In this module, we learned about the description, the historical context, and the significance of historical events. For this assignment, you will describe a primary source document, then share its historical context and significance.

Instructions:

Step 1: Pick an event discussed in this module that is highlighted by some of the primary source documents from the reader for this week:

• Event 1: The colonization of Jamestown:
  • Primary Source: Jamestown Charter, 1606
  • Primary Source: Richard Hakluyt Makes the Case for English Colonization, 1584
• Event 2: Early encounters with European settlers and Native Americans:
  • Primary Source: A Gaspesian Indian Defends His Way of Life, 1641
  • Primary Source: John Lawson Encounters North American Indians, 1709
• Event 3: The Middle Passage:
  • Primary Source: A Slave Revolt, 1732
  • Primary Source: The Life of Gustavus Vassa, 1789

Step 2: First, describe the event or events in detail. Answer all of the relevant questions—who? what? when? where? why? how? Reference the primary source documents and do further research (Wikipedia is fine for this) to fill out a description.

Step 3: What is the historical context of your event? Specifically, identify at least two major, related events that happened within that time period, or, if there is a specific date, within ten years of that main event. Then find at least two other major events that happened within fifty years. Write out these five events on a timeline and then write a paragraph about how these events are connected. You may want to use this timeline as a helpful resource.

Step 4: What is the significance of the event you chose? What insights does it provide into this time period? Why do you think historians have deemed it significant?

Assignment Grading Rubric: