Bias is Ubiquitous: student edition

Abbreviated version of "Bias is Ubiquitous" for student classroom use.

Transcript

1. BIAS IS UBIQUITOUS
2. BEGINNER “Trivial Pursuits”
7. “bias of (length of) inclusion or exclusion”
8. INTERMEDIATE California v. Texas
9. SOURCE
16. ADVANCED “Secret Messages”
19. “bias of diction”
24. “bias of inclusion/exclusion” “bias of diction” “bias of voice: active vs. passive”
25. Indians Fight Back. The Indians fought on and off from 1862 to 1890. Leaders in the struggle against the encroaching Americans were the Sioux and the Cheyenne. The struggle began in 1862 when a small band of young Sioux, while searching for food, killed five whites near a reservation in Minnesota. The white farmers in the area promptly fled for their lives. Equally frightened, the Sioux split into two groups. One fled the vicinity, but the other, afraid of retaliation, decided to attack first. Hundreds of settlers were killed and their farmhouses burned before the state militia succeeded in defeating the Sioux.
26. Indians Fight Back. The Indians fought on and off from 1862 to 1890. Leaders in the struggle against the encroaching Americans were the Sioux and the Cheyenne. The struggle began in 1862 when a small band of young Sioux, while searching for food, killed five whites near a reservation in Minnesota. The white farmers in the area promptly fled for their lives. Equally frightened, the Sioux split into two groups. One fled the vicinity, but the other, afraid of retaliation, decided to attack first. Hundreds of settlers were killed and their farmhouses burned before the state militia succeeded in defeating the Sioux.
27. Most of the Indians who were taken prisoner were later pardoned by President Lincoln, but thirty-eight were hanged “at a great hanging-bee” the day after Christmas, 1862. In 1863 the remaining Minnesota Sioux, defeated, were forced to yield their land and leave the state.
28. Most of the Indians who were taken prisoner were later pardoned by President Lincoln, but thirty-eight were hanged “at a great hanging-bee” the day after Christmas, 1862. In 1863 the remaining Minnesota Sioux, defeated, were forced to yield their land and leave the state.
31. Chivington Massacres the Cheyenne. Farther south, in the Colorado Territory, the situation was quite different. There, miners had forced the Cheyenne into a barren area known as the Sand Creek Reserve. Short of food, bands of Indians began raiding nearby trails and settlements. Colorado Governor John Evans immediately called out the militia. At the same time, he urged those Indians who did not want to fight to report to Fort Lyon where they would be safe from harm.
32. Chivington Massacres the Cheyenne. Farther south, in the Colorado Territory, the situation was quite different. There, miners had forced the Cheyenne into a barren area known as the Sand Creek Reserve. Short of food, bands of Indians began raiding nearby trails and settlements. Colorado Governor John Evans immediately called out the militia. At the same time, he urged those Indians who did not want to fight to report to Fort Lyon where they would be safe from harm.
33. In the fall of 1864, some five hundred Cheyenne were encamped on Sand Creek. Two flags fluttered above the camp: the Stars and Stripes, and a white flag — both symbols of the Indians’ desire for peace. In the meantime, General S. R. Curtis, United States army commander in the West, had sent a telegram to the head of the Colorado militia, Colonel J. M. Chivington: “I want no peace till the Indians suffer more.” So at daybreak of November 29, Chivington and his troops fell upon the sleeping Indians and killed about four hundred fifty of them.
34. In the fall of 1864, some five hundred Cheyenne were encamped on Sand Creek. Two flags fluttered above the camp: the Stars and Stripes, and a white flag — both symbols of the Indians’ desire for peace. In the meantime, General S. R. Curtis, United States army commander in the West, had sent a telegram to the head of the Colorado militia, Colonel J. M. Chivington: “I want no peace till the Indians suffer more.”So at daybreak of November 29, Chivington and his troops fell upon the sleeping Indians and killed about four hundred fifty of them.
35. Summative Assessment: Focusing on the six paragraphs under the subheadings, “Indians Fight Back” and “Chivington Massacres the Cheyenne” (pp. 415-16), rewrite a selection of the textbook without changing the factual aspects of it. Meaning, after identifying the bias of the current text, think about how you might use diction, voice, and inclusion/exclusion to create a different bias in your own version.
36. You may confine your writing to any three contiguous paragraphs for this assessment. In a fourth and separate paragraph, you will need to explain which method(s) you employed (inclusion/exclusion, diction, voice, or other) to substantively change the bias, citing specific examples (i.e., quotes) from the text.