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Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

A Dialogue Between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot - Title Page

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1. A Dialogue Between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot - Title Page

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Keywords In the coming months, Digital Paxton will gain two additional kinds of paths: the first will highlight intertextuality, with regards to edition changes and exchanges between Paxton critics and apologists; the second, will present Keywords through which to contextualize those debates.

While we welcome keywords related to "Materiality," "Hospitality," "Settlement," "Masculinity," and "Race," we will allow Paxton historians and literary scholars to determine the collection of Keyword paths.

In our first keyword essay, James P. Myers, Jr. considers the role of anonymity in pamphleteering using Thomas Barton's "The Conduct of the Paxton Men, Impartially Represented" as a kind of case study.

Next, Nicole Eustace examines the condolence ceremonies against which the Paxtons and their allies inveighed, revealing the culturally incommensurate understandings of mourning that Euro-American and Native Americans brought to rituals of grief.

Our third keyword, authored by Scott Paul Gordon, posits that Paxton Boys' excursions to Lancaster served as a public rebuke of local elites, intended to shame authorities into fulfilling their roles as benevolent patriarchs.

Judith Ridner provides our fourth essay, which explores how material culture surfaces in the pamphlets of Paxton critics and apologists and what symbols like looking-glasses and blindfolds represented for colonial readers.

Below "Contents" you may access both essays.
Ghost River Meets the Spirits of the Conestoga 7 LéAnn Murphy Cassidy image_header 2019-10-02T10:50:06-07:00
This multi-part lesson will focus on the theme of historical Continuity and Change through the analysis of primary and secondary sources related to the Conestoga massacres (1763). Students will compare text and images from the graphic novel Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga with excerpts from two of the earliest plays written in America, The Paxton Boys, A Farce and A Dialogue between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot. This lesson is intended for block periods, and it may be taught over multiple days, dependent upon scheduling.

Grade Levels: Grades 6-8

Standards: From the C3 Frameworks
- D2.Civ.10.6-8. Explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when people address issues and problems in government and civil society.
- D2.His.1.6-8. Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.
- D2.His.6.6-8. Analyze how people’s perspectives influenced what information is available in the historical sources they created.
Historical Background:
When William Penn established the colony of Pennsylvania, he envisioned a pluralistic and peaceful colony. In establishing alliances with the local Native Peoples, Penn made a series of treaties, beginning with the Great Treaty, the Treaty of Shackamaxon (1682), in pursuit of his "peaceable kingdom." From the Native Peoples' perspective, they had established kinship relationships making them friends and "brothers." A wampum belt was created, recording the terms of this treaty. Diplomacy was vital to the trade alliances between Native Peoples in the Susquehanna Valley and the colonial Pennsylvanians.

On December 14, 1763, the Paxton Boys, a group of vigilantes from the Paxtang Township, massacred six Conestoga Indians on rumors that they had aligned with other groups who planned to attack the colonists. This was not true, but it did not stop the Paxton Boys from searching out the Conestoga away from their village. The remaining 14 Conestoga were moved to the Lancaster Workhouse (often referred to in the documents as the “Goal” or jail) for their protection. However, on December 27, the Paxton Boys broke into the workhouse and brutally murdered the remaining and defenseless men, women, and children.

