BIS 463/US Women's History
Autumn 2008
Prof. Michael Goldberg

Sample Postings and Additional Criteria for Online Posting Assignment

Additional Criteria:
Besides the criteria listed in the Learning Objectives, the postings will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Step One postings must be between 200-500 words.
• Step Two postings must be between 100-300 words. Additional shorter comments may be made without a minimum requirement.
• All postings will be assessed based on their ability to communicate their meaning, including: direct, clear and active sentence structure wherever appropriate: correct word choice: coherently organized paragraphs containing a topic sentence, logic, and evidence; grammar and usage choices that support rather than muddle the meaning, relatively few typos, especially those which confuse meaning.

Excellent (3.9-4.0) Step One Initiation Posting:
Strengths of the posting: Offers insightful original analysis; writing is clear, paragraphs are unified and coherent; sentences are direct, concise and generally free of grammatical errors; quotations are effectively integrated into the writing; almost no typographical errors.

The readings thus far demonstrate how important is it for an oppressed class or race to stick together in order to see a genuine change made. We can see examples of this in both the 19th century Southern black community and the Cherokee community before removal. As Brown states, “individual freedom could be achieved only through collective autonomy” (Catch the Vision; pg 126). She argues that immediately following the emancipation of the slaves. families and community came together and formed very strong bonds in the South.  They were able to create institutions that depended on individuals sacrificing for the greater good of the community, which in turned aided individuals.  At this point, though the Southern White upper class had most of the power, African Americans in the south could at least depend on their communal strength to keep things from getting worse.

Unfortunately, after slavery was abolished, some Southern blacks began pursuing individual dreams that weakened the communal projects.  As Brown notes, “The irony was that the black community drained itself of resources, money, influence, and patronage to feed its predator” (Womanist Consciousness; pg 215).  The inability of some Southern Blacks to maintain a cohesive community that could magnify their admittedly limited social power led to their eventual undoing

Cherokee men's desire for greater political and social power over women had an even more dramatic negative impact on their community. Some key individuals in the Cherokee tribe drove a wedge of their own between men and women, using their control of the legislative process to formally cut women's power.  And their actions greatly weakened the Cherokee's ability to resist, because, “While Cherokee legislation may have made women powerless, federal authority rendered the whole nation impotent” (Cherokee Women; pg 99).  In both cases, individuals thought they would gain power, but because they were weakening the foundations of the community as a whole, they ended up losing both individual and community power.

Excellent Step One Response Posting:
While I agree that both Cherokees and Southern African Americans made some poor choices, I think it's important to realize that they had little power to begin with. In both cases, individuals made their choices only after Whites limited these choices and therefore limited their agency. While the Cherokee women ejoyed power and great responsibilty within their community at first, there is no evidence that men opposed this power or tried to take it away. The legislation in 1826 was modelled on the American version, stating that "no person but a free male citizen who is full grown shall be entitled to vote." (Unequal pg 98). The Cherokees never would have thought up this on their own, since they had a completely different idea of what "politics" was. The Americans were the ones that brought the idea that men were more suited for politics than women. (Unequal pg. 98) In the Native American tribes in general this was far from true as women were the ones with the land ownership, trade negotiations, and parental ties.

The same can be said for women in the black community. The strong matriarchial figures within their community were mocked by many Whites. Most white men did not not welcome women in politics, and the thought of black women getting contol of politics was intolerable, and they fought it. Brown contends, "that only a strong and unified community made up of both women and men could wield the power necessary to allow black people to shape thier lives. Therefore, only when women were able to exercise their full strength would the community be at its full strength" (Womanist Consciousness pg. 216). White's realized this and fought it.

Good Step One Initiation Posting (3.0)
Strengths of the posting: Factually correct; generally clear writing, with cohesive and unified paragraphs; many effective sentences.
Weaknesses of the posting: Repeats the content of the article without adding any original analysis; some problem sentences, including several inappropriate passive constructions; some typographical errors; one quote is not integrated.

Prior to the removal of indigenous tribes Seneca women were seen as powerful members of their community. Seneca women were valued for agricultural prosperity since in religious beliefs it was the "female deity" who brought them "seeds, roots from wild trees, fruits, and flowers," the Indian's means for survival (Jensen, 71). In other words, life's essential agriculture can be accredited to women. "They had no drivers or overseers and worked in the fields as leisurely as they wished with their children beside them" (Jensen, 72). For this reason women had power. In the Seneca tribe women distributed food, children inherited land through their mothers; and mothers divided land based on which tribe members they felt best fit according to household size. In addition, women had a powerful function in their communities as seen through their, arranged marriages in which the newly weds would then join one of the mother's households, "often influenced warfare" and held their own councils run by elected male speakers (Jensen, 72).

While the Seneca women originally held great power they lost it before the removal. Quakers, missionaries and teachers took agriculture from women and replaced it with "useful arts (Jensen, 73)." In hopes to remain on their land many girls began "learning to spin and weave with quotes from the Bible," "taking up ways of White women." Many of these women even began teaching in these schools of conversion (76,79). But older women rebelled at this "threat to their strong position in the community" advising contraceptives and husband abandonment (Jensen 75,76). Still, while Seneca women lost their agricultural importance and power over land organization they sustained some political rule in creating a new constitution (Jensen 78).

Poor Step One Initation Posting (1.5)
Weaknesses of the posting: Factual inaccuracies; analysis in second paragraph is confusing and unsupported by evidence; no citations (plagiarism); many problem sentences, some leading to confusion about intent; typographical and editing errors.

In the time of the Cherokee and Seneca tribes women originally held all the powers in the family from running the farm, owning the land, raising the family, and having a spiritual power over their family. In early on when Europeans immigrated to United States and started to invade Cherokee and Seneca lands, women for protection of their families stepped down and gave their powers away to be able to save their lands and whatever remained from the legends of their ancestors. In this decision of giving up their rights they had to face unfortunate circumstances.. They had to adjust their way of living and habits as we have seen in details written by Jensen. The roll of men and women changed drastically as time passed because they gave up their right to establish more relation with white Americans.

Even though these two tribes faced many unfortunate outcomes in my opinion they are the only ones held responsible in the majority of the outcomes. Women of these tribes should have not given up their own true freedom for just the talk of a white man and their promises. They made the decisions and they should be responsible for the outcome. But also I greatly believe that native American women had a great affect on white women and encouraging them to be more responsible and stand up for their own rights. Results of these two tribes unfortunate outcome was the beginning for the U.S. women's movements. As we have read in these to article they had to adapt to white Americans cultures, so these women had to learn and share thoughts. I think because of the wrong decision on the part of the Cherokee and Seneca women to give up their rights it could explain why these women wanted to becoming more influential in a male dominated society.