1 El Paso Hometown Frontiers
2 Discover and explore the city at “El Paso del Norte” … A city on the frontier of four nations… Learn about the military and transportation systems that converged here… Experience the diversity of cultures that contributed to its unique outlook… Meet innovators, visionaries, rebels, outlaws, and just plain folk, successful because of hard work and a little bit of luck… Unearth local mysteries and legends… Encounter curious plants and animals… Acquaint yourself with, or immerse yourself, in the history and reality of El Paso
3 Hometown Frontiers The purpose of this history-based research project is to give you an opportunity to discover facts -- significant and silly -- about the city, area, and region in which you live. You will be transformed as you plan and implement a SYSTEM to expand your knowledge about your hometown.
4 After choosing a topic as a focal point, you will examine this topic using a “window” that contains “four elements of a historical framework” (Bass 15). This of an historian includes: ideas and values, geographical influences, social issues, and cultural issues. Researching these elements puts people, places and events in perspective. History doesn’t happen in a vacuum, or even, really, in a line but comprises many , , , and over time.
5 A Historian’s Method A window to the past.Geographical Influences Ideas and Values The ways people involved in a particular historical event thought about life. The difference time and place made in a particular historical event. Social Issues Cultural Issues The ways customs and traditions of people influenced the developments of a particular cultural event. The ways people involved in a particular historical event related to each other.
6 How will I recognize these elements?#1 Ideas and Values (how people looked at life at a given time) Clues that give you insight into peoples thoughts and concerns. Examples could include: Did the people value manners? What were the concerns of the day or place? What did people think about the environment, the economy, human rights, or the role of government in people’s lives? What did people care about and how did they go about accomplishing their goals?
7 Imagine you are researching Victoria Woodhull…
8 Who? Ran for President against Ulysses S. Grant for President in 1872.Why was this considered radical at the time? * Women couldn’t vote * Women couldn’t serve on juries * Women couldn’t testify in court.. YOUR TURN: Give two examples from True Women that reflect the way women were viewed at this time in history. Clue the first is in the forward of the novel, another example was in the church infested with fleas.
9 # 2 Geographical Influences* Establishing the time and place of an event is crucial. * Where did people live and what were they concerned about? * How did the environment help or to hinder people? * Were the people isolated? * Did they want to establish contact with the larger world? * Were they subjected to devastating storms and the need to rebuild? * Did they need to develop warning systems against the dangers of the seas or invading armies?
10 Consider: The City of GalvestonIn 1900, Galveston was the most modern city in Texas. It had the first electric lights and telephones in the state. Its position on the natural harbor of Galveston Bay along the Gulf of Mexico made it the center of trade in Texas, and one of the largest cotton ports in the nation, in competition with New Orleans. And then……………..
11 September 8, 1900
12 6,000 deaths
13 Galveston rebuilt, but it never regained it’s status as a leading Texas city. Geography makes a difference! How does the geography of El Paso influence how it thinks compared to cities like Dallas and Houston in regards to immigration and other issues?
14 #3 Social Issues How people involved in a particular event relate to each other. People can be limited or benefited by their relationships to others and/or by the status of their position in life. Social factors that have deeply affected individuals and groups across time include: people’s age Economic status Gender Position in Community
15 The influence of social issuesPPresident Jimmy Carter
16 Grew up in the 1930’s and 1940’s in GeorgiaPlaymates were African American children Regarded each other as equals As teenagers, barriers slowly altered their friendship Went to different schools, couldn’t sit together in a movie theater or even use the same drinking fountain Eventually his African American friends began to treat him in a way that elevated him above them, closeness dissolved due to racial distinctions.
17 As a result, Carter felt a sense of loss by being part of a society that fostered a separation of races. What is a social issue of today?
18 #4 Cultural Issues Customs and traditions play a large role in the lives of people during a given time period. In some cultures, it is disrespectful for women to hold certain professional job , and men are expected to work in the same profession as their fathers Religious beliefs and practices influence people’s actions.
19 Examples include: Religious beliefs can influence how a person votes and even what they buy so that government and the economy is influenced by people’s beliefs. Religious circumstances have even started new countries and settlements.
20 All of these elements work together to create a historical framework.
21 Practice In the Deep South during the early to middle 20th century ( ), people thought that white Americans were superior to African Americans ( ). As they grew older, Jimmy Carter and his friends observed that African Americans were expected to show a certain respect to White Americans ( ). Being separated in school and other public places reinforced this outlook ( ).
22 Capturing Historical SignificanceHistorical significance can only be judged over large periods of time. Olson says that one way to measure a degree of relevance of this kind of impact is to see how an idea that was once unusual is now familiar and part of the mainstream.
23 As an example, he refers to the concept of equality as Jefferson stated it in the Declaration of Independence: When Thomas Jefferson wrote in that document that all men are created equal, nobody really believed him. Very few people believed in that principle. Today, in our society at least, you would have a hard time finding anybody who would disagree with that notion. (J. Olson, personal communication, January 12, 2005)
24 In this example, the idea of equality for all people has a high degree of historical impact because, over time, people have accepted it as part of our general way of thinking!
25 A second indicator of an idea’s significance is that it remains a matter of discussion and debate over time.
26 Consider – Isolationalism in American foreign policyAccording to Olson, isolationism in American foreign policy has been a point of debate since George Washington’s presidency. During his administration, on June 5, 1794, Congress passed the Neutrality Act prohibiting Americans from participating in the military activities of a country other than the United States (“George Washington ,” n.d.)
27 This act firmly established the United States a neutral nation during conflicts between foreign countries, and at that time, the policy of isolationism was entrenched. However, As circumstances changed, the stance of neutrality became a major issue again and again so that throughout our country’s history, the level of America’s involvement in the affairs of other nations has remained an issue of debate.
28 Consider today’s economyA crisis that must be met globally.
29 Olson states that there are four basis issues that we turn to again and againIsolationism in American Foreign policy The role of federal government in American life Civil rights in a multicultural society Relationship between people and their environment and people and the land.
30 An event is significant if it continues to influence our lives today.
31 Checklist for Measuring Historical SignificanceDoes the event contain an unusual idea that has become part of mainstream thinking? Does the event address an issue that remains a subject of discussion overtime? Does the event continue to influence our lives today?
32 Approaching the Hometown Frontiers project as a HistorianYou will: Pay special attention to components such as: the historical accuracy of events People, issues, and structures Inclusive presentation of a subject’s historical framework Clear presentation of a subject’s historical significance
33 Assignment Read the story of Joan of Arc and identify the elements of the account’s historical framework and significance.
34 Bibliography Bass, Helen. (2007). Creating Award Winning History Fair Projects, Waco, Texas: Prufrock Press Inc.