Ethnic History of the U.S.

History 270

Study Questions for Takaki Chs 2 and 3

1.   What is Takaki's purpose in using the Tempest?

2.   Define the "other."  Why is it socially constructed?  What purpose does it serve?

3.   Takaki explains that this era was a time in which the English were encountering "other" peoples and specifying the boundary between civilization and savagery.  In what way was the social construction of the other developing in Ireland, Virginia, and New England?

4.  What was happening in Ireland?  Why does Takaki go into so much detail?

5.   In civilizing the Irish, Indians, and Blacks, Takaki makes the distinction between "nurture" and "nature" in English thought.  What does this mean?

6.   In Virginia, was "savagery" based on culture or race?  In New England?  Why did these two regions develop different social constructions of the "other"?

7.   Why were the Puritans so fearful of becoming "Indianized"?

8.   How can we explain the progression of events that lead to black slavery in Virginia?  What does "class" have to do with it?

9.   What did Bacon's rebellion lead to in terms of race relations?

10.  There was a time in early Virginia when there appeared to be an affinity between white indentured servants and black slaves.  Why did this affinity evaporate by the end of the 17th century?

11.  Compare and contrast Jefferson's views about Indians and blacks.  Can we use the "nature" vs. "nurture" dichotomy Takaki speaks of?