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Jack Windham

Mrs. Cooper

AP Lang

May 24, 2017

The Fight for Freedom

Junior year of high school career is often seen as the hardest and most difficult year,

through rigorous amounts of homework and battling AP classes, and it doesn't fail to maintain its

reputation. Although my junior year has been all of those things it has also been rewarding and a

huge learning experience not only academically but also life skills. For example, time

management to allow balanced study for the different subjects. We ranged in a wide variety of

subjects such as roman and gothic literature in English and covered over five hundred years of

US history, all ranged from analyzing text to taking hours worth of notes. In both classes we

analyzed and discussed cultural stereotypes and different perspectives that ranged throughout

history and literature. Notably, we focused on Native Americans and the cause and effect of early

contact to the present day actions they had on history. Through many activities, projects, socratic

seminars and research, we were to draft a overarching question on Native Americans. My

overarching question is, how do previous interaction between Native Americans and Europeans

carry over into modern day society? This question, at first glance, seems very broad and not very

thought provoking, but going in depth into the question opens many different perspectives and

ideas. The answer to this question is more than the Mayflower sailing over and establishing the

first successful colony but rather looks at all the interaction that happened leading up to present

day that shapes the society.

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European settlers and Native Americans first interactions date back to the 1400s.

Their interactions came through trade, cultural interaction and learning how to survive. As time

went on we slowly grew less depended on the Natives and begin growing into the United States

we know today. Throughout my years in elementary school all the way up to high school, the

criteria of Native America is very little, but not until my junior year did we have a larger focus

on Native Americans. As an overall junior year theme, I began to study, understand and respect

the small progress that Native groups have made facing many challenges. Over the summer we

read Like a Hurricane and completed SOAPSTONE over the book which involved analyzing

the different parts of the book for Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Tone. The book

investigates the journey of the Native American people after being pushed out of there land

during the mid 1960s and the effects of it. Furthermore, the book gave the history and told a

story that many people wouldn't have heard and also investigated the effects of the US

government. This helps me see the cause and effect of the early interaction between Natives and

Europeans and what followed from it. Also, it showed a different perspective of Natives and the

change of interaction between white settlers like in Manifest Destiny to the interaction of the US

government. The book shows the push from their native land into assimilation and eventually

modern day reservations.

When we were in New Mexico many of the activities were based around the pueblo

tribes, and the strong influence Native Americans have in New Mexico. In APUSH we had to

HAPPY analyze a text over the pueblo revolt between the Spanish and Pueblo tribes. As most

people know, the pueblo times won and kicked out the Spanish for 11 years. From this, the

Native people had a strong influence into the culture of the Spanish and American people that is

seen today. This source addresses my overarching question in that it helps me further my
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knowledge on the events that led to what life is today and the strong culture of Native Americans

in New Mexico. Although we saw the strong culture and influence of Native Americans we also

saw the loss of languages and culture within the reservations. Ever since the first contact with

Europeans, the Native people have struggled to keep their traditional values alive and in their

communities

The second semester of this year we were assigned a IBL project where three other

members and I had to create an open ended question that related to Native American life and

culture in a diverse perspective. My group looked into the area of economics and the difference

between a "strong" reservation versus a "weak" reservations and the factors that impact them.

This project forced us to come up with a question and research it and take action through a

advocating our knowledge that we learned. This shows me how through research you are able to

come to a conclusion on the question you seek, just as I am doing now. This also helps me see

the difference in reservations and the reasons why still exist today.

In conclusion, European interaction has shaped culture and society in many different

ways through history. Both groups have learned and grown by working together, integrating new

ideas from each culture, learning new languages, learning about new health issues, farming, food

and overall living.

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Work Cited

Smith, Paul Chaat, and Robert Allen. Warrior. Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from

Alcatraz to Wounded Knee. New Press. 1996