Two of the best examples of traditional values and culture conflict are told in the story of the First Thanksgiving, and in the
Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890.
In reading âTruth about the First Thanksgiving,â you may have been taught that the United States began with the Pilgrims in
1620. Keep in mind that the Pilgrims had been persecuted in England for their religious beliefs, and eventually ended up on
the eastern shores of what is now the United States.
Many years later, and leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre, December 29, 1890, the U.S. government had confiscated
much of the Sioux land base. The Sioux believed practicing their religious ghost dance and wearing ghost dance attire would
keep them safe from the Army, and would result in white men (people) leaving their lands. The Sioux believed that practicing
the ghost dance would restore all they had lost. However, Army regulars believed the ghost dance was a hostile act and that
the Sioux were preparing for attack. Long story short, a battle ensued in which approximately 300 men, women and children
were killed.
For this journal, complete the readings, and keep in mind the traditional values of American Indians and culture conflicts with
settlers. Keep in mind the profound impact each culture had on the other. Think about the history you did not learn from
textbooks in school. What you most likely learned in that the Pilgrims were Christians with high morals, democratic people
who helped the Indians, and that the very first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the survival of both cultures through a brutal
east coast winter.
Write about how both of these clashes of culture complicate race relations and marginalize American Indians still to this day
