Humanities Homework Help

1) Describe the trajectory of what happens in the textbook chapter, “From Sea to Shining Sea.” How does the term “Manifest Destiny” relate to the chapter? Be sure to provide specific examples from the textbook.

2) How does your K-12 education relate to (or differ from) the experiences mentioned in Lim’s article “Educating Elementary School Students on California Missions”? What “myths” does Lim discuss in the article? What solution(s) is provided?

3) According to the article “The San Diego Mission and Kumeyaay Revolt: A Decolonized Mission Project,” what happened during the Kumeyaay revolt? Also, how exactly was the author’s daughter’s modern-day 4th grade mission project “decolonizing” or an example of decolonization?

4) In the article “What the ‘California Dream’ Means to Indigenous Peoples,” how does the author define the “California Dream”? What does the “California Dream” mean to Indigenous peoples? What solution does the author suggest?

Reply

1. In the textbook chapter, “From Sea to Shining Sea” the trajectory that is occurring describes the U.S. Colonization of Northern Mexico, how it affected those who originated from the land before the United States conquering the land, and the overall treatment of the natives of California during the Spanish Colonization, along with the Mission Systems. As Mexico and Spain individually gained their independence, the United States saw this as an opportunity to conquer Northern Mexico as they were currently at their weaker point. The term “Manifest Dynasty” was described in the textbook when it explained “The two-year invasion and occupation of Mexico was a joyful experience for most US citizens” (Dunbar-Ortiz 130). The people of the U.S were able to conquer the land as they wanted, and with their success it could have been described as “manifestation”.
2. In Lim’s article “Educating Elementary School Students on California Missions”, the author of the article seemed to be displeased with the education that her daughter was receiving, as she felt that they were being taught misconceptions and inaccurately describing the experiences of the natives. Lim explained how she felt that the material she was taught as a student was almost identical to her daughter’s, implying that it was outdated, and students were not being educated on current world issues of today. I feel that when I was younger, I was in a similar position to Lim’s daughter. During my K-12 years of education, most of the time I had not been learning any history that I felt was relevant to today’s society. However, I did notice that in a number of my courses as a younger student, we would be studying from newer, updated versions of textbooks, which gives me confidence that I was learning accurate information. One of the “myths” Lim discusses in the article is that California Indians were uncivilized. Lim explains “California Indians were considered uncivilized because they looked different, had different religious beliefs and languages, and did not appear to have building structures, governing authorities, and agricultural practices” (Lim 17). This label allowed the Europeans to satisfy the elements of the Doctrine of Discovery, giving them power to claim their land. There was no solution to this myth.
3. During the Kumeyaay Revolt, fire was set to the San Diego mission, representing the resistance against the Spaniards. This was their way of expressing how they were not in support of the treatment they were inflicting. The author’s daughter’s project could be described as “decolonizing” because it was in disagreement with the incorrect knowledge that they had provided to them. Instead, it was allowing an entirely different perception to be seen.
4. The author begins the article with “The California Dream is a myth for many California Indian peoples and tribes” (Chilcote 1). She goes on to explain how they were not given an equal opportunity to possess the feeling of what was explained to be “The California Dream”. To the indigienous people, the California Dream could be described in one word: Decolonization. She explains how decolonization to them is being able to return to their land freely, so that they may be given equal opportunities such as determining their political status, futures, and having a true chance at independence. Chilcote expresses that the solution to this issue is for the tribes to be able to return to their land. It is not necessary to remove the non-tribes from the land, but for them to be able to coexist peacefully.
5. My overall thoughts and reactions to this week‘s material were very upsetting. It is completely inhumane to not only remove people from the land where they originated, but to also justify it with the excuses that were used when doing it. The Indigineous People were treated unfairly, and were not given equal opportunities as everyone else. Physically abusing the tribes had been brought to my attention before, although this week’s material allowed me to see some of the mental abuse that the tribes were enduring as well.