Difference between revisions of "328 2010--Week 3 Questions/Comments"

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(→‎US, 178-193, Devon Mihesuah, “’Too Dark to Be Angels’: The Class System among the Cherokees at the Female Seminary”)
(→‎US, 178-193, Devon Mihesuah, “’Too Dark to Be Angels’: The Class System among the Cherokees at the Female Seminary”)
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== US, 178-193, Devon Mihesuah, “’Too Dark to Be Angels’: The Class System among the Cherokees at the Female Seminary” ==
 
== US, 178-193, Devon Mihesuah, “’Too Dark to Be Angels’: The Class System among the Cherokees at the Female Seminary” ==
  
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My favorite reading was the different entries regarding women in the "Trans-Mississippi Frontier West."  In the diaries by Susan Shelby McGoffin, it appears that the whites were able to somewhat interact with the mexicans who already occuppied the territory.  She claims that she was teaching one of the mexican servants how to conduct business.  Though it seems that some of their interactions were peaceful, they were more un-civilized.  For example, on Friday the eleventh, she describes some Mexicans smoking and the bar and I got the impression that they had a sense of entitlement.  Since there was a war going on, it was very interesting to look at entry number six which chronicles the travels of former army nurse, Violet Cragg.  It was evident that life in the army was very hectic as she traveled many places and moved around constantly.  Women like Violet were most likely expected to accomplish a lot because there were only women nurses in the army.- Afrisk
 
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In reading "The Life and Legend of Getrudis Barcelo in the Ninteenth-Century Santa Fe," I was very intrigued how different life seemed to be out in the western United States.  He mentions how people like Barcelo had simply gone into a town and were occassionally able to change it.  Gonzalez openly discusses brothels, gambling, and other activities that were not seen as much in the eastern United States.  The most interesting fact was that "women were expected to defer to men but did not." This appears very different to the rest of the U.S. where the gender roles were very strict.  It seems that out west it was much easier to live a more care-free life.-Afrisk
 
  
 
I was struck by the difference between the attitude towards Native American ancestry of the girls at the Cherokee Female Seminary (and for that matter, of the Cherokee nation as a whole during the 1800s) and modern Americans.  In the nineteenth century, it was a desirable thing to have white blood, as it indicated that one was more civilized, and whiter Cherokees held a higher status than more full-blooded ones.  Education at the seminary served to help the girls, even those who were full-blooded, become “whiter.”  Now, white Americans, when discussing their ancestry, are extremely proud of even the tiniest bit of Native American blood they might contain.  I can think of very few people with whom I’ve discussed ancestry with that don’t claim to have at least one Native American in the family, myself included.  I think that perhaps it has something to do with our romantic view of Native Americans and a desire to show that we don’t feel animosity towards them any longer.  - Alice W
 
I was struck by the difference between the attitude towards Native American ancestry of the girls at the Cherokee Female Seminary (and for that matter, of the Cherokee nation as a whole during the 1800s) and modern Americans.  In the nineteenth century, it was a desirable thing to have white blood, as it indicated that one was more civilized, and whiter Cherokees held a higher status than more full-blooded ones.  Education at the seminary served to help the girls, even those who were full-blooded, become “whiter.”  Now, white Americans, when discussing their ancestry, are extremely proud of even the tiniest bit of Native American blood they might contain.  I can think of very few people with whom I’ve discussed ancestry with that don’t claim to have at least one Native American in the family, myself included.  I think that perhaps it has something to do with our romantic view of Native Americans and a desire to show that we don’t feel animosity towards them any longer.  - Alice W

Revision as of 21:24, 27 January 2010

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