Lesson 4 - 1532 - Battle of Cajamarca.
This lesson was written in 2020. There is little doubt that the year 2020 will be considered an important year in history. It will probably become one of those 'turning point' years - like 1989, 1968, 1939, 1914 etc. - that are obviously important, even for those who lived through them. Hopefully, 2020 was so exceptional that your grandchildren will be asking you questions about 'what is was like to live through Covid-19' for their history projects in 50 years time.
One of the other important developments of 2020 was the series of events associated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which were a reaction to the murder in America of George Floyd in May 2020. Of these events the most interesting for me as a history teacher have been the occasions when statues of important historical figures have been attacked or even pulled down. In the images below we see the statues of King Leopold of Belgium (Matu 6) who oversaw the brutal exploitation of the Congo, Christopher Columbus who began the European colonisation of the 'New World" and Edward Colston an English businessman who made his money through the Atlantic slave trade. The attack on statues throughout the world has led to a number of heated debates.
One of the other important developments of 2020 was the series of events associated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which were a reaction to the murder in America of George Floyd in May 2020. Of these events the most interesting for me as a history teacher have been the occasions when statues of important historical figures have been attacked or even pulled down. In the images below we see the statues of King Leopold of Belgium (Matu 6) who oversaw the brutal exploitation of the Congo, Christopher Columbus who began the European colonisation of the 'New World" and Edward Colston an English businessman who made his money through the Atlantic slave trade. The attack on statues throughout the world has led to a number of heated debates.
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The activity - Historian on the TV news.
In this activity you are going to play the role of an historian invited onto a television news programme to give your views about the pulling down of statues. Just as in the film above, you are going to be interviewed on Skype/Zoom - this is the 2020s remember - and the statue in question is that of Francisco Pizarro in Trujillo, Spain that we looked at last lesson. You only have a maximum 90 seconds to get your points across, so you need to be well prepared. You will commenting on the historical reputation of Pizarro and also about the pulling down of statues. But before you begin you need to become an expert. First watch this film to get an understanding of what happened at Cajamarca.
Your television interview will have two sections and you are replying to a question that has two parts: Was Pizarro a hero or a villain? Do you think that removing statues damages our understanding of the past?
Part 1 - The history - 60 seconds. You must assume that your TV audience knows nothing about Pizarro, so your job is to give them the basic information about his life: Who was he? When did he live? Where was he from? Why was he in the Americas and what did he do? As an historian you must attempt to be balanced , you should try to make both a series of positive and then negative points about Pizarro's reputation. The film above will have given you some ideas but you will need to do some further research before you can consider yourself an expert (see the links below in Resources).
Part 2 - The statues - 30 seconds. On the question of the statues, the person commenting before you have said that 'removing statues is removing history and that we have to accept the past, both the good things and the bad'. As a good student of 'International School History' you know that history and the past are not the same thing. You might need to revisit lesson 1, before setting out to correct their opinion. Point out that a statue is not 'history' and explain why. Explain that our interpretation of the past is always changing and explain why. If you wish at the end you might like to propose a solution to the 'problem' of the statue. Consider what was done to the statues of Edward Colston and Cecil Rhodes.
Finally, when you are ready, record yourself speaking to camera (phone or iPad) as if you were on a video call (90 seconds max) and upload it to OneDrive. Share the film and add the link of your video to your OneNote - Lesson 4. No need to send the link to me.
Part 1 - The history - 60 seconds. You must assume that your TV audience knows nothing about Pizarro, so your job is to give them the basic information about his life: Who was he? When did he live? Where was he from? Why was he in the Americas and what did he do? As an historian you must attempt to be balanced , you should try to make both a series of positive and then negative points about Pizarro's reputation. The film above will have given you some ideas but you will need to do some further research before you can consider yourself an expert (see the links below in Resources).
Part 2 - The statues - 30 seconds. On the question of the statues, the person commenting before you have said that 'removing statues is removing history and that we have to accept the past, both the good things and the bad'. As a good student of 'International School History' you know that history and the past are not the same thing. You might need to revisit lesson 1, before setting out to correct their opinion. Point out that a statue is not 'history' and explain why. Explain that our interpretation of the past is always changing and explain why. If you wish at the end you might like to propose a solution to the 'problem' of the statue. Consider what was done to the statues of Edward Colston and Cecil Rhodes.
Finally, when you are ready, record yourself speaking to camera (phone or iPad) as if you were on a video call (90 seconds max) and upload it to OneDrive. Share the film and add the link of your video to your OneNote - Lesson 4. No need to send the link to me.
Resources
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On the history of the Pizarro statues and their removal and why.
'Conservatives saw it appropriate to commemorate the founder of the city and to celebrate the colonial roots of contemporary Peru. They likened the Spanish conquest of Peru to the Roman conquest of Spain and argued that Peru in its essence was Spanish. Progressives viewed the monument as a symbol of colonialism and oppression and argued that Lima should not honor the destroyer of the Inca culture and oppressor and murderer of Peru’s indigenous people. They viewed Peru as a nation rooted in indigenous culture which survived centuries of efforts to eradicate it.' |
10 facts about Francisco Pizarro
10 facts about the Spanish conquest of the Incas
Encyclopaedia Britannica also the school has an online account here (password 'moser').
PBS dedicated website to Pizarro
BBC History magazine - needs a free sign-up
www.ancient.eu/article/915/pizarro--the-fall-of-the-inca-empire/
More on the statues debate
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/commentisfree/2023/apr/07/edward-colston-statue-slavery-monarchy-blm-bristol
Other recent statue removals.
Taiwan - April 2024