As you have gone through Unit II you have been introduced to a wonderfully complex cast of characters that are bestowed with this larger than life title “Founding Father.” We in the United States have idolized these figures since the American Revolution and one of the primary things I hope you would learn from this Unit is that they were human beings with as many character flaws as amazing talents. I hope you also recognize that the role of Founder was not simply named Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, but included a very large number of other individuals (with names like Madison, Hamilton, Adams, and Jay) and was certainly not exclusively the domain of men. For this discussion, I would like for you to address the following questions in your discussion board posting:

Your responses should be at least one paragraph in length for EACH of these questions.

1) Who was the most interesting “Founding Father(s)” for you to learn about?

2) What made these men so unique and what characteristics made them so “human”?

3) Who was the most interesting “Founding Mother(s)” for you to learn about? Why is learning the role of colonial women and other minority groups in the Revolution important to understanding the full story of the founding of the United States of America?

Watch the video and write a paper

https://youtu.be/cQIMrw8gSVQ

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

OK… just kidding….

Disturbing though, huh?

Are you beginning to understand just how much is left out of our histories?

From early childhood, we are taught about this brave group of individuals who courageously set out to find a new life for themselves in the “New World.” A life where they could be free to worship and live as they chose…and when they got here they had to labor and toil day and night in the midst of an inhospitable and unfamiliar land. Luckily, however, the kindly natives befriended them and helped them survive their first winter here in their new home. And when harvest time came the following year, they all sat down together at the table of brotherhood holding hands, enjoying the fruits of their labor and singing Kum Ba Yah….Does this sound about right?

The Pilgrims… a small group of people we thought were seeking religious freedom when they came to this country…we thought they were simply an example of moral, upstanding, Christian leaders responsible for much of the foundational ten- ants which lay at the core of this country… or were they? What have you learned about this group of people now that you’ve read Loewen’s chapter?

Some of the issues I find interesting about this group:

•   They were not seeking religious freedom when they came, they had already found it…in the Netherlands.
•   They may have hijacked the Mayflower…and in today’s language, what do we usually call a group of people who hijack a ship or plane?
•   When they got here, they did not have to “tame” the wilder- ness…where did they actually settle? In Squanto’s old village. The homes were already built, crops planted…
•   When they got here what did they do immediately? Begin looking for gold….
•   And they looked in some of the most interesting places…like graves.
•   Because they began immediately looking for gold and not preparing themselves for the months ahead they get themselves in a predica- ment…and many resort to cannibalism….yes, cannibalism .
  (Happy Thanksgiving!)
  Many of us remember the Thanksgiving plays we participated in as children in el- ementary school…where we made the construction paper hats with the big buckles and buckles for our shoes, or the construction paper feather head- dresses…or how we would trace the outline of our hand onto our drawing paper with our crayons and magically it would morph itself into a turkey…we spend much, much time and energy on this “creation” story….
  Shouldn’t we include some smallpox ravaged natives, complete with blistering pustules, to represent the 90% of the entire Native American population (in the North and South American continents) wiped out by disease? After all, this is part of the Pilgrims’ story isn’t it?
  Shouldn’t we include the story of Metacom’s War (named after the son of the original Native American leader who helped the Pilgrims) and all of the ghastly things done to Metacom? His being drawn and quartered by the Pilgrims, them cutting off his hands and putting them on display in Boston, and removing his head and taking it back to Plymouth to mount it atop a big, long stick in the mid- dle of town square where it would remain on display for 25 years? I kid you not….
  Should we not include slavery? As the Puritans were one of the main North Ameri- can contributors to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade-an institution responsible for the loss of 50 million people from Africa through enslavement and death?
  Why do we spend so much time on this group of people in school? Perhaps even more importantly, why do we spend so much time on this Disney-esque version of the Pilgrims? What purpose, what lesson, do you believe studying the Pilgrims in this way serves?

1. Please post an initial response to these questions of at least 150 words 2. Reply(2or3sentences)toatleast3otherstudents’initialpostings.

If you are unsure how to use Discussion Board, click the “Tools” tab on your left to access the User Manual.

 CSTU 101- Western Culture

Background to the assignment: At the beginning of the Medieval Age, there was a synthesis of three different cultures within Western culture. There was the classical culture, Christian culture, and pagan culture. Each made adjustments as they interacted and came together, and over hundreds of years, they finally settled into a balanced Western culture for a time period.

Description of the assignment: In America today, there is a synthesis of different cultures as well. There is the secular culture, Christian culture, and other religious cultures. In a logical discussion, describe what a possible balanced culture might look like in America in the future. Explain in an orderly manner why you came to these conclusions. It may help to read the essay in the back of your textbook titled. “The Future of Western Culture”. This assignment requires an opinion; you must clarify your position. If you include sources, cite them in current APA format. This assignment must be 250–300 words and must include the word count in parentheses. Submit a draft of your Learning Activity to SafeAssign for feedback a few days before the assignment is due.

By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Start reviewing and responding to your classmates as early in the week as possible.

Question 1: Renaissance and Baroque Sculpture in Italy

The biblical hero David was a popular subject for sculpture and painting throughout the Renaissance and into the Baroque period. By studying, comparing, and contrasting sculptures of David created in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, you can begin to see the stylistic changes that occurred across these centuries. In a minimum of 3 well-developed paragraphs, compare and contrast the following 3 sculptures of David:

1. Early Renaissance: Donatello. David. 1446-1460.
2. High Renaissance: Michelangelo. David. 1501-1504.
3. Baroque. Gianlorenzo Bernini. David. 1623.

In your comparison, discuss:

• What specific visual similarities do you observe in these three sculptures?
• What specific differences do you see? Consider the representation of the figure, additional objects portrayed, and the role of the viewer for each sculpture
• How has the attitude of David changed between these three representations?
• How is each sculpture representative of the time period and style in which it was created?

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas.

Question 2: Dutch Baroque Painting

As we learned this week, Dutch Baroque art showed the influence of Protestantism and the middle-class merchants and traders who served as patrons. Dutch Baroque artists created portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and genre scenes of domestic life.

In a minimum of 2 well developed paragraphs, discuss how the following paintings reflect the social and historical context of sixteenth-century Holland. Consider the influence of religion, commerce, social structure, and/or patrons of the art in your response. Offer specific examples of how the subject of each painting reflects the society and culture in which it was created.

1. Frans Hals, Officers of the Haarlem Militia Company of Saint Adrian, c. 1627
2. Rembrandt van Rijn, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, 1632
3. Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas.

Respond to both questions as thoroughly as possible, making sure to use information from the readings and the lectures. All responses should be in complete sentence form, using proper spelling and grammar.

As soon as possible, review and comment on the work of two of your peers (click the rubric below to learn how to achieve the most credit). In your comments, consider areas you would suggest for expansion or clarification.