Unit Central Question:
How did the cultural characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and economic conditions of the French, English, and Indians contribute to the growth of inter-group hostilities, fighting, and attacks in the late 17th and early 18th centuries?
Key Content Ideas Taught in this Lesson and Teacher Background
- In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, stories of the early colonial period in Deerfield and of the attacks were re-told in a variety of media. For example, the Allen sisters, who photographed Deerfield at the turn of the century, posed people in costume, reenacting 17th century activities and events. Early movies like “Ononko’s Vow” were made about the period.
- Later in the 20th century, children’s paper dolls and action figures representing people from the colonial era were created and sold.
- There is bias inherent in these source materials. The stories they tell are not accurate representations of the period, but rather they are staged to express the maker’s perception of what transpired. The sources can be “read” and analyzed to understand the point of view they represent.
For more information read:
Teacher Background Essay about Colonial Revival: “Deerfield At The Third Turn, 1880-1920”.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Understandings
Students will understand:
- that the Allen sisters’ photographs were staged representations of what the sisters thought the Native Americans, Puritans, etc. looked like during this early colonial period.
- that there can be a variety of interpretations for what photos portray. They will further understand what the photos depict, where, when, how they were taken, by whom and for what purpose they were taken, and the point of view represented in them by their creators.
- the discrepancies and/or differences between a realistic and authentic portrayal of history and an often-accepted inaccurate portrayal as illustrated in modern-day toys, paper dolls, photographs, and silent film.
- how people in 1910 interpreted the Native American and English relationship of 1675 and 1704 through viewing the 1910 film “Ononko’s Vow”, and they will also understand why the film maker may have portrayed these people as he did.
- that modern day interpretations also can be inaccurate and biased. They will gain this information by analyzing the paper doll collection, books, and 1704 action figures.
Skills
Students will be able to:
- analyze the details of a film (setting, plot, main characters, purpose in making, etc.) and of photographs.
- determine if bias and/or unrealistic portrayals are depicted in the source materials.