History

Early US History

Writing Assignment

Rethinking Jamestown

America's first permanent colonists have long been considered lazy and incompetent. But new evidence suggests that it was a prolonged drought-not indolence-that almost did them in.

For your first writing assignment, you will read the essay “Rethinking Jamestown” by Jeffrey L. Sheler published in Smithsonian in January 2005 available on Blackboard.

After a thorough and careful reading, answer the assignment questions. Use academic college level writing. The response should be minimum 2 paragraphs per question. To support your answers, provide specific details and examples with in-text citations from the “Sheler article and course materials. Citations can be basic (Sheler, pg#). Responses received without in-text citations will receive a 5-point deduction off the earned grade and may be considered plagiarized.

Submit the Assignment on Canvas (attach a word document or PDF only) by the due date & time. Canvas does not accept Mac Pages, Google docs or .odt files. Files submitted in the incorrect format will receive zero points as Canvas cannot open them. Student may resubmit the assignment in the correct format ONLY before the due date & time. Any resubmissions after the due date & time will be considered late. All Assignments submitted after the due date & time will be considered late.

Assignment #1 Questions

1. What have been some of the traditional views and interpretations as to why the Jamestown colony nearly perished? To support your answers, provide specific details and examples with in-text citations from the source documents and course materials.

2. Based on the archaeological items recovered at Jamestown so far, what do you believe can be learned about the actual settlement that could not be learned just from written primary accounts? Elaborate your views from the items described in the essay. To support your answers, provide specific details and examples with in-text citations from the source documents and course materials.

3. Provide specific examples from the essay how archaeological discoveries and artifacts reinterpreted the story of the Jamestown settlement in these two ways: the previous view of an undersupplied colony and revealing greater Native American presence and contact within the colony. To support your answers, provide specific details and examples with in-text citations from the source documents and course materials.

4. What was revealed in the landmark 1998 climate study of Jamestown colony that brought a new understanding as to why the colony almost perished? How did these findings help revaluate or refute previous historical views? To support your answers, provide specific details and examples with in-text citations from the source documents and course materials.

5. According to Sheler, why are there some potential pitfalls and possible inaccurate conclusions that could result when examining artifacts from the Jamestown site? How do site director Bill Kelso and project curator Beverly Straube respond to these pitfalls? To support your answers, provide specific details and examples with in-text citations from the source documents and course materials.

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