Essay One concerned the Nez Perce Indians and Chief Joseph's surrender to the US Army in 1877. Obvious in Chief Joseph's words is the desire to express not so much his wish to surrender, but the plight of his people, those few who were left. Based on the extent of the torment that the Nez Perce experienced, was surrender the right direction for Chief Joseph to take?

In Essay Two you were asked to cast aside the politcally correct aspects of the Battle of Wounded Knee (or the Massacre of Wounded Knee), and discuss why the 7th Cavalry were justified in disarming the Sioux, why they may have been "jumpy," and how the lack of communication was the real evil in 1890.

I have not worded these essays here with the same focus or structure as was originally presented. This I do with purpose. In chosing one of these two essays you take on not just a simple writing project, but a complex, research driven expose of these two famous Native American incidents, in which your knowledge and opinion play a vital role. On Friday, I will return your journals and you can check the way these prompts were initially presented to you on November 5th. In the meantime, research the elements from this slightly different angle utilizing Google as a starting poing, wordiq.com or possibly Ask Jeeves. Remember to always look to a variety of sources and think before you begin to write.