Two things for the Mayflower  blog:

1. Pick 7 words that you have read throughout the book and either didn’t know, had to look up, or weren’t fully sure of the exact definition of the word’s meaning in its context (you can’t wiggle your way out of this by saying that you knew every single word in the book).  Then define the word as it is used in the book and cite the page number. 

 – You’re helping me build a vocab list for next year’s Early APUSH students so that when they read this book next summer, they’ll be better prepared (at least vocabulary-wise) to meet the challenge of the book. 

Please use the Google Docs spreadsheet link here to put your seven words in the assignment.  Also, please, do not edit anyone else’s work.  It doesn’t matter if there are similar words.   This part of the blog is due Wednesday, August 31, 2011. 

2. Discuss this statement from chapter 10 about land sales and opportunities:

“Today, the sums paid for Massasoit’s lands seem criminally insignificant.  However, given the high cost of clearing Native land and the high value the Indians attached to English goods, the prices are almost justifiable.  Certainly, the Pilgrims felt they were paying a fair price, and their descendants later insisted that they ‘did not possess one foot of land in this colony but what was fairly obtained by honest purchase of the Indian proprietors'” (Philbrick 171). 

Examine what the author is saying from both points of view – the English and the Indians.  Were the English getting the land at “criminally” low prices or was the price the right level b/c the land had to be cleared and the Indians wanted English industrial goods?  What about later when Philip sold off his land in the 1670s?  There were so many English settlers and not enough land to go around that the Indians were pushed into a pre-emptive war in 1675 to stop English expansion.  Did the Indians have other alternatives? 

 – You can post your response here as normal.  Your response should refer to at least two specific instances from the book, and your 250 word minimum response is also due by Wednesday, August 31. 

Please complete the survey on the previous entry below this one.  It’s helpful to read your comments about the book  (“All the political intrique with the Indians is fascinating”), insightful (“This book is much easier to read than a textbook”), funny (“…because I have to read it for school, it is instantly 17.2% less interesting and enjoyable than if I had read it of my own free will”) or just, hmmm… (“I like that there are pictures.”)  Actually, I like that there are pictures too.  It is one of the main reasons why I picked the book, even though when I first “read” it, I was listening to it on CD. 

Hope you’ve had a great summer.  If you’d like to get together at Leo’s Coney Island, let me know at the gmail address.  (mrwickersham), and I’ll organize something.