Your Task

Write a concise, well organized essay addressing one of the following questions.

1.       Does Larry McMurtry's biography of Crazy Horse explain why some nineteenth-century Sioux decided to stop resisting United States domination while other Sioux continued their resistance?

2.       According to one educational website, the Sioux regarded Crazy Horse as a "visionary leader" of his people. Is this an accurate characterization of the role Crazy Horse played in Sioux history as Larry McMurtry presents it?

3.       Larry McMurtry asserts that U.S. army troops often attacked Sioux Indians because officers "tended to see war where there was no war" (pages 122-23). Would it also be fair to say that Sioux in this period often attacked non-Sioux for the same reason?

Deadline and Other Instructions

Your essay should not be longer than 750 words. Please use a 12-point font and double space the text. There will be approximately 250-300 words on a page.

Begin by stating a clear overall answer to the question (a thesis) and summarizing the points you will make in support of that argument. Then, in an orderly way, explain your argument more fully and demonstrate that it is sound by drawing from Crazy Horse for supporting facts, illustrative stories, and brief quotations. You may also reference a lecture, film, or other reading for support, if appropriate; but your principal focus and source should be McMurtry's book.

Cite the source of each quotation, particular bit of information, or idea that is not your own. That is, provide the title of a book or other reading and cite the page number; name a film; give the date of a lecture. You may do this either in notes (footnotes or endnotes) or in parentheses at the end of the pertinent sentences or paragraphs.

The paper is due in class on Thursday, January 21.

Your Task

Write a concise, well organized essay addressing one of the following questions.

1.       One reviewer of Blood Struggle described it as "an optimistic tale" that "hardly acknowledges the many harsh realities...in Indian Country." Does Wilkinson offer an overly optimistic analysis of the gains in power that Indians have made relative to the U.S. since World War II? Explain and justify your answer by discussing ample specific historical information taken from readings and lectures in this course.

2.       Many non-Indians ask why Indians still have "special rights" under U.S. law, particularly tribal sovereignty, when Indians also have the same rights as other American citizens. If you tried to help those puzzled people understand the historical reasons for contemporary tribal sovereignty, which aspects of the story would you emphasize, and what would you say about them?

Deadline and Other Instructions

Your essay should not be longer than 1,000 words.  Please use a 12-point font and double space the text. There will be 250-300 words on a page.

Begin by stating a clear overall answer to the question (a thesis) and briefly summarizing the points you will make in support of that argument. Then, in an orderly way, explain your argument more fully and support it by drawing historical information from Blood Struggle and from other course readings for weeks 6 through 10. You may also refer to lectures or films as appropriate.

Cite the sources of particular facts, ideas, or language that you take from readings, lectures, or films. You may do this either in notes (footnotes or endnotes) or in parentheses at the end of the pertinent sentences or paragraphs. You may use a short form of citation, giving simply the title of the text and a page number, the title of a film, or the date of a lecture.

The paper is due in class on Thursday, March 11.

If you wish to check your understanding of the question and/or your plans for the paper, you may submit a draft or a proposed thesis and outline no later than Monday, March 8.