“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship”-Louisa May Alcott. Captured by Comanche Indians around age eight, Cynthia Ann Parker was a white girl with an Indian spirit and lots of perseverance. She not only was a survivor and a witness of the Comanche raid on Fort Parker in May of 1836 but also became the chief’s wife. Cynthia Ann Parker is a well-known, accomplished woman in Texas History. In Cynthia Ann’s early life, there’s little knowledge because of the fact she sadly died so early, but she had a very troubling childhood. At age eight, she was stolen from her family in an Indian raid along with her brother John, although he was given to another tribe less than a week later. She didn’t talk or play for weeks because of the fact she was extremely fearful and frightened. She was abused for no reason by her abrasive captor. The elderly woman she lived with was the first to show any kindness to poor Cynthia. She helped her with her many unfair tasks assigned to her. As she got older, her skin color began to change along with her, as she accustomed more and more to the Indian ways. One surprising day some white men came to get her and bring her home. She no longer remembered …show more content…
her old language, though, so she did not leave. The Indians began to like her and gave her the Indian name, Peloch. Cynthia Ann Parker’s adulthood did not seem to get any better towards the end, but she enjoyed the being of her adulthood. Many of the men fell deeply in love with her. One man wanted her as his wife. He treated her with kindness and brought her many gifts. His name was Peta Nocona and they got married. Eventually, Peta became the chief. During the fort parker Massacre, Cynthia passed by some men in a room and they saw her. They did not kill her because she was holding her infant child. Once they got a better look, they realized that she was fair skinned because of the blue eyes and brown hair she could not change. They took her back with them. Isaac Parker, her Uncle realized Cynthia ann was his niece. She thought that her husband was dead and that she would never see her children again. She attempted unsuccessfully to flee to her Comanche home. Eventually, she moved near her sister, Prairie Flower, the only person she knew in this new life she hated so much. But terribly, Prairie died of influenza and pneumonia in 1863. Cynthia starved herself and died of influenza in 1870. It says in the 1870 census that her life ended at age forty-five. We can learn a lot from Cynthia Ann Parker’s many accomplishments such as, to never give up.
She was not as recognized as some people like Sam Houston or Santa Anna, but she played an important role in Texas History. She was a survivor and witness of the May 19, 1836, Comanche raid on Fort Parker, and was a white woman who lived with the Comanche tribe. Cynthia Ann Parker was one of the very few 21 survivors of the Fort Parker Massacre. Cynthia Ann Parker had many astonishing accomplishments. She was a steadfast person with much renown. She was born to Silas M. Parker and Lucy Parker in 1824 and sorrowfully died young in 1870. Although short-lived, she made an impact in witnessing major events in history, and living with the Comanche tribe for over 24
years!
Annie Turnbo Malone was an entrepreneur and was also a chemist. She became a millionaire by making some hair products for some black women. She gave most of her money away to charity and to promote the African American. She was born on august 9, 1869, and was the tenth child out of eleven children that where born by Robert and Isabella turnbo. Annie’s parents died when she was young so her older sister took care of her until she was old enough to take care of herself.
Owen, Narcissa, and Karen L. Kilcup. A Cherokee woman's America memoirs of Narcissa Owen, 1831-1907. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005.
After the Alamo Santa Anna was chasing Houston and the Texas army. Houston retreaded but the government, citizens and his own army did not take well to his actions and called it “ The Runaway Scrape". Even
Lana Lanetta was born and grew up in the quaint town of Ogre, Latvia. Coming from a blue-collar family, she marches to the beat of her own drum and has achieved the American dream and beyond. Don’t let her certification in gardening fool you, she is anything but a girly girl and She had no time to try to conform to anyone’s standards, early on she began to shape her own future, working her way up from a street janitor to becoming an adept artist. In her youth she was incredibly active, contributing to her amazing figure that she still maintains today, getting great aerobic workouts from soccer and gymnastics. Extracurricular activities aside, sewing has always been an enduring passion that has stayed near and dear to her heart. Despite her
When most people think of Texas legacies they think of Sam Houston or Davy Crockett, but they don’t usually think of people like Jane Long. Jane Long is known as ‘The Mother of Texas’. She was given that nickname because she was the first english speaking woman in Texas to give birth.
