Elijah Meltzer Notes:

My Ideas:

I was surprised to hear that the Iroquois tribe had women as leaders. I thought that back in the colonial period, it was even more sexist than it is now. The Native Americans must have been very unprejudiced. The colonists must have been really surprised to hear this too. They probably didn’t even consider the fact that women could lead. It’s cool to compare these two very different tribes. Powhatan controlled pretty much everything. Today in our society, our government is set up very carefully so that no single person could have too much power to themselves. The president often needs approval from congress. The congress often needs approval from the president. This way, if you get stuck with a terrible leader, they can’t do too much damage. But this is not the case with the Powhatans. If Powhatan was a terrible leader, there would be no way to stop him, unless somebody killed him. I know John Smith made friends with Powhatan, but I wonder whether the Africans ever made contact, or attempted to make contact with Powhatan, or any other Native American leaders. How would the Native Americans react to the slaves. I can infer that they probably wouldn’t treat them any differently. They might not have known that they were treated differently by the English because of the color of their skin. The only way they might notice is by the clothes they were wearing. This also might be a way for them to distinguish between the gentry, the middling, and the working classes. I wonder how John Smith would have dressed. He was only a yeoman, but he was still their leader. He probably would have dressed like a person in the middling class.

Eli Harris Notes:

Powhatan Government

Source:

Powhatan Village, P. I. (2016, October 18). [Personal interview].

Paraphrase:

-Wahoosinacock had 32 tribes under his rule. That’s about 15,000 people.

-Wahoosinacock was Pocahontas’s father.

-Each tribe had a tribal leader.

-Each village within the tribes had a village leader.

-This way was very similar to the American government. Our government has a president like their chief, a governor like their tribal leader, and a mayor like their village leader.

-Chief Powhatan was a dictator so his word was law.

-There was a lot of strengths of having 32 tribes.

-If one tribe got attacked another one could come and help.

-They were very powerful.

My Ideas:

After learning about the Powhatan government, I have learned that their government is very powerful. I am amazed by how organized it was. It seems so simple yet so powerful and complicated. I am astonished of how it is still not around today. Even though it was a dictatorship, I think we can learn a lot from their government. Even though the English government was a big influence on ours, I think the Powhatan government could be an even bigger influence on our government. It was a huge mistake to get rid of them. Without them we would not be where we are today as a nation. If the English hadn’t killed them off, maybe they would still be alive today and that would be a huge help. I wonder how long the Powhatan’s were around for? How powerful were they? Why did the British kill the Powhatans off? Who were the different leaders of the Powhatan chiefdom? When did the Powhatan chiefdom start? I think the British would have been a lot stronger if they had learned to ally with the Powhatan’s. Instead only one of them did, and then later they killed them all off because they thought that the Powhatan’s were dangerous.

Eli Harris

Some of the ways slaves were punished was that they took away their rations. They were also beat and whipped. “Imagine death not being the worst punishment.” Another common punishment was to sell slaves to other masters if they ran away. That way, the slave would become someone else’s problem. Masters would also deliberately separate families if one family member disobeyed. However, some people wanted to change that rule and sell whole families as one package. -Julien (Shirley Plantation).

Mabel S. A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Clara Wraith

I wake up in my own bed, my pillow stained with tears. For a moment I am confused, but then I remember the dream. Scenes flash through my head: a man on the ground, the rancid smell of smoke in the air, the cries of innocent men and women ripping through the sky. Suddenly, the realization of what happened hits me. I dreamt of the day my parents died, and my sister was separated from me forever. I slowly drag myself out of bed… and crumple to the floor. Memories sear through my mind. I see a man collapse in pain, on the edge of death. I see myself, reaching out to him, but he is slipping away. I let out a cry of pain. James! My husband! He was terribly wounded in a battle, and rushed away to a hospital. He recovered, but he left everything behind. He left town, and I haven’t seen him since. Oh well. Maybe… maybe we’ll find each other again. Someday.

I pull myself up on the bed frame and stumble over to my closet. I reach for my old black bodice, but then I remember today’s happy occasion. I’m going to see my rich sister and her daughter today! She is rich because after our parents died, she went to live with our wealthy aunt and uncle. I stayed with my favorite middle class cousin. My sister married a rich man, and my husband James was not very wealthy. I always had a talent for pottery, so after he died, I started my own business making clay pots for the town. I pull out a deep blue silk bodice, and a fluffy white skirt from my closet. I hum to myself as I dress, knowing that I’m not all alone in this world. I am glad that we were accepted in Williamsburg, even though we are French. A voice sounds outside.

“Mrs. Wraith- uh, Clara?The carriage is ready, and there is ample food and water for the journey!”

