a spirit and are connected to each other. Instead of claiming the land on which they lived, Native Americans believed that the land on Earth belonged not only to people but to all living creatures. However, Europeans came to America with different views. Their driving ambition was to own their own land, and these conflicting beliefs led to raging battles between the Native Americans and the European explorers and settlers. Native American leaders wound up signing land treaties that they often did not understand, allowing the Europeans to settle the lands. Stories of Native Americans beliefs and attitudes originated nearly forty-thousand years ago. Native Americans were oral storytellers; therefore, written records of their earliest tales do not exist. As a result, no one knows exactly what those early stories were about. Some of the stories may have been about hunting, as Native Americans often believed that hunters and animals were linked spiritually. Despite the absence of a written record, Native American folklore still thrives. Throughout the ages, it has been passed down from generation to generation, and it still remains an essential part of Native American tradition today. Web Resources The Paleoindian Period (ca. 13,000 bc to 7,900 bc) Circle of Stories Big Idea 2: Life in the New World Overview Europeans who left their homes for a better life in America encountered a rugged, wild frontier where they frequently engaged in brutal battles with Native Americans. As the first Europeans explored North America, conflicts between these newcomers and Native Americans erupted. Europeans not only brought more advanced weaponry with them, but they also brought disease. Native Americans could not compete with this powerful combination, and a majority of them died by the end of the seventeenth century. Some of the first European settlers were the Puritans, who left England in the 1620s to escape what they viewed as corruption in the Church of England. Puritans espoused minimalist churches, a strict lifestyle, and plain dress. They aimed to practice their religion as they saw fit in a new land, America. Puritans made many contributions to early American literature. William Bradford, a Pilgrim (a Puritan group that settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts), saw writing simply as a way of documenting everyday events, rather than a way of expressing emotion or opinion. His journal provides a detailed account of the lives of early settlers in the New World. Jonathan Edwards was the most vocal of the Puritans. He introduced what was called the "Great Awakening," a movement that taught people to repent and convert in order to be saved by religion, or "born again." During this time, the first enslaved Africans came to the colonies. By the 1700s, a steady stream of ships was arriving in America, carrying enslaved African men and women. Those onboard endured a brutal trip across the Atlantic Ocean known as the "Middle Passage." Enslaved Africans struggled to survive the harsh conditions, and those who did fought to maintain the heritage and culture of their native land while enslaved in an unfamiliar place. Web Resources Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University The African Slave Trade and the Middle Passage Big Idea 3: The Road to Independence Overview You have heard the phrase many times before: "No pain, no gain." Those who came from Europe to settle in early America experienced that aphorism firsthand. The colonists may have endured many hardships coming to America , but they did so with the purpose of establishing a better life. Those brave pioneers embodied the American spirit. They became less reliant on their homelands and more independent in their new land. Famous colonists such as Benjamin Franklin overcame humble beginnings to forge successful lives in politics, business, and the arts. Puritans had an enormous influence on shaping the new society. They considered education a priority and thus established a public school system. Promising leaders such as Thomas Jefferson arose from this inspired environment. Education was not the only enterprise of the colonists. In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe , an intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment arose. Part of its philosophy was that all humans had basic, "inalienable" rights that could never be taken away. A follower of the Enlightenment, Jefferson supported becoming independent from Britain and forming a new, democratic government. Eventually, the Declaration of Independence was created, which declared certain rights for all Americans and denounced British rule. Despite this period of reform, most rights were extended only to men. The lives of married women were controlled almost completely by their husbands. Nonetheless, women still worked outside the home. Throughout the Revolutionary War, they made vital contributions at home and on the battlefront. However, another 140 years would pass before women would be granted the right to vote. Web Resources The Electric Ben Franklin: A Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin The Declaration of Independence Log InThe resource you requested requires you to enter a username and password below: | ||
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