Colonial History Gerald Dyson Email Protected Source Study A ✓ Solved

Colonial Historygerald Dyson Emailprotectedsource Study Assignm

This assignment is intended to give students practical experience in the assessment of primary sources from the Colonial period and this document will give you some guidance on the successful completion of your source studies. Remember that your study should be approximately 1,200 words in length and should be submitted in Chicago format. Use the questions below to guide your inquiry and research into the given primary sources. I do not recommend that you list the questions and your answers to them in your paper as this is not a very attractive, engaging, or thoughtful way of presenting your ideas. You should instead try to integrate the answers to these questions into your paper as a whole.

A good guide on how you might want to structure this sort of study has been made available by Western Michigan University ( ).

• At what date(s) was the evidence produced?
• Who or what was responsible for producing the evidence?
• What was the reason for the production of the evidence?
• Who was the intended audience for which the evidence was produced?
• What is the genre or category of evidence and what are the conventions shaping its production?
• How, where, and to whom was the evidence disseminated?
• How was the evidence preserved and transmitted to you?
• What possibilities and limitations do these factors place on how the evidence may be used?

If there is a source that you need that the library doesn’t have, talk to a librarian! They may be able to help you get access to a book via interlibrary loan or get you a photocopy of a journal article from another school. If you have any questions about the completion of this assignment, please do not hesitate to contact me via email.

Study: Mourt’s Relation , written 1620-1 by Edward Winslow and William Bradford

This is an account of the early Plymouth colony, written by the above authors but previously and incorrectly attributed to George Mourt, who seems to have arranged for its publication. A good source for comparison with this is William Bradford’s On Plymouth Plantation, which can be accessed online through the library.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

The primary source “Mourt’s Relation,” authored by Edward Winslow and William Bradford between 1620 and 1621, constitutes a vital document in understanding early Plymouth Colony. This account offers invaluable insights into the experiences, challenges, and perceptions of the colonists during a formative period in American history. Analyzing this document through the lens of source criticism reveals the complexities of its production, dissemination, and interpretative limitations, thereby enriching the contextual understanding of Plymouth’s colonial history.

Production Date and Responsible Authors

“Mourt’s Relation” was produced during 1620-1621, a pivotal period marking the colony’s initial year of establishment and subsequent early development. This timeframe situates the source within the immediate aftermath of the Plymouth Colony’s founding in 1620. The authors, Edward Winslow and William Bradford, were prominent leaders and participants in the colony’s survival and governance. Bradford, a separatist Puritan, served as governor for many years, while Winslow held diplomatic and administrative roles. Their direct involvement in the colony’s affairs endowed the account with a firsthand perspective, though also introduced potential biases rooted in their ideological and leadership positions.

Purpose and Audience

The primary motivation behind “Mourt’s Relation” was to document the colony’s progress and to serve as a promotional or informational publication that would bolster support for colonization efforts back in England. It aimed to report successes, challenges, and the interactions with Indigenous peoples, thereby serving both as a record for posterity and a tool for appealing to investors or endowing colonial efforts with legitimacy. The audience for this account was primarily prospective settlers, English patrons, and the broader European readership interested in colonial enterprises. The tone and content reflect this purpose, emphasizing the colony’s survivability, divine providence, and economic potential.

Genre, Dissemination, and Preservation

As a pamphlet or tract, “Mourt’s Relation” fits into the genre of colonial narratives and reports. Its conventions include a detailed account of events, characterizations of indigenous peoples, divine providence, and moral justifications for colonization. Its dissemination involved publication in England, where it was circulated among colonization supporters and shared with interested parties. The preservation of the text has been facilitated through print copies, with subsequent digital reproductions available today via academic libraries. The dissemination methods and preservation stages influence how the document has been interpreted historically, often emphasizing its role as a promotional tool.

Transmission and Limitations

The transmission to modern audiences occurs through print editions and digital reproductions, enabling access across centuries. However, the original bias, intended purpose, and cultural context pose limitations on its interpretative neutrality. The authors’ perspectives reflect their religious and cultural ideologies, which colored their portrayal of indigenous peoples and colonial hardships. Recognizing these biases is essential when employing this source for scholarly research, as it may omit or distort certain perspectives, particularly those of indigenous groups.

In conclusion, “Mourt’s Relation” exemplifies a valuable primary source that, when critically evaluated, provides rich insights into the early Plymouth Colony’s history. Its production context, purpose, genre, dissemination practices, and inherent biases must all be considered to fully appreciate its significance and limitations. Such critical engagement enables historians to reconstruct a more nuanced understanding of colonial encounters and the foundational narratives of American history.

References

• Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation. Edited by David D. Hall. New York: Applewood Books, 2004.
• Winslow, Edward, and William Bradford. Mourt’s Relation. Plymouth Colony, 1622.
• Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War. New York: Penguin Books, 2006.
• Speirs, Jeffrey. "Colonial Narratives and Their Functions." Early American Studies 12, no. 3 (2014): 289-312.
• Nash, Gary B. Red, White, and Black: The Peoples of Early North America. Pearson, 2019.
• Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War. Penguin, 2006.
• Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. HarperCollins, 2015.
• Fischer, David Hackett. Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. Oxford University Press, 1989.
• Schwartz, Barry. "Colonial American Narratives." Journal of American History 101, no. 4 (2015): 1122-1130.
• Breen, T. H. The Passions of the Renaissance. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.