1. A brief summary of the seminar. Include any highlights for you – new information, a particularly useful exercise, a favorite moment. Be sure to identify the main historical themes and the core documents presented in the seminar.

I really enjoyed the occular versus specular aspects of historical writings and primary sources. This idea is very easy to incorporate into any time period. I also found the discussion on citizenship and enfranchisment and the resulting loss of tribal identity extremely interesting. Particularly when Tom discussed the white settlers then claiming the title of "native." The concept of the disappearing indian and it not being a malicious intent but just the way things "were meant to be" with manifest destiny and the new Israel was also a key point I hope to bring up in classes.

2. What questions did the seminar raise for you and how will you follow-up on those questions? Will you need to do further research – and if so, how will you approach that research and what sources are available to you?

I definitely want to find more information on Massachusett's enfranchisement of the natives and the subsequent loss of their tribal identity. I would like to know what the reaction to this was both within the indian communities themselves and within the white and free black communities. The entire question of identity is extremely interesting to me including who and what determines identity and the impact of that determination on the individual and the group.

3. How would you use this material in the classroom? If you do not currently teach this material, pretend that you do (you may be teaching it at some point in your career!).

I will definitely be using some of the primary source materials and the discussion ideas in my Minority History class. We are currently entering into the 19th century and I think much of what was discussed in the seminar was helpful. As always Tom provided us with some extremely interesting primary sources that I know my students will enjoy. (what student doesn't like Horrid massacres and Shocking murders!) I also intend to introduce the occular versus secular perspective because I think it is important for students to understand the role of bias in historical analyses.

4. How does the material presented in the seminar deepen your understanding of the relationship between representation and reality in the history of New England natives?

Again I go back to the whole idea of identity and how the view of native americans altered over time until ultimately they were no longer identified as indians. Almost every student in my U.S. II class stated that there were no more indians in the eastern United States by the 20th century. When I ask them where the tribes currently recognized by or seeking recognition by the government come from inevitably I have students tell me they are part indian in their ancestory. I also found the 2 discussions on Thanksgiving, both last year & on Oct. 2 to be interesting in the evolution of the holiday.