Monday early American history

 These texts will be for early American history for lower forms

 
- Alice Dalgliesh’s The Courage of Sarah Noble 

- Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire’s Benjamin Franklin 
- Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire’s George Washington 
- Marguerite Henry’s Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin 

- Genevieve Foster’s The Year of the Horseless Carriage 

We will follow the scope and sequence and prompts from the Beautiful Feet Books Guide 

History with Jackie Penny

Early American history 

Text: American Origins

2024 classes 

Class 1: September 12 

Assignment due (required): 

Read: Chapter 5 pages 56-68

Answer: page 69 number 1, 6, 9

Bring book of centuries to class and answers to questions (willing to share a chosen response)

Class 2: September 19

Assignment due (required): 

Read: Chapters 1-2 pp. 1-13

Read ahead if desired: Chapter 2 pp. 14-28* (*plan: will be assigned next week)

Answer: Page 13; 1,3,7,8

Class 3: September 26

Class 4: October 3

Class 5: October 10

Class 6: October 17

Class 7: October 24

Class 8: October 31

Class 9: November 7

Class 10: November 14

Class 11: November 21

Class 12: December 12 

Optional field trips:

Plimoth Patuxet September 13th or move one of the Thursday dates

Historic Deerfield (October 14th - Monday holiday?) 

Afternoons (Thursdays) in the archive at Sterling Historical:  

Note—this will be during the science labs/art classes block // proposed dates: 

October 10

November 17

Proposed field trip places and notes: 

17th century//

Saugus Ironworks (closes November 1) 

Historic Deerfield (May 1-December 1) 

Plymouth Plantation // Plymouth Rock (closes November 24) 

Redemption Rock (Mary Rowlandson) 

17th century Boston walking tour (graveyard, church) St. Botolph district 

Harvard Museums (plus walking Cambridge - great late fall // winter) 

Salem/Danvers walking tour; site of parsonage (avoid touristy sites/occult) 

18th century //

Boston MFA (for picture study) - maybe during break December-February 

Lexington and Concord (250th commemoration in April)

John Adams Homestead (opens May 1) 

18th century Boston walking tour (ex. Old State House)

2025 classes 

[To be added]

Second Term (Spring 2025) proposed trips:

American Antiquarian Society 

Reading with Tim

 Reading List for American Literature class for 2024-2025

Library List: https://holden.cwmars.org/MyAccount/MyList/13619

Text: Writing New England: An Anthology from the Puritans to the Present (WNE) ed. by A. Delbanco (can get on used market too) Amazon link

Pre-American roots 

• 9/9, 9/16, John Bunyan one edition here The Pilgrim’s Progress 
• 9/23, Indigenous Writers (mostly Nipmuc and Wampanoag) reference From Dawnland Voices pages 374-375, 423-424, 435-438 packet “Chief Powhatan's Address to Captain John Smith” pages 5-6 “Big Mouth, Onondaga Chief to De la Barre, Governor of Canada”(from Great American speeches for young) pages 7-8 packet 
• 9/30, 10/7, Pocahontas by Joseph Bruchac
  

Seventeenth century

• 9/23, William Bradford (selections - take out of Humanitas) Of Plymouth Plantation selection on page 139-154 (no page 143, is timeline) - email 
  
• 10/21, John Winthrop (in WNE) Model of Christian Charity and Letter to His Wife p. 3 p. 259
• 10/21, Anne Bradstreet  (in WNE) Poetry:  Before the Birth of One of her Children p. 115, --(will email copies of following): The Prologue, The Author to her Book, The Flesh and the Spirit, To My Dear and Loving Husband, Upon the Burning of Our House 
• 10/28, Mary Rowlandson A Narrative of the Captivity of Mary Rowlandson (library?)
• 11/4, 11/18, Elizabeth George Speare here Witch of Blackbird Pond (library?)
• 11/25, Lydia Maria Child Selections from: Hobomok (supplied) 

Eighteenth century 

• 12/2, Olaudah Equiano Interesting Narrative (library?)
  