Materials (in order of application):
- Warmup Sheet
- Journaling Sheet
- Lee Francis, Weshoyot Alvitre, and Will Fenton, Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga. Albuquerque: Red Planet Books and Comics, 2019.
- A Dialogue between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot (Page 3 and Analysis Sheet)
- The Paxton Boys, A Farce (Page 8 and Analysis Sheet)
- Ghost River (Excerpts with Analysis Sheet)
- Exit Slips (Part 1 and Part 2)
- Image Analysis Sheet (Extension Activity)
References:
- A Dialogue Between Andrew Trueman, and Thomas Zealot. Digital Paxton.
- Lottie Bausman, "Massacre of the Conestoga Indians, 1763: Incidents and Details." Lancaster County Historical Society.
- "Conestoga Indian Town Historical Marker." Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
- "Conestoga Massacre Marks 248th Anniversary.” WGALTV, 27 Dec. 2011.
- "The History of the Fulton." Fulton Theatre.
- Rick Kearns, "Ethnic Cleansing in Pennsylvania: The 1763 Massacre of the Conestoga." Indian Country Today, 3 Jan. 2014.
- Lee Francis, Weshoyot Alvitre, and Will Fenton, Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga. Albuquerque: Red Planet Books and Comics, 2019.
- The Paxton Boys, A Farce. Digital Paxton.
- Daniel Richter, Facing East from Indian Country a Native History of Early America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2003.
Procedure:

Part 1:
- Warmup: As students enter the room, project the Warmup Sheet with the caption, "History is Complicated. Violence is simple." Ask students to record responses.
- Small-Group Discussion: Have students discuss their responses in small groups.
- Class Discussion: Ask several students to share what their small groups discussed. Discuss the cover artwork of Ghost River. Have students consider the symbolism of the artwork and brainstorm predictions for the story.
- Read-Aloud: Read aloud of the full graphic novel with the students. If possible, display the digital pages on a Smartboard as it is read aloud. Upon completion, have students record reactions on the Journaling Sheet and share thoughts in pairs or small groups.
Part 2:
- Analysis: Break students into small groups and have them analyze excerpts from two plays written about the Conestoga massacres using the analysis sheets (above). Then have them analyze excerpts from Ghost River using its image analysis sheet.
- Assessment: Distribute Exit Slips (Part 1 and Part 2). Have students work independently to answer the question: How do the text and visual representations of the event differ in their perspectives? Students should explain and defend their answers with evidence.
Part 3:
- Further Inquiry: Have students analyze the final image from Ghost River. After that warmup, have students generate research questions for further inquiry centered on the resiliency and humanity of Native Peoples in North America using Image Analysis Sheet (Extension Activity). In small groups or as a class, have students discuss the cyclical cycle of the story and how it lends itself to the continuation; Native Peoples still inhabit "Turtle Island" (Earth).
- Future Lessons: Students will be able to the connections among historical events relevant to the location(s) of the Conestoga massacres. For example, students can explore history of the site of the second massacre, from the Lancaster Jail ("Goal") to the Fulton Opera House. NB: A ghost light is left on an empty stage. Each night the light at the Fulton Opera House lets us know that the spirit of the Conestoga Peoples endures in Lancaster today. Additional Resource: Fulton Opera House application for National Landmark recognition.
Extension Standard (Change, Continuity and Context):
- HIST 8.1: Analyze connections among events and developments in historical contexts.
- HIST 8.2: Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity.
This lesson was created during the 2019 Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Teacher Seminar, "Native Peoples, Settlers, and European Empires in North America, 1600-1840" (July 28-August 3, 2019). You may also download a printable version of this lesson.
Murder on the Frontier - Lesson 3 2 Ron Nash and John McNamara plain 2019-11-05T03:46:10-08:00
Students will read two additional primary source documents, two pamphlets representing the Paxton Pamphlet War, and complete activity sheets for each one. They will then develop a mock debate using the documents from Lessons 2 and 3 to deepen their understanding of the documents and demonstrate their comprehension. The unit concludes with an essay that builds on the assessment from Lesson 2.

