SLCC eportfolio

 The two essays displayed below were part of a take home exam for History 1700.  The first essay depicts North America at the time of first contact by European explorers in the late 1400's and early 1500's.  I believe that most people when talking about United States history leaven this portion of it out.  By writing this paper I came to realize that the land now called America was used by many other groups of people even before the first Europeans set foot on North American soil.  Researching this topic broadened my understanding of the first American civilizations, their agriculture, religious practices, government, economy and environment. 

The second essay relays the life of a slave in the Chesapeake circa in the 1700's.  Through research I came to find that thousands of slaves were captured from within Africa, by other Africans, and sold to European traders and taken to America to be sold again.  The circumstances in which these people travelled and lived were fatal.  Slaves would be chained down in the belly of the ship for up to four weeks only allowed up top once or twice.  They often didn't speak the same languages and many, if not all, were separated from their families. 

Both of these topics combined increased my understanding of the journey to American Civilizatin today in the 21st century.  I now see the importance of learning and researching about our past to appreciate and apprehend our current situations and our future.