Posted on 10/13/2002 11:11:15 AM PDT by Tancred
"A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson"
I have in my notes on the side of the text (as given to me by my professor): "This piece was meant to fulfill the requirements of literature, not necessarily, the truth." And: "What she was writing was the expected thing: captivity narrative fits in with dooms day." Further into the piece, I have written down: "These things she writes will all be read with horror, 'how horrible she had to go through that' (the lack of creature comforts). . . she's in the wilderness and among the heathen. The only reason she's surviving is because of the Bible and God is with her."
Translation here: My recollections were correct: she was well treated and given food from the little they had to offer. She was not raped and was treated with dignity. At the time this was written, the white people would view having to live with "savage heathens" as a punishment of God and perhaps a deserved one of this woman. Therefore, if she survived this, then it was only because God was merciful to her, etc.
Why would you say such a thing?
The diseases were so terrible that there was a very interesting side effect. Europeans would arrive and find areas of forest (and remember, this was old growth REALLY big tree type forest) already cleared and planted with crops - and no one there. They felt this was due to "providence", e.g., God made it happen for them. So they had an easier time of it when this happened. Why did it happen? Because the tribes who had cleared the land, and planted the crops - had been wiped out. This is clearly documented in the very early histories. It had been pretty much forgotten by the 18th century, and don't even bother looking for it even in the scholarly histories today - they don't bother using "original sources" anymore. You can find it out if you really, really look - along with some other very interesting but completely untaught history.
All that said, the WESTERN indians were a fairly ruthless bunch. This is a behavior trait that is noted in nomadic and desert peoples. Being captured by many of the Western tribes was a very unpleasant experience.
But you can't construct a coherent historical narrative that way. Essentially, the "anything's possible" argument is a slightly less obvious form of the fallacy of the argument ad ignoratium, the argument from ignorance. "We don't really know" plus "anything's possible" doesn't equal a rational reason to believe a particular thing to be true.
So, instead we (not unreasonably) go with the events that are best supported by the currently available - what else can we do, really? And by that standard, there's no affirmative reason to believe in the notion that ancient African sailors brought culture to mesoamericans...
Urban legend. The Articles were drafted by John Dickenson. The Indians had nothing like its provisions for a Senate, annual elections, term limits, super-majority voting required for debts, etc.
Do you have a cite for that? I am not familiar with a
movement among historians to overthrow the US
Constitution. Surely something that radical must have
a Web presence.
Benjamin Franklin invited the Iroquois to Albany, New York, to explain their system to a delegation who then developed the "Albany Plan of Union." This document later served as input for the Articles of Confederation.
Albany Plan of Union
Articles of Confederation
Yes, anyone who says that the Articles of Confederation were a "word for word" translation from the oral tradition of the Iroquois (how the heck you do a word for word translation of a "tradition" I have no idea) is incorrect. However, there is evidence that the Iroquois Confederacy was studied and used as input. I think this was also true of some of the other Algonquin political structures as well.
Big difference between "input" and "word for word translation", though.
There is, of course, a lot to be said for their better communion with nature than us modern day honkeys but making heros out of savages is simple historical revision.
As to being first. I doubt it. Ancient people from Asia were crossing the land mass now separated from North America by the Bering Strait long, long ago.
The first native American was probably the offspring of a Mongol or Inuit who trekked over from Asia.
There is, of course, a lot to be said for their better communion with nature than us modern day honkeys but making heros out of savages is simple historical revision.
As to being first. I doubt it. Ancient people from Asia were crossing the land mass now separated from North America by the Bering Strait long, long ago.
The first native American was probably the offspring of a Mongol or Inuit who trekked over from Asia.
I donno about that either. The Articles were drafted in July 1776, same month as the Declaration. Not much time for getting input from too many sources.
The first draft was defeated because -- can you believe it -- it created too strong a government. One of the main problems was how the expenses of the national government would be apportioned among the states -- by population or by land values. And if by population, how would the slaves be counted? (I think the 3/5 clause had its genesis in the negotiations over that.) Anyway, they ended up with a real estate tax provision. It wasn't approved by all the states until 1781, because the two smallest states (Rhode Island and (I think) Maryland wanted the two biggest (New York and Virginia) to give up their claims to land going all the way to the Mississippi. When they did, the two holdout states signed, and the land the two states gave up became the Northwest Territory.
Albany Plan of Union was drafted in 1754. Plenty of time to use it for input for the Articles.
But when we look at the finished product, I strongly doubt that the Indians had anything even remotely resembling the Articles of Confederation.
October 14, 2002
The drums will roll, the bands will strut and politicians will court the rapidly eroding ''Italian vote.'' It is Columbus Day 2002! Mayor Michael Bloomberg invited ''The Sopranos'' sellouts Dominic Chianese and Lorraine Bracco to the New York City Columbus Day Parade. Our own Mayor Daley would never consider inviting James Gandolfini or Edie Falco to our parade. They mock their heritage and defile the memory of their heroic Italian ancestors. Mayor Daley loves Columbus Day, and always salutes the accomplishments of the great ''admiral of the Ocean Sea.'' Christopher Columbus was adopted as an ethnic hero after waves of Italian immigrants brought their blood, sweat and tears to the teeming shores of this ''sweet land of liberty.'' They found other ethnic groups honoring St. Patrick, Casimir Pulaski and von Steuben, so they needed to join the parade. Columbus is not celebrated in Italy. Only a small plaque commemorates his birth in Genoa. He was discovered in America by a needy population of penniless and powerless immigrants searching for their place in the sun. Even our nation's capital bears his name. Cities and universities proudly proclaimed to be his adopted children. Christoforo Colombo was an authentic American hero. Then the marauders came in the night and rained lies on our parade. Charlatan historians revised, distorted and finally destroyed the well-documented legacy of Columbus. The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will salute ''America, To Thee I Sing'' today. Look at the list of war casualties from the Twin Towers. The melodious, beautiful names of Italian Americans are tragically prominent in the roll call of heroes: citizens, police, firemen--none of whom resemble any characters in ''The Sopranos.'' President Vito Cali and parade chairman Robert Cimo speak for the Italian-American community as they invite all Americans to celebrate and remember Columbus Day 2002. Let the healing begin. Dominic Di Frisco, president emeritus,
Let's celebrate an American hero
Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans
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