Objectives
- Write insightful questions on a specific topic
- Draw conclusions based on direct evidence found in the text
- Demonstrate an effective oral presentation
- Synthesize multiple sources of information in order to arrive at a logical conclusion that is supported by textual evidence
Essential Questions
- To what extent was the violence of the Paxton Boys motivated by fear, economics, politics, and/or racism?
- To what extent should the Paxton Boys be viewed as democratic freedom fighters or brutal murderers on the Pennsylvania frontier?
- To what extent were the Paxton Boys justified or not justified in attacking and annihilating the Conestoga Indians in Lancaster?
- To what extent were the factors of excessive competition and fear influential in the relationship between the colonists and the Conestoga Indians?
Materials
- A Declaration and Remonstrance (1764)
- A Dialogue between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot (1764)
- Apology of the Paxton Volunteers (1764)
- Benjamin Franklin, A Narrative of the Late Massacres (1764)
Handouts
- Historical Background: "Peaceable Kingdom Lost (Part 3)" by Kevin Kenny, Glucksman Professor in Irish Studies, New York University. Commissioned for Digital Paxton.
- Activity Sheets
  - Analyzing an Essay (Lesson 3): Important phrases only, no critical thinking questions
  - Analyzing a Pamphlet
  - News Conference Organizer
- Primary Sources
  - Excerpts from A Declaration and Remonstrance of the Distressed and Bleeding Frontier Inhabitants of the Province of Pennsylvania, Presented by Them to the Hounourable the Governor and Assembly of the Province, Shewing the Causes of Their Late Discontent and Uneasiness and the Grievances under Which They Have Laboured, and Which They Humbly Pray to Have Redress'd, 1764, pp. 10–17.
  - A Dialogue between Andrew Trueman, and Thomas Zealot; About the Kiilling the Indians at Cannestogoe and Lancaster, [1764]. Some spelling and punctuation in this text have been modernized to aid comprehension.
  - From Lesson 2: "The Apology of the Paxton Volunteers Addressed to the Candid & Impartial World," in The Paxton Papers, ed. John Dunbar (The Hague: M. Nijhoff, 1957), pp. 193–194. Some spelling and punctuation have been modernized in the transcript.
  - From Lesson 2: Benjamin Franklin, A Narrative of the Late Massacres, in Lancaster County, of a Number of Indians, Friends of the Province, by Persons Unknown. With Some Observations on the Same, 1764, pp. 12–14 and 25–27.
Procedure
1. Assign and distribute the two readings from the Paxton Pamphlet War—excerpts from A Declaration and Remonstrance and A Dialogue between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot.
2. Divide the class into groups of four to six students. Within their groups they will work collaboratively to complete an Analyzing a Pamphlet activity sheet for each of the new documents.
3. After the groups have completed the Analyzing a Pamphlet activity sheets, each group is assigned or chooses one of the four Digital Paxton documents (two from this lesson and two from the previous lesson). It is best if all four texts are used before doubling up on any of the documents.
4. Students select who will portray the speaker, and the rest of the group members will take the roles of reporters at a news conference.
5. If possible, have the students watch an actual news conference prior to this activity.
6. Hand out the News Conference organizer. Together the students in each group will write both the questions and the answers to the questions for each reporter. The questions should highlight the major issues in the document. If time permits, the students could script follow-up questions. They should be careful to cite evidence from the text for the answers given by the speaker. All students will write out their own complete copy of the questions and answers, not just their own question.
7. Presentation:
  1. The speaker reads the text aloud to the class.
  2. The reporters raise their hands and the speaker selects them one by one to ask their question.
  3. Continue until all of the questions have been asked, one per reporter; if time permits, they may ask their follow-up questions.
  4. Repeat the process with all of the groups. This may mean going into another class period to allow time for all of the presentations as well as time to debrief the experience.
8. Have the class debrief the presentations: Which were the most effective? What made them effective? How could the presentations have been improved? Focus on good oral presentation skills as well as which questions elicited the most meaningful answers and whether the answers were based on evidence in the text.
9. Students should now write an essay addressing one of the Essential Questions from Lesson 2. The students may elaborate on their short essay or exit card from the previous lesson or a new essay on the alternate question:
  1. To what extent were the Paxton Boys justified or not justified in attacking and annihilating the Conestoga Indians in Lancaster?
  2. To what extent were the factors of excessive competition and fear influential in the relationship between the colonists and the Conestoga Indians?