“Mainstream” American history
Analyze the following statement and write a reasoned argument supporting your answer.
Cable news, social media, and talking pundits are embroiled in controversies over what constitutes “mainstream” American history, arguing that attention to such matters as race, class, and gender distract from the “real” history of the United States. Reflecting on the stories and writings of three individuals about whom you have read, Bartolomé de Las Casas, Nathaniel Bacon, and Eliza Lucas, does it seem to you that their histories distract from U.S. history in general or do you think their stories tell us important things about the nation’s past? Be sure to refer to the three documents you collectively analyzed during Units 2 and 3 (i.e., “Bartolomé de Las Casas Argues for the American Indians,” “Nathaniel Bacon: Manifesto Concerning the Troubles in Virginia, 1676,” and “Eliza Lucas Challenges Traditional Plantation Life”).
Your essay response to this question should consist of at least five paragraphs (a one-paragraph “thesis statement”, three paragraphs of evidence and argument, and a one-paragraph conclusion–see the docume
Sample Solution
A word of caution is necessary before we begin looking at how different characteristics of culture influence teaching and learning. Individual differences in ideas, attitudes, and behaviors within a cultural group are far bigger than differences between cultural groupings. Patterns are used to investigate culturally based thinking and behavior. When one cultural group is contrasted to another, certain beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors will be more widespread in one than in the other. This module’s goal is to convey accurate information about a group’s culture rather than to stereotype individuals.
