Hist120

Group #3-Women of Edenton

A New Place for Women

According to the authors of Nation of Nations, “Many colonials saw the Coercive Acts as proof of a plot to enslave the colonies.” “The Society of Patriotic Women of Edenton” is an example of how the colonists rebelled against British actions. The British view of patriot activism leading up to the revolutionary war is apparent in the cartoon. The image portrays a direct opinion of and attempts to discredit the women involved in activism. The artist displays promiscuous behavior, lack of responsibility, and loss of feminine qualities to achieve this goal.

In the picture we see many activities going on at once in a busy room full of female patriots. Amidst all this activity, the artist shows some of these women engaging in compromising behavior. In the very center of the image, a buxom woman appears in close contact with a man. Looking closer, the man has one hand on the woman’s breast and his other hand no where to be seen. By showing this public display of inappropriate behavior, the artist suggests that the women are of low moral character and little inhibition.

Among other things shown in the picture we also see a large amount of alcohol being consumed—and from rather large containers. As well, in the left foreground of the image, there is a dog urinating on some discarded canteens. The dog is also licking an unattended child playing with what looks to be a platter of cookies or cakes, spilling them on the floor in the process. By showing heavy drinking and a lack of cleanliness, the message comes across that these women seem to have lost any sense of responsibility.

On the far right of the image two women can be seen, one woman is sitting at the head of the table and is apparently the leader, while the other stands idly behind her. These two women are portrayed rather unattractively with almost manly features. This says that their involvement in activism has caused a loss of an important quality a woman in this period holds, femininity.

These women took bold actions to protect their coveted freedoms, such as those curtailed by the Coercive Acts, and in turn their reputation in England suffered. Even though the women of Edenton were mocked by the British, their acts were admired by the colonists. The women of the Revolution from North Carolina epitomized the dissatisfaction of many Americans with the English and the need for American freedom. The unexpected and audacious behavior shown by the women of Edenton proved successful to show the British, Americans were willing to defend their independence.

Post 1: Creationism Rewritten

       Different stories of creationism are found in virtually every culture around the world.  Each one takes certain unknowns and attempts to explain them as a part of the birth of mankind.  For example, every religion has its own take on the formation of geographical features, living organisms, and the weather.  Native American creation stories are typically built from the same foundation, but from the 17th to the 20th century several major elements of these tales were edited.  The decrease in the role of women, the incorporation of other races and ethnicities, and changes in mankind’s creator display a transformation in Native American culture due to contact with European settlers and their beliefs.
      
       The story from the “Indians of New Netherlands” in 1650 involves a woman who “descends from heaven” and goes about creating the world as we know it.  The tale portrays her as a “Mother Nature” of sorts, creating the lands and giving birth to all of the earth’s creatures.  However, women disappear completely in the later creation stories, which can be attributed to European influence in a major way.  In Anglo-Saxon society during this time, men were seen as more powerful, and therefore, were at the head of family, government, and business.  One can infer that an assimilation of this belief occurred over the years, resulting in a shift in the importance of women in Native American culture.  We find further evidence by looking to “The Origins of Ottawa Society,” where the woman is created after the man and is told that her purpose in life is to serve her husband (very similar to Christianity).
      
       Another element appeared in the 1935 Sioux tale: an explanation for people of different races.  This detail was not included in the earlier stories, which is not surprising; before the Europeans and their slaves arrived in America, the natives had little or no knowledge of the existence of another race.  The Sioux story takes this newly discovered fact into account, claiming that the creator simply took different colored pieces of earth, molded them into the human form and gave them life.
Lastly, the creator figure differed greatly from the first story to the last.  In the first story, a woman is placed as the creator.  In the Ottawa tale, the earth is brought about by a “Great Hare,” and finally in the third is known only as the “Creating Power” (but is defined as masculine).  In the Sioux story, the Creating Power has evolved into something much more closely related to the God in Christianity.  The story mentions that he created a world before this one, where the people “did not know how to behave themselves or how to act human.” He then decided to form a new world, which is reminiscent of Noah and the Ark, although it is slightly out of order with the Genesis version.  Lastly, this creator seems to have an uncanny knack of choosing things in threes and fours, which is yet another common characteristic of Christian religion. 
      
        From reading these creation stories, it is easy to see the influence of Christian religion on Native American culture.  From a hierarchical standpoint, the natives seemed to assimilate the notion that men were more powerful and superior to women.  Also, the introduction to whites and blacks meant that they had to add the creation of other peoples to their story.  Lastly, the creator in their accounts became more and more like the Christian God after interaction with the English.  One reason these tales evolved so much was the fact that Native American religion was passed down orally, as opposed to being written.  Even just one generation could change major elements in the story, passing new beliefs on for future generations to practice.