How to Use Dangerous Memories

This internet book, like the printed version, is written in a way different from the usual history text.  It is a source book for reading primary documents, comments on history, and historical summaries related to the colonization and conquering of the Americas.  The authors have worked to provide some of the vision and voices of this history which are not usually seen or heard in mainstream education currucula.

Division of Chapters

Chapters One and Two

The first two chapters of Dangerous Memories present overviews of the European invasion and the subsequent five hundred years of resistance.  Each of these two chapters contain two "readings" of this history.  One reading (in bold print) presents an historical context for each subtopic.  The other reading (in regular and when directly quoting a source, in italics) presents some of the "missing pages" of history, the voices and commentaries not usually included in texts from which we have learned the history of the Americas.  They support, dramatize, explicate, and extend the historical context, leading the reader to possibilities for further research.

Material in italics is directly quoted from the source listed at the end of each passage.  The author's name, the title (occasionally in a shortened form), and the page number are given for easy reference.  Citations within the historical context follow the standard form: author's last name and page number.  Full bibliographic informations appears at the end of the book.

Chapter Three

The last chapter addresses, in the form of two essays, the war against culture and resistance to that sustained attack.  The chapter raises strategic questions about where we go from here.  Each of these essays is also accompanied by selected readings, which present voices and viewpoints of the colonized, again those not usually heard or seen.

Suggestions for Reading

History can be read in many ways.  History books typically contain a single line of text telling a story in chronological order, with an occasional interruption of inserts. This book provides several points of entry, and there are numerous ways of reading it.  Some readers will choose to go through a short section of the "historical context" (bold print) and then go back to read the related "missing pages" (regular print).  There is no one correct way, although it may be helpful to get an overview of the period by reading the historical context first.  It is hoped that reading one text will inspire the reader to read the accompanying text.  We also hope readers will be interested enough to consult the sources we've used.

Teaching Strategies

Reflective questions and activities, including role plays, debates, writing assignments, simulations, timelines, and brainstorming, may help readers connect their own lives and experience with new information.  These activities appear before and at the end of each of the chapters.