Prediction

Alhasan Barrie

US history

Mr. Zavisza

12/04/17

Predictions

• I predict that I will learn about the honored Connecticut delegates and get a better understanding of the evolution of the gun industry.
• I predict that I will learn about Connecticut’s most prevalent history and it affect the people of Connecticut today.
• I predict that I will learn about WWI important figures that served a crucial rule in helping win the war.

Throughout US history so far, everything we have learned can be connected to either American identity or how a certain image or idea helped drive America economically, politically, and or socially. Therefore, when I had the blessed and honored opportunity to visit the museum of Connecticut history in Hartford, Connecticut, I could not wait to learn about my predictions. As I entered the historical museum, my goal was to learn about the Connecticut governors, however, I quickly found myself occupied studying the the Connecticut royal charter of 1662 and how the stories/myth surrounding it has made a crucial part of Connecticut’s history and US history. The royal charter was hidden within the hollow of the tree to thwart its confiscation by the English governor-general. The oak became a symbol of American independence and is commemorated on the Connecticut state quarter. In 1935, for Connecticut’s tercentennial, it was also depicted on both a commemorative half dollar and a postage stamp. The oak tree is now a symbol of Connecticut. To further remember the importance of the oak tree, pieces from it is used on the frame to help protect the the royal charter just like it purpose was originally.  The royal charter is very much safe in the museum of Connecticut’s history, however, as for oak tree, it was blown down in a violent storm on August 21, 1856 and timber from it was made into a number of chairs now displayed in the Hartford Capitol Building. The desk of the Governor of Connecticut and the chairs for the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate in the state capitol were made from wood salvaged from the Charter. So I you ca see, the charter oak has served a pivotal role in Connecticut’s history as well as US history. A piece of Connecticut’s history died when the tree fell, but the tree will never be forgotten.

Questions that came up

what typeof influence did Connecticut serve in WWI

How did the technological advancement of guns help/influence American society

 

 

 

 

 

The John Mason Statue

Over the summer, I had the pleasure of visiting the John Mason statue in Windsor Connecticut.  The nine foot tall tarnished brass statue of the English general has been relocated from Mystic seaport to his former home on Windsor’s Palisado Green. Although the statue’s inherent beauty has waned through the ages, it still depicts John Mason, in 17th century clothing, drawing a sword.

The intended narrative of the site is “American Heroism” The site depicts and exaggerates John Mason’s character, yet it fails to recognize the brutal and horrific events that he took a part of.  The corrode plaque on the statue once stated “Erected AD 1889 by the state of Connecticut to commemorate the heroic achievement of Major John Mason and his comrades, who near this spot in 1637, overthrew the Pequot Indians, and preserved the settlements from destruction.” This dedication to John Mason and his comrades made it seem like the Pequot tribe were the enemy and that John Mason did America a deed by exterminating innocent people from their land. No where on the plaque does it say that John deliberately killed between 400 and 700 innocent souls. The wording on the plaque was later changed to “Major John Mason. Born 1600 in England. Immigrated to New England in 1630. A founder of Windsor, Old Saybrook, and Norwich. Magistrate and Chief Military Officer of the Connecticut colony, Deputy Governor and  acting Governor. A Patentee of the colonial Charter. Died 1672 in Norwich. Erected at Mystic in 1889 by the state of Connecticut, this monument was relocated in 1996 to respect a sacred site of the 1637 Pequot War.”

The John Mason statue is a clear cut representation of American identity. The monumental site thoroughly focuses on the “bright” side of US history and purposely fails to mention the “dark” side of our past. In Addition, the statue depicts pride, courage, and perseverance through adversity because that is the “American way.” One will always be faced with obstacle but will be remembered not on the basis of the obstacle but how one acted and recovered after facing such an obstacle. The site of the John Mason statue says that American identity is about remembering the good side of history and honoring those who strictly fought for American beliefs and ideals, such as freedom, power, equality, and opportunity. Is America so afraid of its “dark past” that it deliberately fails to recognize it when honoring important figures, monuments, or ideas?  America’s founding ideals are democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity, and equality but have we always respected and lived truthfully on our ideals?

 

https://www.reference.com/history/america-s-founding-ideals-important-bac98e5e71c5c3f6

ctmonuments

https:
//minerdescent.com/2011/11/09/john-masons-controversial-statue/.net