The American Indians in the War of 1812 and Removal of the Elwha Dam - Assignment Example

The American Indians in the War of 1812 and Removal of the Elwha Dam DRAFT 1: The War of 1812 was a major war for the American Indians as they fought to stop the white settlers (ICTMIN Staff, June 18, 2012, pp. 1) from taken their land. The War started on June 18, 1812 because of trade restrictions, the impressment of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, the United States trying to annex Canada and because the British were supporting Native American in their fight against American expansion. Tecumseh a Shawnee leader brought together Native nations to fight, (ICTMIN Staff, June 18, 2012, pp.2) using his brother Tenskwatawa’s teachings. “What Tecumseh is fight for is the ability of Indian people east of the Mississippi to hold onto their homelands,” R. David Edmund, a historian, says in We Shall Remain. Tecumseh’s confederacy fought alongside the British (ICTMIN Staff, June 18, 2012, pp. 2) to protect Canada from the onslaught of American forces during the War of 1812. Tecumseh’s defeat at the battle of Thames in Canada in 1813 was the beginning of the end for Native nations. Tecumseh was mortally wounded and with his death his confederacy fell apart, as did his vision of driving back the white settlers. After the war, (ICTMIN Staff, June 18, 2012, pp. 1) the United States negotiated more than 200 treaties with Indian nations that involved ceding land and 99 of those resulted in the creation of reservations. Tecumseh like King Phillip in the Pequot War fought to take back their land, trade, tribution, and traditions the settlers stole away from them by uniting forces with other tribes for one cause. See Colin G. Calloway, First People: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History, Fourth Edition, Chapter 2: The Invasions of America 1492-1680, pp. 105 Article by ICTMIN Staff, The War of 1812 Could Have Been the War of Indian Independence, June 18, 2012, 1-4. http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/06/18/the-war-of-1812-could-have-been... 1. Are there any additional details that could be included to help you better understand the essay? What is missing or unclear? There were also key left outs in terms reasons behind some key decisions that arose as part of the war. An example of this has to do with reasons why the British were supporting Native American in their fight. This allegation takes a larger political twist and should therefore have been elaborated further to draw correlation with some key happenings in world history as far as British and American political histories are concerned. 2. What part of the essay is most memorable? Why? The most memorable part is how the fall or death of the hero could become the end of his entire dream. This is memorable because that piece of phenomenon whereby political dreams and aspirations are left to rest in the hands of only some people so that when they die, their dreams fade continues to exist in modern times. 3. Does the author provide the reader with a sense of completion at the end? If so, how? The reader gets a sense of completion because there is an ending note of how the Americans succeeded in their expansion quest. 4. What kind of grammatical errors, if any, are evident in the essay? There were problems with punctuations. Example “Tecumseh a Shawnee leader brought together Native nations to fight” needed to have a comma after the word ‘Tecumseh’ 5. What final suggestions do you have for the author? The piece is a good narration of a historic event but it could have been better if there were more details. DRAFT 2: In Port Angeles, Washington the Elwha Dam was removed and once the waters receded a sacred site was found. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe knows the area as their creation site. Oral stories have been passed down that claim the Creator blessed the Klallam people at the site and it is a place where tribal members voyaged to learn about their future (Associated Press 2012). Prior to the removal of the dam it was determined that the lands were going to be set aside and used as a state park, national park, wildlife refuge or handed over to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. The tribe wants the land back but the National Park Service (in charge of the land) cannot just hand it over to them. There has to be a public process to determine what is to be done with it. The land, if transferred to the tribe, would be maintained as a sacred site and other areas would be used for housing and economic development (Associated Press 2012). This article stuck out to me because of the mention of the oral stories that have been passed down about the tribe’s Creation site. We learned that oral tradition is a huge part of Native American culture and it’s amazing that after so many years the Klallam people knew the site based off of the stories they have heard. Furthermore, the land that obviously at one point belonged to the Lower Elwha Kalallam Tribe should be transferred back to them. The Europeans came to the United States and took land from the natives and had no right to do so. Hopefully the public process will determine that the land should be transferred to the tribe. Reference Associated Press. “After Dam Came Down, Tribe’s Creation Site Found,” Native American Times, last modified August 14, 2012, http://www.nativetimes.com/news/tribal/7588-after-dam-came-down-tribes-creation-site-found 1. Are there any additional details that could be included to help you better understand the essay? What is missing or unclear? Though it is mentioned that the Klallam people knew the site as their creation site, the essay does not give an account of whether or not because the Dam was removed, there was a legitimate owner of the land to the Klallam people. This is because the mere belief based on oral tradition that the place is their creation site does not seem to be a powerful and legitimate reason why they should be claiming ownership of the land today. 2. What part of the essay is most memorable? Why? The most memorable part of the story has to do with the old age adherence that the Native American people have had of their oral traditional beliefs. The essay makes it clear that the basic beliefs of the people have not totally being wiped away as of today. 3. Does the author provide the reader with a sense of completion at the end? If so, how? There is no clear cut indication of how the litigation process went and how it ended. For all we know, we are being given the idea that there will be a public process that will continue the process and so there was no sense of completion. 4. What kind of grammatical errors, if any, are evident in the essay? The first line of the essay came with some grammatical errors in terms of punctuation use. For example there should have been a comma after ‘once the water receded’ to give a clear cut pause in reading. 5. What final suggestions do you have for the author? The conclusions of the author should be checked more critically to ensure that writers are not always left in suspense when writing his writings. Read More