Quanah Parker was born in 1845, the exact date of his birth is not known due to the times and the lack of recording dates like birthdays back then. Also the exact place of his birth is unknown, it is thought to be somewhere along the Texas-Oklahoma border, but there are conflicting reports. Quanah himself said that he was born on Elk Creek south of the Wichita Mountains, but a marker by Cedar Lake in Gaines County, Texas says otherwise. There are still other places where he was supposedly born like Wichita Falls, Texas. “Though the date of his birth is recorded variously at 1845 and 1852, there is no mystery regarding his parentage. His mother was the celebrated captive of a Comanche raid on Parker's Fort (1836) and convert to the Indian way of life. His father
In “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan mother from Lancaster, Massachusetts, recounts the invasion of her town by Indians in 1676 during “King Philip’s War,” when the Indians attempted to regain their tribal lands. She describes the period of time where she is held under captivity by the Indians, and the dire circumstances under which she lives. During these terrible weeks, Mary Rowlandson deals with the death of her youngest child, the absence of her Christian family and friends, the terrible conditions that she must survive, and her struggle to maintain her faith in God. She also learns how to cope with the Indians amongst whom she lives, which causes her attitude towards them to undergo several changes. At first, she is utterly appalled by their lifestyle and actions, but as time passes she grows dependent upon them, and by the end of her captivity, she almost admires their ability to survive the harshest times with a very minimal amount of possessions and resources. Despite her growing awe of the Indian lifestyle, her attitude towards them always maintains a view that they are the “enemy.”
Indian women had played roles in the beginning of American history. The two famous women were La Malinche and Pocahontas. Both of them were not educated, that’s why their stories were written by others. Bernal Diaz, Spanish conquistador and Cortez’s companion, wrote about Malinche. Whereas, John Smith, English soldier wrote about Pocahontas. Malinche played the role of translator, advisor and lover of Cortez, while, Pocahontas played the role of peacemaker. There are also some contradictions in Smith writings about Pocahontas saving his life. Malinche and Pocahontas made the link between colonist and native population, they married to Europeans; but Malinche was from South America (Mexico) and she had contacted with the Spanish, whereas, Pocahontas lived in North America (Virginia) and related to English. Both of them very intelligent women, Malinche had the skill of speaking multicultural languages and Pocahontas was the peace creator between Indians and English.
Juliana Barr’s book, Peace Came in the Form of a Women: Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands. Dr. Barr, professor of history at Duke University-specializes in women’s role in American history. Peace Came in the Form of A Women, is an examination on the role of gender and kinship in the Texas territory during the colonial period. An important part of her book is Spanish settlers and slavery in their relationship with Natives in the region. Even though her book clearly places political, economic, and military power in the hands of Natives in the Texas borderland, her book details Spanish attempts to wrestle that power away from indigenous people through forced captivity of native women. For example, Dr, Barr wrote, “In varying diplomatic strategies, women were sometimes pawns, sometimes agents.” To put it another way, women were an important part of Apache, Wichita, and Comanche culture and Spanish settlers attempted to exploit
Mary Bryant was in the group of the first convicts (and the only female convict) to ever escape from the Australian shores. Mary escaped from a penal colony which often is a remote place to escape from and is a place for prisoners to be separated. The fact that Bryant escaped from Australia suggests that she was a very courageous person, this was a trait most convicts seemed to loose once they were sentenced to transportation. This made her unique using the convicts.
The siege, fall and ensuing massacre of nearly two hundred Alamo defenders at the hands of Mexican General, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna y Perez de Lebron’s army of over five thousand was a defining moment in both Texan, and American history. For 13 days against insurmountable odds, a small, but very determined Texan garrison force fended off an equally determined Mexican Army ordered to capture it. I’ll discuss the events and political climate leading up to the siege, key historic figures involved on both sides, the siege itself, along with events immediately following the battle. The iconic phrase, “Remember the Alamo!” would later go on to become a rallying cry at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Born on November 21st, 1956, Cherry Jones was born in Paris TN. She was born to a high school teacher mother and a flower shop owner father. She was born as a tomboy and spent a lot of her time outdoors, and never excelled in school very well. As she progressed in age, her mother often inspired her in many ways, one being an actress. As a teen Cherry attended Henry County High School where she began her acting career with the help of teacher, Linda Miller.
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was an intelligent woman who fought for women’s rights and equality in education. Bethune grew up in poverty, as one of 17 children born to former slaves. In the 1800’s-1900’s African-American’s were not given many opportunities, but it became a different story with Bethune.
The African-American community faced racial injustice in many forms such as low paying jobs, inadequate schools, and disenfranchisement. Moody not only experienced racial prejudice from whites, but also from the African American population. When Raymond’s mother, Miss Pearl, gives Mama the cold shoulder because she is darker skinned, this leaves an astonishing impression on Anne. The imprints of racial prejudice on Moody were instilled in her until she met individuals like Miss Ola, Linda Jean Jenkins, or Mrs. Burke’s Mother, who treated Anne with respect. It is brought to light again later in her life when she almost turns down a scholarship to Tugaloo because she fears that the mulatto students will mistreat her. Ultimately, racial prejudice almost costs Anne from taking significant opportunities presented to
To conclude, while the tragic life of Antoinette Cosway Mason is rife with unfortunate circumstances, nothing is more critical to her eventual end than the racial identity she forms as a lonely and isolated child. The short-lived success of Antoinette’s arranged marriage to Rochester can be traced back to his view of her as, “foreign,” and “other.” By identifying so strongly with the culture of her servants and former slaves, Antoinette winds up torn between two cultures, and neither accepted nor respected by either.