Constitutional Academy: The Real Story of Josefina Montoya, American Girl: Women, Property, and Conquest on the Mexican Frontier
Featured Speaker: Maria E. Montoya, New York University
January 17, 2007
5:00 - 8:30pm
ESD 112 Conference and Institute Center
Three dozen program hale and hearty folk braved snowy roads January 17, 2007, for an excellent presentation by Maria E. Montoya, associate professor of history at New York University. Dr. Montoya’s presentation focused on the collision of legal regimes regarding property rights that followed the US-Mexican War. She guided us through interrogation of primary documents, looking at two versions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Taking as its starting point the fictionalized account projected by the American Girl doll, she discussed both the benefits and challenges of many children’s first engagement with that history: One which takes place in an idyllic age, uncomplicated by questions of contingency and enamored with the myth of progress.
Presentation Materials:
Presentation Video:
- The Real Story of Josefina Montoya American Girl: Women, Property and Conquest on the Mexican Frontier (Streaming Flash 8 Video, 72 Minutes)
- Dig Deep into Historical Understanding: The US-Mexican War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Streaming Flash 8 Video, 53 Minutes)
Handout & Presentation Slides:
- Agenda and Handouts (1.5 MB)
- Presentation Slides: The Real Story of Josefina Montoya (Powerpoint Presentation 10MB)
- Presentation Slides: The US-Mexican War (Powerpoint Presentation 2MB)
Supporting Links:
- Article VI of the US Constitution
- Refers to the legal status of treaties.
- Excerpts from Treaties of Conquest
- Property Rights, Indian Treaties and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo by Christine A. Klein explains the Constitutional Connections and case law
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; February 2, 1848
- Original Treaty
Treaty as Ratified
As part of the price for peace and a large piece of Mexican land, the Treaty, among other things, purported to protect the rights of Mexican citizens in the territory surrendered to the United States. - "The U.S.-Mexican War: 1846 - 1848"
- PBS Series offers substantial resources
- "President Polk and the Taking of the West"
- an online lesson published by the Constitutional Rights Foundation
- "Dig Deep" Classroom Based Assessment
- Use artifacts and primary sources as evidence to write a historical account of a time period; Analyze contrasting historical narratives.
- American Girl Historical Characters