1302 PRIMARY SOURCE ASSIGNMENTS

Directions:  view or read each of the assignments then respond to the questions via WebCT.  All responses are due as indicated on the Tentative Schedule.

 

PSA 1

Read Wovoka’s Message on the following website.  What surprises you about his message?

 

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/eight/gdmessg.htm

and Read Mrs. Parker’s account of the Ghost Dance at the following website.  Why would such a gathering worry whites?

 

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/eight/gddescrp.htm

 

Compare the message and eye witness accounts on at least 2 points

 

PSA 2

John Spargo:  From the Bitter Cry of Children

 John Spargo http://web.mala.bc.ca/davies/H321GildedAge/Spargo.BitterCryOfChildren.1906.htm

Lew Chew, Life of a Chinese Immigrant (beginning with “A man got me work as a house servant in an American family, and my start was the same as that of almost all the Chinese in this country” and ending with “whose precepts are like those of Kong-foo-sze.”  This part of the passage begins about halfway through.

Digital History http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/asian_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=38

How did the treatment of children differ from the treatment of Chinese immigrants?  How were the 2 groups treated the same?

 

PSA 3

William Graham Sumner, from "On Empire and the Philippines" (1898)

There is not a civilized nation that does not talk about its civilizing mission just as grandly as we do. The English, who really have more to boast of it in this respect than anybody else, talk least about it, but the Phariseeism with which they correct and instruct other people has made them hated all over the globe. The French believe themselves the guardians of the highest and purest culture, and that the eyes of all mankind are fixed on Paris, whence they expect oracles of thought and taste. The Germans regard themselves as charged with a mission, especially to us Americans, to save us from egoism and materialism. The Russians, in their books and newspapers, talk about the civilizing mission of Russian in language that might be translated from some of the finest paragraphs of our imperialistic newspapers.

The first principle of Mohammedanism is that we Christians are dogs and infidels, fit only to be enslaved or butchered by Moslems. It is a corollary that wherever Mohammedanism extends it carries, in the belief of its votaries, the highest blessings, and that the whole human race would be enormously elevated if Mohammedanism should supplant Christianity everywhere.

To come, last, to Spain, the Spaniards have, for centuries, considered themselves the most zealous and self-sacrificing Christians, especially charged by the Almighty, on this account, to spread the true religion and civilization over the globe. They think themselves free and noble, leaders in refinement and the sentiments of personal honor, and they despise us as sordid money-grabbers and heretics. I could bring you passages from peninsular authors of the first rank about the grand role of Spain and Portugal in spreading freedom and truth.

Now each nation laughs at all the others when it observes these manifestations of national vanity. You may rely upon it that they are all ridiculous by virtue of these pretensions, including ourselves. The point is that each of them repudiates the standards of the others, and the outlying nations, which are to be civilized, hate all the standards of civilized men.

We assume that what we like and practice, and what we think better, must come as a welcome blessing to Spanish-Americans and Filipinos. This is grossly and obviously untrue. They hate our ways. They are hostile to our ideas. Our religion, language, institutions, and manners offend them. They like their own ways, and if we appear amongst them as rulers, there will be social discord in all the great departments of social interest. The most important thing which we shall inherit from the Spaniards will be the task of suppressing rebellions.

If the United States takes out of the hands of Spain her mission, on the ground that Spain is not executing it well, and if this nation in its turn attempts to be schoolmistress to others, it will shrivel up into the same vanity and self-conceit of which Spain now presents an example. To read our current literature one would think that we were already well on the way to it.

Now, the great reason why all these enterprises which begin by saying to somebody else, "We know what is good for you better than you know yourself and we are going to make you do it," are false and wrong is that they violate liberty; or, to turn the same statement into other words, the reason why liberty, of which we Americans talk so much, is a good thing is that it means leaving people to live out their own lives in their own way, while we do the same.

If we believe in liberty, as an American principle, why do we not stand by it? Why are we going to throw it away to enter upon a Spanish policy of dominion and regulation?

William McKinley, "Decision on the Philippines" (1900)

When next I realized that the Philippines had dropped into our laps, I confess I did not know what to do with them. I sought counsel from all sides-Democrats as well as Republicans-but got little help. I thought first we would take only Manila; then Luzon; then other islands, perhaps, also.

I walked the floor of the White House night after night until midnight; and I am not ashamed to tell you, gentlemen, that I went down on my knees and prayed to Almighty God for light and guidance more than one night. And one night late it came to me this way-I don't know how it was, but it came:

(1) That we could not give them back to Spain-that would be cowardly and dishonorable;

(2) That we could not turn them over to France or Germany, our commercial rivals in the Orient-that would be bad business and discreditable;

(3) That we could not leave them to themselves-they were unfit for self­ government, and they would soon have anarchy and misrule worse then Spain's was; and

(4) That there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them and by God's grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow men for whom Christ also died.

And then I went to bed and went to sleep, and slept soundly, and the next morning I sent for the chief engineer of the War Department (our map-maker), and I told him to put the Philippines on the map of the United States (pointing to a large map on the wall of his office), and there they are and there they will stay while I am President!


Compare the reasoning used by each of the above authors.

 

PSA 4

World War I Posters -
http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/amposter.htm

World War II Posters -
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/

Choose 1 poster from each site and from the same theme (women either in the military or on the homefront, the enemy, men in the military or men on the homefront, production, buy war bonds, etc.).  Download the posters and either include them with your written response or attach the copies to your e-mailed response so that I will know which posters you are comparing.   Describe what you feel was the intended impact on the viewer from the WWII era then discuss their impact on you.  (differences in underlying statements, emotions, colors, theme, etc.)

 

 PSA 5

  Read page 567 in your textbook - Interpreting History: NSC - 68; then answer questions 1 and 2.

 

   PSA 6

 

In your text book, read page 542 Interpreting History: "Zelda Webb Anderson .... " and answer question 2. Also in your textbook, read page 606 Interpreting History: "Martin Luther King Jr. and the Vietnam War" then answer questions 1 and 3.

 

 

   PSA 7

 

In your textbook read page 624 Interpreting History: "The Church Committee and CIA Covert Operations" then answer questions 1 and 2.