It’s my servant Alfred. He’s been in my family for a long time. Unfortunately, he is very formal, and I have to keep reminding him to call me Clara, not Mrs. Wraith. I slip on my leather shoes and open the door. I descend the stairs, trying not to jump for joy. I compose myself as Alfred swings the door open as I approach.

Blinding gold sunlight streams in, bringing beautiful warmth and light to the drab gray walls of my middle class home on the outskirts of Williamsburg. I step outside, and stare at the wonderful carriage I am to ride in. It is deep blue (my favorite color!) with two black horses harnessed. It looks brand new and comfortable. My sister must have sent it for me! Alfred helps me inside, and I gasp. The seats are purple velvet, and the interior is pale blue. It looks extremely nice, and it ought to be quite sufficient. I settle myself into the purple seat near the window. It all looks squeaky clean and polished. At a nod from Alfred, the driver flicks the reins. I’m off!

The carriage rumbles down the road, and I am amazed at how smooth the ride is. I decide to distract myself with my luggage, which Alfred placed in the carriage before I arrived. I open my black bag and take out my book. It is about life on a plantation, and it is simply fascinating. I amuse myself this way for many hours. At midday, we stop for a light dinner of bread and cheese and water. Then we are off again. By late afternoon, we are rolling along a very nice street. I am so excited I can hardly sit still. We rumble to a stop in front of a very beautiful house. I am helped out by two of my sister’s servants. One retrieves my bags, and the other escorts me to the abode of my sister. I mount the stairs, my excitement growing. The servant opens the door. I step inside and gasp at the rich blue carpet, vibrant colors, and beautiful decorations. I hear light footsteps pitter-pattering down the stairs, and I know my niece has heard of my arrival. I feel almost ready to burst with happiness, because now, I have finally found my family.

Mabel S. Conclusion

Each culture had different views about the roles of men and women, but none of them had complete equality. Each culture had different jobs, but all of them were divided by gender, and several other things. The English foisted house jobs onto their wives because they thought them weaker. Africans found themselves working most of the time, so there was not a lot of time for them to really have any gender-specific roles. Powhatans gave women jobs they considered honorary. Each culture had their reasons, but women got the house jobs almost every time. Sometimes, there was an escape for women, but it was not complete. Men and women have never been treated truly equal. Several times we have fought for every kind of equality, but we have not yet won this fight. Dark times are coming, but we have to stand together. In times like this, each voice becomes stronger. We become stronger. Solutions will not come at once, but we have to take this first step towards complete equality. After all, the first step is the most important. It is the base, the foundation. It is the foundation we must lay to support the work of others to come, and the foundation that could change our country for the better. Even though we may not succeed at once, we have to try.

Mabel S. Notecard 10

# 10  Women’s Roles (Mabel)

Source:

Taylor, Deborah C. “Domesticity: the Female Role in Colonial America.” American History .

Quote:

“Enforced by law and reinforced by religion, domesticity was the main institution in a woman’s life, and the home was a refuge of English custom. Married women had no independent legal rights and were subordinate to their husbands. In the family they were expected to perform both productive and reproductive domestic duties. Their household responsibilities included cooking, cleaning, sewing, weaving, candle-making, butchering, tending a kitchen garden, caring for poultry, and performing dairy work. They spent much of their adult lives in the cycle of pregnancy, birth, and nursing while simultaneously raising older children and executing domestic duties. Mothers passed on “huswife” skills to their daughters, creating strong mother-daughter bonds. Wealthy women also managed servants and slaves.”

Paraphrase:

Married women didn’t have their own rights, they had to do whatever their husband told them to. They were supposed to sew, cook, clean, weave, make candles, butcher animals, care for animals, tend gardens, and do dairy work. Older women spent most of their time having and raising kids while teaching their daughters how to do the same. The rich women only did some of the stuff with kids, they had servants to do everything else. 

My Ideas:

This seems like a whole lot of work. Did the men ever notice or care that their wives might be overworked, or did they only think about themselves being tired? No wonder the women started the Non-Importation Act. What would happen when they got sick? Would they have to work anyway if they had no servants, or would the man have to do some of her work? Later, the article says that “model housewives were often compared to a tortoise confined to her shell- a secure and stable domestic world.” I can infer from this that women did not leave- or get to leave- their own house very often. I wonder, what would happen to women who disobeyed these gender roles and didn’t listen to her husband? I know that really vocal women were sometimes accused of witchcraft, so I can infer that women who acted like their husbands would probably be accused as well. In one article I read that slaves, servants, children, and wives were hit if they weren’t good. However, that means that white free men were not hit. I can infer that this was because they were supposed to be the master of their house. People also used public punishments for the same offenses, but again, not on white free men who could do what they liked unless it was against the law.