Living With the Natives America Firsthand, Vol I contains many different people containing many different points of view. Although their experiences are not the same, one thing is the same; their stories can relate to one another through many various aspects. I have read the selections: "Destruction of the Indies," "Description of Virginia," "Testimony of Pueblo Indians," "Encounter with the Indians," and "Captured by Indians." The goal of America Firsthand, Vol I is to show a different view of the world through ordinary Americans, which has also lost its place in history. How did the selections add to my knowledge of the subject? The first thing that I noticed after I read these selections was that I could actually imagine what it was like. In ordinary history textbooks, they tell you what happened when, and then tell you why it happened. In situations like that, it is hard to put yourself back in time and see how it really was.
The habit of the Dominicans is black and white.
Bartolome de las casas
Diego con Bartolome de Las Casas (La Controversia ...The authors of these stories gave very good details. It is a lot easier to piece together a picture if you have more details. I think one of the most important aspects of these readings is that they didn't incorporate their opinions. It felt like they told it how it was and left the opinions up to the reader. What are the strengths or weaknesses of the selections? I believe that the strengths are the authors. The authors were from different walks of life, from an officer of the King to one of the original settlers of Jamestown, including two Indian prisoners, a Jesuit, not to mention a child. That could be the single-most important part about this textbook. Even today are we blinded by history. I think that we believe what we want to believe. History can be told...