Literature-based American History through 1812 for the Grammar stage. Part 3. The Spanish, French, Dutch, and English settlers.

Previously in this series:  Introduction.  Part 1.  Part 2.

James Loewen's two books Lies My Teacher Told Me: What Your American History Textbook Got Wrong and Lies Across America: What Our Historical Sites Get Wrong heavily influenced my thinking about the teaching of history. They are part of the reason I chose to do a literature-based study, and they have helped me form some ideas of what I don't want to do.

One example that I remember Mr. Loewen highlighting is that American history texts, by the order in which topics are presented and the emphasis placed on certain topics, tend to give the impression that American history began on the East Coast and swept westward (propelled by Manifest Destiny no doubt) until it reached the Pacific, filling in various south- and northward gaps along the way, and punctuating the conclusion with Alaska and Hawaii. I have that sense of the sweep of U. S. History myself, and I didn't even notice I had it until Loewen pointed it out. This muddied thinking can lead you astray; a passage from Lies Across America presents this example:

Along West Virginia 3, two miles east of Union in Monroe County, a marker commemorates:

"REHOBOTH CHURCH

Indians were still about when Rehoboth Church was dedicated by Bishop Asbury in 1786, and rifles as well as Bibles were carried by the worshipers. This is the oldest church building west of the Allegheny Mountains."

Rehoboth Church may be west of the Alleghenies, but so is California, and by 1786, Franciscans had founded ten missions in California alone. Catholic churches in Texas date back another century...For that matter, by 1786 Russians had founded St. George (now Kasilof on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska and were probably holding Russian Orthodox services there.

Of course, his point is that the overall perspective of textbook writers is largely Anglophone and Protestant. I'd like to put a significant emphasis on the early Catholic settlers of the Americas, rather than making them a footnote to the history of California or Texas by the time the "sweep" gets that far west.

So we have the following, over four weeks:

• Seton, Chapter 5 "The Spanish Influence"
• Jones, Protector of the Indians (novel length). This is a biography of Fray Bartolome de las Casas, truly one of the most interesting personages in the story of Spanish contact with the Americas.   I learned about de las Casas from one of Loewen's books and was thrilled to find out there was a children's biography of him.  It's not in print but my library has it.
• Whiting, Junipero Jose Serra.  I already own this biography, that's why I picked it.  Any bio of  Serra that you like will do. 
• American History for Young Catholics Grade 1, Seton Press, 2007, Chapter 3, "The Conversion of Mexico."  This slim paperback reader is a series of fairly disconnected chapters, most covering topics that tell of the Americas' Catholic heritage.  For example, Chapter 3 tells the story of St. Juan Diego.  I plan to use some of the chapters but not all, as supplementary independent reading.
• AMHFYC, Chapter 4, "St. Augustine:  Oldest City in the U. S."
• Seton, Chapter 6, "The English Settlers"
• SOTW Chapter 40, "New Ventures to the Americas"
• SOTW Chapter 41, "Explorations in the North"
• Seton, Chapter 7, "The French, Dutch, and English Settlers"
• Optional:  Orfeo, St. Isaac Jogues: With Burning Heart.  This is a biography from the "Encounter the Saints" series.  We'll do it if we have time; the point is to discuss the role of French missionaries in the Northeast. (More on St. Isaac Jogues)
• Foster, 1620: Year of the Pilgrims.  Genevieve Foster is another author whose works you'll see again and again.  This is the story of a single year, not just in the Americas but all over the world.  It is not without its language problems, but they're mostly just a word here and a sentence there -- easy to fix as you're reading aloud.  Pre-read sections on Galileo and on Squanto -- they might be a bit more problematic and need a little updating or extra discussion.
• Dalgliesh, America Builds Homes.  Alice Dalgliesh is commonly recommended, but the only book of hers I liked was this one.  It compares the homes that were built by colonists from different European countries.
• Fritz, Who's Saying What in Jamestown, Thomas Savage?  This is a somewhat-speculative story of a real colonial boy.  I don't want to use too much fictional stuff, but this is a really great story.  It has, by the way, one of the better tellings of the story of Pocahontas. 

Now, here's what I investigated but decided not to use.

• Maldus, Colt of Destiny (a novel of the Spanish settlement) -- too long for my purposes, also I want to limit the fiction I use
• Henty, By Right of Conquest (another novel)
• Ziner, Squanto (also called Dark Pilgrim  in earlier editions) -- seemed okay, not without problems, but it was quite long.
• Hays, Pilgrim Thanksgiving and Christmas on the Mayflower -- a little too precious.  This author also wrote one called Naughty Little Pilgrim, which I couldn't even bring myself to check out because of the title.
• Bradford, History of Plimouth Plantation.  This is, of course, a fabulously valuable primary source.  I am sure it would be valuable for older children to read, for example, Bradford's account of the first Thanksgiving.  I decided it would be over the head of my eight-year-old. 
• Commager, First Book of American History, chapter 2.  This would definitely need to be censored while reading aloud.  I cut it only because it seemed I had enough stuff already.  But the chapter is pretty good.

Next up: "Colonial Expansion and the Western Frontier."

Comments

[alicia]

I remember as a child in California learning US History that started in California.... You might want to look for some of the (alas) obsoleted CA State approved elementary history books from the 1960s. There was a lot of emphasis on the contribution of the Spanish and of the Missions.
One thing that was fun to do that we did every year was to pick a mission and build a model of it (usually using sugar cubes for the bricks)

[alicia]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=170981742&searchurl=kn%3Dcalifornia%2Bstate%2Bhistory%2Btextbook%26sts%3Dt%26x%3D44%26y%3D13
is one example of what I am talking about