Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

July 3 , 2004 - Issue 116

Favorite Sites

collected by Paul and Vicki

This week we travel back in American history to the time of thirteen colonies struggling to free themselves from the rule of the British monarch. The story of the creation of the Declaration of Independence is a dramatic one, and I've found some excellent sites that tell the tale. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

America's Freedom Documents
In July of 1776, bells rang out over Philadelphia signaling the approval of Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. Two hundred and twenty-five years later you can view the original document on your computer. Also available are the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Best clicks are the six mini-movies on topics such as The Real Face of George Washington and Paul Revere, Messenger of the Revolution. Look for the small link titled Movies at the bottom of any page.
http://earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/

Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents
In June of 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in congressionally imposed secrecy. In anticipation of a vote for independence, the Continental Congress appointed a committee to compose a document declaring the colonies' independence from Britain. That committee then delegated the task to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration can be viewed online at this Library of Congress exhibit. Also on display are fragments of a "Dunlap Broadside," one of twenty-four surviving copies of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence, done by John Dunlap in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara1.html

NARA: Charters of Freedom
The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights are the focus of this site from the U.S. National Archives & Records Administration (NARA.) The exhibit is designed to be visited sequentially, following a path from the Making of the Charters, three chapters on the documents themselves, and concluding with the Impact of the Charters.
http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters.html

TIME AND THE RIVER - A History of the Saint Croix
A Historic Resource Study of the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
For more than 10,000 years the St. Croix River has added its cold clear northwoods waters to the flow of the Mississippi River. For the people of its valley the St. Croix has been a source of hope and renewal, as well as a vehicle of transformation.
http://www.nps.gov/sacn/hrs/hrs.htm

HISTORY OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY
Faithful Record of all Important Events, Incidents, and Circumstances that have Transpired in the Valley of the Chippewa from its Earliest Settlement by White People, Indian Treaties, Organization of the Territory and State; Also of the Counties Embracing the Valley, Senatorial, Assembly and Congressional Districts, and a Brief Biographical Sketch of the Most Prominent Persons in the Settlement of the Valley.
BY Thomas E. Randall 1875. Free Press Print. Eau Claire, Wisconsin
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wigenweb/history/randall/

Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People
The traveling exhibition Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People was produced by the Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Center (Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History) in collaboration with the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository in Kodiak, Alaska. The participation of Alutiiq Elders, advisors, and communities was essential to its creation. Quyanásinaq to all who gave so generously of their time and knowledge.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/lookingbothways/

Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health
The mission of the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health (CAIH) is to work in partnership with American Indian tribes to raise the health status and self sufficiency of American Indian people to the highest possible level. This mission is accomplished through three core activities: 1) research, 2)service, and 3) training.
http://www.jhsph.edu/CAIH/index.html

Dakota Commemorative March 2004
On November 7, 2004, as in 2002, Dakota people from the United States and Canada will begin a 150-mile long Commemorative March through southern Minnesota in honor of their ancestors who were forcibly removed from the Lower Sioux Agency to concentration camps at Mankato and Fort Snelling in November of 1862. For the Dakota this commemoration signifies an opportunity to remember and grieve for the suffering endured by their ancestors as well as to relate a perspective of the event which has rarely been told.
http://www.dakota-march.50megs.com/index.html

STAR
Students And Teachers Against Racism announces their new website that offers insight into the Native American perspective to teachers and educators.
http://www.racismagainstindians.org/