Assignment #1

1.) Please write a gut reaction to the documentary "The Mexican American War" by the History Channel. It can be found on Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JjjaMBoSQE.  The running time is 1 hr 28 minutes.

2.) What was the cause of the war?  How have historians assessed the U.S. motivation for the war?

3.) What do you think was one of the key reasons that Mexico lost the war to the United States?

4.) How strong was Mexico against the U.S. throughout the war and describe how it finally ended.

Assignment #2

Steve Hackel, Children of Coyote pp.  90-93, 134-39, 170-181 & 262-67 

1.) What's your gut reaction to this reading?

2.) What were the language challenges the Spanish faced in terms of teaching Indians Catholic doctrine? What was the main strategy they used to bridge the language gap?

3.) There is ample evidence of indians resisting Catholic conversion. Explain the Chupu resistance and give one or two examples of individual indian resistors and what they did. 

4.) Explain the indian rebellion of 1785 at San Gabriel Mission led by Nicolas Jose. What was the reason for the rebellion? What were the advantages Nicolas Jose had that enabled him to lead this large revolt?