NAOT CONTENT UNDERSTANDING
QUIZ (15 MINUTES)
In 1821, the Cherokee tribe was
the first Native American tribal
group to create its own written
language. Some historians
argue that this event was an act
of survival, to keep the tribe
relevant in changing times,
while others argue that it is an
act of a group of people
succumbing (giving up) to
cultural genocide. Using your
concept understandings, choose
one side and defend it.
THE FIRST EXPLORERS
Unit 2 – Part 2: Explorers and
Colonization Literature
Christopher Columbus’
Epistola & John Smith’s
The General History of
Virginia
LEARNING TARGETS
Students will be able to
discuss the historical
background and
contemporary contexts of
Exploratory & Colonialism
Literature and relate them to
today’s American culture.
EXPLORERS!!! Hey Everybody!
Let’s go to
strange new
lands and meet
strange new
people! And then
let’s enslave
them so they can
later die from
diarrhea!
THE FIRST WRITTEN RECORD OF
THE NEW WORLD
The first written account of
Europeans in the New World is
titled THE VINLAND SAGA
THE VINLAND SAGA
THE VINLAND
SAGA follows
the adventures
of Leif
Eriksson, a
Norse explorer,
who landed on
Nova Scotia,
Canada, in the
11th century.
400 years before
Columbus.
WHERE WAS LEIF?
Eriksson (24 at the
time) captained his
crew to what is now
Newfoundland,
Canada.
He found grapes and
named the area “The
Land of Wine” –
Vinland.
He loaded his boat
with timber and
grapes and left. He
never returned.
Christopher Columbus
Columbus set
sail for the New
World in 1492.
Wrote an
EPISTOLARY
journal called
“EPISTOLA”
EPISTOLARY
A series of personal
letters published in
book-form as a
written account or
story.
What Were You Taught In School About
Columbus?
COLUMBUS MYTH
Columbus did not set out to prove that the world
was round; this was pretty much common
knowledge during the 15th-Century. Instead, he
was looking for a western passage to Asia.
A TRUTH
Columbus did
not “discover”
America. He
never set foot on
the United
States. Rather,
he landed in the
Caribbean on the
island he named
San Salvador,
today it is the
area called The
Bahamas.
Columbus Realities
Columbus was a fervent
Christian – he believed that God
had chosen him for a great
destiny. Odds are he was of
Jewish bloodline.
When he was 14, Columbus got
his first job: Pirate.
Columbus and future explorers
are blamed for spreading disease
to natives. However, many of
Columbus’ men caught various
diseases from natives – many
dying.
Some of Columbus’ ancient
ancestors were Vikings – people
who plundered and conquered
distant lands for personal profit…
makes you think!
(Zinn, Howard. The People’s History of the World)
Columbus’ Mistakes
Thinking that he was
in India, the indigenous
people were called
Indians. They named
that area The West
Indies.
Columbus died
thinking he was in
India – he never knew
he discovered a “New
World” ( USarchives.gov).
ARAWAKS
The first indigenous people
Columbus contacted were the
ARAWAKS. They promised
Columbus gold and a water
passage that ran through the
land.
Columbus enslaved these
people and sent many back to
Europe as gifts to Kings and
Queens (Lies My Teacher Told Me).
Today, Arawaks are near
extinct; most died from
smallpox (Drexel U).
And isn’t
diarrhea a
symptom of
smallpox!?!?!
Ah… crap!
COLUMBUS IMPACT ON FUTURE
COLONIALISM
Epistola made
Columbus famous.
This fame financed
three more trips for a
total of four journeys
to the West Indies.
The published text
was distributed
around Europe and
became the primary
source document to
stereotyping non-
Europeans.
Historians and literary
ETHNOCENTRISM scholars declare that
Epistola, The General
History of Virginia, and
other colonial texts are
stained with the writers’
ETHNOCENTRISM.
ETHNOCENTRISM:
When a person
unknowingly or
knowingly places their
own culture and beliefs
as a societal norm, and
rejects all cultural beliefs
of different ethnic groups
or cultures.
THE TRIAL OF CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS
Columbus was the active
Governor (President) of the
West Indies until 1500
when he was arrested for
cruelty to slaves.
Twenty-Three witnesses at
his trial claimed to see
Columbus torture the
natives.
He was sent back to Europe
where he died without
property or governing
power.
COLUMBUS DISCUSSION
Despite all of this evidence to
the contrary, American
elementary schools teach
Columbus as if he is a national
hero. Why does American
culture portray Columbus in this
manner?
END OF PART ONE - HOMEWORK
Read the excerpt from Columbus’s Epistola.
Find textual evidence that supports both iconic
images of Columbus: the hero and the villain.
Highlight quotes from his letter (use different
colors) that supports both viewpoints.
