Content Objectives
The unit examines two separate non-white populations. American Indians from a variety of nations and tribes across eastern North America and African descended women from across North America and the Caribbean. Comparisons and contrasts between these populations can help us understand the nature of the visual sources as well as provide a unique insight into Colonial and Antebellum US society. Nuance and a close attention to the details of these works can provide humanizing insights into the experiences of people who may otherwise not be visible in our history textbooks.
Students are reminded that these images were created by (and largely for) a European or white U.S. American audience. The Amerindians depicted in many cases did not consent to their depiction, and if they did consent to the portrait, had minimal control over the end result. Still, these are some of the best visual images we have that are first-hand and created “from life” (in french “au vif”) and give us a “lively” depiction of people seen in “real life,” whether truly honest or not.1
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