The Bloody Letter — Native American documents

“When you see this letter stained with the blood of my husband …”

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Of the 1,000 or so original documents and visual images preserved in the Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842 collection, few evoke pathos for the Indians’ plight as “the blood-stained letter” – written by the widows of Creek leader William McIntosh – appealing to the U.S. government for help.

McIntosh was  killed by fellow Creeks opposed to the ceding of their sbiancamento denti land to the white settlers. In the letter, Peggy and Susannah McIntosh describe their dire situation and beg the officials to remember their pledge to assist and protect them. A description and transcription of the letter is available here, along with scans of the original.

Most of the documents, dated 1763 to 1842, are from the Cherokee tribe, but other tribes are represented, including Seminole and Creek. The documents include treaties,letters from tribal members,  letters to the tribes from state representatives, military orders regarding Native Americans and the first 18 months of the first newspaper published in a Native American language, the Cherokee Phoenix.

The significance of these documents extends beyond traditional political and diplomatic history into the daily lives of Native Americans and their new European neighbors. These collections testify to the richness and continued viability of Native American culture even as it was encroached upon and eroded by European settlement. Letters of complaint to white government officials from Native Americans demonstrate their ability to contend with European institutions with a resourcefulness that belies the commonly held stereotypes from that period of Indians as violent savages or helpless victims.

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Historic architecture and landscapes

Cherokee Phoenix print shop

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The Hubert Bond Owens and John Linley collections contain some 1,500 images of representative architectural sites and landscapes in Georgia.

Owens and Linley were professors in the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia and were well-known in landscape architecture and architecture circles.

Users may search the collection in a variety of ways:  by owner or architect, by architectural style or by type of building material. The collection also provides links to information from the National Register of Historic Places, the Historic American Buildings Survey, iphone 6 plus remplacement écran the Historic American Landscape Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record.

The database contains detailed descriptions of the structures and landscapes, and users also will be able to put each into its wider context by consulting the essays and other supplemental materials. The hope is that users will gain insight into how Georgia’s environments reflect societal and cultural values in the state.

Abandoned kaolin mine

In many cases, the slides and photographs – taken from the 1940s to the 1980s – document structures or landscapes which have been altered or no longer exist.

“This collection is a valuable tool for researchers, lovers of quality environments and students,” said Pratt Cassity, director of public service and outreach for the UGA College of Environment and Design. “This is a timely way to connect the university with its former educators, especially these two gifted teachers, influential men and great designers.”

Linley terraced garden
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