Your first assignment is to read the Chapter 1 from Howard Zinn's, People's History of the United States. There will be a quiz on Wednesday, 9/11. For the quiz you will be asked to answer TWO of the following questions. Use the questions to help guide your reading and notetaking.
- Describe Columbus’ encounter with the indigenous people of the “New World”. What were the “enormous consequences” of the tiny gold ornaments in the Arawaks’ ears? Why do you think he misrepresented the facts of his findings on the islands to his king and queen?
- Compare and contrast the colonization practices of the Spanish settlers to the English settlers. Provide specific examples.
- In what ways did European religions define the relationships between the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the colonists?
- Who was Bartolome las Casas? What did he observe? How did his descriptions and writings differ from Christopher Colombus’?
- What are encomiendas? Explain their purpose and methods of operation.
- Explain Howard Zinn’s philosophy on writing history.
