Investigate the World
The Mission (Film)
English- October
The Mission. Directed by Roland Joffe. Performances by Jeremy Irons, Robert DiNiro. Warner Brothers. 1986.
In English we watched and analyzed the film The Mission. This film exposes the conflict between church and state in reference to treatment of indigenous people; The missionaries wanted to convert the natives to Christianity while the state funded the capture and sale of the natives into slavery. This fits with the theme Investigate the World because it is a global issue of a large nations asserting dominance and assimilating the culture of colonies. In The Mission, a treaty transfers the land from Spain to Portugal, and the Native population is terrorized under the guise of religion to provide slave labor for the Portuguese government. Furthermore, the Mission supports the concept of this pillar in that we see the parallel between the struggles of Native people in Brazil and invading governments and the subjugation of Native Americans during Westward Expansion, and the impact these experiences had on the global community. This film also addresses my overarching question about the assimilation of Native Americans by revealing the history of Native Americans being taken advantage of by invading stronger colonizing forces.
Columbian Exchange Notes
History- September In AP United States History, we investigated the effects of the Columbian Exchange, following the discovery of the New World, in both the New World and the Old World. This assignment shows how the Native Americans were impacted by the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century. This fits under the pillar Investigate the World because in this time period, two different worlds became connected and their relationship after would be determined by the actions such as the Columbian Exchange. This event marks the beginning of Native American culture being undermined and assimilated to benefit the oppressor's economic gain. This assignment also works to answer my overarching question of how the assimilation of Native Americans has undermined their culture and self determination as it marks a very significant moment in the timeline of this happening. Native Americans were regarded as just another item |
AMSCO Notes
History- September
In History, we took notes from the AMSCO textbook over events such as The French and Indian War, Pontiac's Rebellion, and other events as the British colonial empire grew in North America. This assignment fits under the pillar of Investigate the World because we learn the history of two cultures interacting the the effects of the mercantilism of Britain in North America. This assignment also taught us the early interactions of Native Americans with colonists and how that led to their continued relationship throughout history. Futhermore, AMSCO notes address my overarching question of how the assimilation of Native Americans has undermined their culture and self determination by showing how the United States, since their first interactions with Native Americans, have disregarded their existence and importance as the first inhabitants of the land they were claiming. The Natives have been marginalized and mistreated for centuries.
History- September
In History, we took notes from the AMSCO textbook over events such as The French and Indian War, Pontiac's Rebellion, and other events as the British colonial empire grew in North America. This assignment fits under the pillar of Investigate the World because we learn the history of two cultures interacting the the effects of the mercantilism of Britain in North America. This assignment also taught us the early interactions of Native Americans with colonists and how that led to their continued relationship throughout history. Futhermore, AMSCO notes address my overarching question of how the assimilation of Native Americans has undermined their culture and self determination by showing how the United States, since their first interactions with Native Americans, have disregarded their existence and importance as the first inhabitants of the land they were claiming. The Natives have been marginalized and mistreated for centuries.
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Dakota Access Pipeline Protest
English- August Kolbert, Elizabeth. “Between China and Keystone XL”. The New Yorker. 20November2018.https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/china- keystone-xl.30 April 2018. One of the first assignments we were given in English this year was to SOAPSTONE a series of articles, including this one about the protests sparked over the Dakota Access Pipeline through Native American reservations in North and South Dakota. Debates grew in size rapidly over the United States stepping over the rights of Native American populations. In our analysis of this article, we described significance of the perspective of the author, the intended audience, the purpose of the article, the subject, and the tone. This assignment fits under the pillar of Investigate the World because it reveals the continued treatment of Native Americans as we have seen throughout history. This article reveals the underlying motives of the United States as the country infringes upon the rights that were supposedly granted to Native Americans. This also ties in to my overarching question by showing how the United States history of attempting to assimilate Native Americans is not only history, but a continued event. The United States disregard of Native American territorial rights in an effort to construct an oil transport pipe directly undermines the self-determination of Native Americans affected by signifying that the pipeline is more important to the U.S. than the Native's connection to their sacred land. |
Which Way Home (Film)
Spanish- April
Which Way Home. Directed by Rebecca Cammisa, Mr. Mudd, HBO Films, 2009.
In Spanish 3, we watched and analyzed the movie Which Way Home, a documentary following a different children as they attempt to make their way as immigrants to the United States from different countries in Central America. The movie shows the struggles and danger of immigrants trying to make a new life in America, and the reasons many Central American citizens are forced to leave their homes. This movie fits under the pillar of Investigate the World because it shows the struggle of different nationalities as they try to find their place in the world. Immigration is a worldwide phenomenon, and the film shows just a few instances of the immigrants trying to find a home in America. This also relates to my overarching question because both immigrants and Native Americans are minority groups in America, and face oppression and hardship while trying to find their identity.
Spanish- April
Which Way Home. Directed by Rebecca Cammisa, Mr. Mudd, HBO Films, 2009.
In Spanish 3, we watched and analyzed the movie Which Way Home, a documentary following a different children as they attempt to make their way as immigrants to the United States from different countries in Central America. The movie shows the struggles and danger of immigrants trying to make a new life in America, and the reasons many Central American citizens are forced to leave their homes. This movie fits under the pillar of Investigate the World because it shows the struggle of different nationalities as they try to find their place in the world. Immigration is a worldwide phenomenon, and the film shows just a few instances of the immigrants trying to find a home in America. This also relates to my overarching question because both immigrants and Native Americans are minority groups in America, and face oppression and hardship while trying to find their identity.
Najavo Uranium Miners
Southwest Trip- April During our Southwest trip, we visited the Nuclear Science Museum and learned about the Manhattan Project and the efforts of the United States during the Nuclear Arms Race. We learned about how the landscape of New Mexico was utilized during this time. What we did not learn, however, was the large amount of uranium stored within the Navajo reservation. As the U.S. entered the nuclear era during WWII, the demand for uranium grew drastically resulting in a large mining boom. Many Navajos worked in the mines, contributing about 13 million tons of uranium from 1945-1988. This expenditure has affected the majority of those involved in mining, the land, and the water resources. It also caused decades of environmental and health problems for the area, and nearly a thousand abandoned mines and contaminated ground water have still not been fully remediated. As a result of the devastating effects of the uranium, the Navajo Nation passed the Dine Natural Resource Protection Act in 2005, prohibiting all forms of uranium mining and processing on Navajo lands. This fits under the pillar of Investigate the World because we learned how Native Americans contributed to WWII and the impact that had on the world, and later the impact it had on their own people. This also works to answer my overarching question by showing that the Native American effort to work with the United States resulted in detrimental health and environmental impacts, with no repairative efforts made by the U.S. in return. |