COLONIAL LITERATURE: WRITINGS
OF THE EXPLORERS – PART II
Jamestown and Roanoke
John Smith’s The General History of Virginia
I love this era of American
literature! Lots of death, disease,
and diarrhea! I can’t wait!
American Colonization:
ROANOAKE COLONY: First American
Colony set in 1585.
Ninety men, seventeen women, and eleven
children were left behind to run the colony
when their ships returned to England for
supplies.
THE LOST COLONY OF ROANOKE
When the colonial
ships returned to
Roanoke, they
discovered that
everybody had
disappeared.
There was no blood or
trace of remains
except three corpses
that were recently
given a Christian
burial.
Surviving colonists
were never found.
Holy Crap, Mr. P!
That is some
seriously messed
up doo doo!
The first Europeans
NICE!!
in America
sdf
just vanished!!!
!
Well, where the
heck did they
go!?!?
Did they all die from
diarrhea?
WHAT HAPPENED TO ROANOKE?
Theory 1: Massacred by the
natives
Theory 2: Turned cannibal and
later starved to death
Theory 3: Moved north to the
island of Croaton and lived with
a local tribe.
Theory 4:
EVIDENCE
EVIDENCE OF THEORY 3:
If the original colonists
were under attack from the
local natives, they were
supposed to carve a
crucifix into the fort wall.
This was not found.
The word “CROATOAN”
was carved into the fort,
also “CRO” carved into a
tree with an incomplete A.
It was believed that this
meant that colonists had
moved to a nearby island
to live with the local
natives.
Generations later, blue-
eyed natives would be born
from the local tribes.
FIRST SUCCESSFUL COLONY
JAMESTOWN
COLONY:
Founded in
1607 – Second
American
Colony.
Named for
King James I
SOUND FAMILIAR?
hardships faced by
Three
Jamestown: lack of food, harsh
weather, and disease.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT JOHN
SMITH?
“AN AMBITIOUS, UNWORTHY, AND
VAIN-GLORIOUS FELLOW.”
Told elaborate stories of his war
against the Turkish Army – claiming to
be trained in secrets of war, claimed he
beheaded three Turkish commanders.
Sentenced to death by Capt.
Christopher Newport while on the
voyage to the New World.
Charged with drunkenness, theft,
lying, and “behavior unfit for the sea”
(starting fights).
D’OH!
Upon arrival in
the New World,
secret sealed
orders of the
voyage’s financier,
The Virginia
Company, were
broken open.
The orders named
John Smith to be
leader of the
Jamestown
Colony.
JOHN SMITH:
President of
Jamestown in 1608
and 1609.
Wrote THE
GENERAL HISTORY
OF VIRGINIA.
Used HYPERBOLE
to describe his
encounters with
indigenous cultures.
WHAT IS HYPERBOLE?
HYPERBOLE
– Extreme
exaggeration
in a story in
order to
emphasize a
point.
A GENERALL HISTORIE OF VIRGINIA, NEW-
ENGLANDE, AND THE SUMMER ISLES
THE GENERAL HISTORY
OF VIRGINIA: Is a HISTORY
(literary term: A telling of
historical events and usually
written with a purpose of
persuasion.
Smith’s writings are
SUBJECTIVE – A person’s
own personal account and may
not be entirely factual. Ideas
and beliefs getting in the way
of accurately depicting events
Smith paints himself as an
invincible hero who is single-
handedly responsible for the
success of Jamestown.
Why He Wrote It:
In 1624, almost 20 years after Jamestown,
The Virginia Company announced it was
publishing a HISTORY of the Jamestown
colony – John Smith found out that he
would not be mentioned within the book.
John Smith beat The Virginia Company to
publication, printing The General History of
Virginia before their story could be
published.
Written nearly 20 years after the fact, The
General History of Virginia does not
mention The Virginia Company.
HISTORIANS HAVE NOT BEEN KIND
TO JOHN SMITH
Today, the writings of The
Virginia Company have
disappeared through time.
John Smith’s depiction of
Jamestown in The General
History of Virginia is the only
resource we have about our first
successful colony in America.
Historians and literary
ETHNOCENTRISM scholars declare that
The General History of
Virginia is stained with
Smith’s own
ETHNOCENTRISM.
ETHNOCENTRISM:
When a person
unknowingly or
knowingly places their
own culture and beliefs
as a societal norm, and
rejects all cultural
beliefs of different
ethnic groups or
cultures.
BIRTH OF THE “AMERICAN DREAM.”
"Here every man may be
master and owner of his
owne labour and land...If
he have nothing but his
hands, he may...by
industrie quickly grow
rich.”
From “A General History of Virginia”
Hooray! The
American Dream
brought more
Europeans! More
Europeans
means more
diarrhea!!!
Let’s go find
you a toilet,
my friend!
Sweet!
REVIEW OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS
Indigenous –
“History” (literary term) –
Subjectivity –
Objectivity –
Hyperbole –
Ethnocentrism –