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Course: World History Project AP® > Unit 4
Lesson 3: 4.2—Transoceanic Empires: Empires and Resistance- READ: Survey of Transoceanic Empires, 1450 to 1750
- READ: Yasuke – Graphic Biography
- READ: Overview of New Economic Systems
- READ: European Colonies in the Americas
- READ: Amonute – Graphic Biography
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: The Spanish Empire, Silver, and Runaway Inflation - Crash Course World History #25
- WATCH: The Spanish Empire, Silver, & Runaway Inflation
- READ: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz – Graphic Biography
- READ: The Transatlantic Slave Trade
- READ: The Disastrous Effects of Increased Global Interactions c. 1500 to c. 1600
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Impact of the Slave Trade - Through a Ghanaian Lens
- WATCH: Impact of the Slave Trade - Through a Ghanaian Lens
- READ: Domingos Álvares – Graphic Biography
- READ: State Centralization and Resistance
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READ: Amonute – Graphic Biography
The real-life Pocahontas was a Powhatan woman named Amonute, daughter of the powerful ruler Wahunsenacah. As a young woman, she acted as an interpreter between her people and the settlers and delivered gifts of food to the English, as well. The facts of this story are, however, disputed.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
First read: skimming for gist
This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?
Second read: understanding content
For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- Who was Amonute?
- How did Amonute become important to the English settlers in Virginia? What are the key elements of the story John Smith told about her?
- How does Karen Ordahl Kupperman evaluate John Smith’s story of Amonute?
- What are the key arguments made by the oral historians of the Mattaponi people, as presented in this biography?
- What are some doubts raised about the oral tradition version of events, by anthropologists like Helen Roundtree?
- How does the artist use art and design to show that there are different stories about Amonute?
Third read: evaluating and corroborating
In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
- Use evidence from this article to describe the effects of expanding maritime empires from 1450 to 1750.
- Which version of Amonute’s relationship with English settlers do you think is more likely to be accurate? Why?
- How does this biography of Amonute support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about European relations with people of the Americas in this period?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.
Amonute (Graphic Biography)
Writer: Trevor R. Getz
Artist: Liz Clarke
The real-life Pocahontas was a Powhatan woman named Amonute, daughter of the powerful ruler Wahunsenacah. As a young woman, she acted as an interpreter between her people and the settlers and delivered gifts of food to the English, as well. The facts of this story are, however, disputed.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.