• 12/9, Benjamin Franklin Autobiography (library?)
• 12/16, William Apess (in WNE) Eulogy on King Philip (selection) p. 346
• 12/16, Phillis Wheatley Poetry: On being brought from Africa to America, On the Death of a young And Lady of Five Years of Age, Letter to John Thornton (finish Ben Franklin Autobiography and Writer's tea)

Revolution and First Fruits 

• January 13 and January 27: Jean Lee Latham Carry on, Mr. Bowditch

• February 3: George Washington “First Inaugural Address” (Living Book press - pdf will be provided) and “Observe Good Faith and Justice towards all Nations”
  
  
• February 3: Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin excerpt 
• February 10: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poetry “Jewish Cemetery,” “Hiawatha,” “Evangeline” “Wreck of Hesperus” and “the Village Blacksmith" (Harp & Laurel)

• February 24, March 3 and March 10: James Fennimore Cooper Selection from Leatherstocking Tales (eg Last of the Mohicans). 
  
   
• March 17: Ralph Waldo Emerson (in WNE) from Nature + poems: Earth-Song and Fable (from Boston History book) or selections from his Essays 
  
  
• March 17: Henry David Thoreau Walden selections
  
  
• March 24: Washington Irving Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow
  
  
• March 24, March 31, April 7, April 28: Louisa May Alcott Eight Cousins
  
  
• May 5:  Nathaniel Hawthorne Twice Told Tales or/with “Young Goodman Brown”
  
  
• May 5/12: Herman Melville “I and my Chimney” (TBD)

Planned Dates (Mondays 12:45-2:15 in the Fall; in the Spring term 2:30-4): 

September 9, 16, 23, 30

October 7, 21, 28

November 4, 18, 25

December 2, 9, 16

Monday holidays, 10/14, 11/11 could be field trip dates (if open)

January 13, 27

February 3, 10, 24

March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

April 7, 28

May 5, 12 (snow date)

Monday holiday/Field trip dates: 1/20, 2/17, 4/14 and possible End of Year wrap up Lunch May 12th or 19th.

Brought to bed - put to paper

Before the modern hospital birth, women mostly delivered at home. This period of labor, delivery and post-pregnancy, or “brought to bed,” was when mother and newborn could heal and nurse until they felt ready to be presented to the world.

Those with other children to care for (to say nothing of housework) spotted the flaws in this expression right away. So the phrase became just that. A slogan rather than an endorsement.

Much as I would have liked to have spent gluttonous amounts of time getting to know Lydia from the comforts of a pillow bank I, like my foremothers, had other children to give attention to. So there was no brought-to-bed – except for the occasional cup of coffee (which I was grateful for).

There has been quite a bit of sitting though, just as there has been time doing things with one hand. And much as I wanted, time for art has not been part of the equation. Reading books had to take a backseat for a while. Until I caught on to large-format books: picture books read from my lap to the twins and large, glorious art books. It is a perfect way to spend time while feeding a newborn. 

Although most handwork had to be put on hold, I committed myself to one finished piece during my maternity time. Something as simple as a greeting card.

And now nine weeks later we have just that.   

Lydia was Baptized on July 20, and I spent the week following reflecting on how it could be presented in a thank you to those who were there.  

I decided on a watercolor of Lydia’s gown with art masking fluid and a blue wash on watercolor paper. The paper absorbs the paint and resists the masking fluid. So what comes through is the pure white cotton paper. 

An appropriate and simple image for the Sacrament of Baptism. 

I started out out with a rough sketch and traced it onto watercolor paper. And painted on the masking fluid and taped the paper to a flat surface. I wet the paper, lay the wash, let it dry, peeled off the masking fluid with my fingers. And there it was. 

I scanned the artwork and used InDesign to turn it into a 4.25 x 5.5 card. And if you’re blessed to know a printer (as I am) you write to your father in-law and beg him to print your file and score them.

They even arrive all wrapped up. 

For me, art is what you can put to paper. Even one-handed. 

I did a book reading in March at a local preschool. During the question-period, the teacher offered that I describe my studio. I fumbled with a response:

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh, then tell us about where you do your work,” she offered.

I hesitated. “I work in my bed propped up with pillows. I spread out my work to dry and look at.”

So I guess we refresh old habits. Because what is one to do when there isn’t a studio to go to or even a few minutes to sneak away and create something?

I guess you do as your told – you bring it to bed.