Name
Class Period
Open this link: then read about the experiences of early pioneers.
Look at the illustration on the opening page of the web site. Type the answers to these questions below. You will print this after completing the activity.
What is happening in the picture?
By looking at the people’s clothes, what kind of people do you think are in the illustration?
What do you think the man in the middle of the illustration is feeling?
What is happening to the man in the lower right corner of the illustration?
What clues let you know that this illustration reflects conflict?

Scroll below the illustration to the Narrative of the Captive and Subsequent Suffering of Mrs. Rachel Plummer. Read the introduction and draw a timeline of the dates and their corresponding events. (Include all four dates and events.)

The different chapters of this primary source document are listed below the introduction. Click on The Attack of the Fort and Mrs. Plummer’s Capture and answer these questions.
Where did the story take place?
When did the story take place?
According to Mr. G.E. Dwight, what should the settlers do when the Indians approached? Use a quote to support your answer.
After reading the first section, what prediction can the reader make about Mrs. Plummer’s future?
Continue reading through the section called Mrs. Plummer is Tormented by the Comanches and answer these questions.
Why did the author ask the Christian reader to pause? What did she want the reader to realize?
If the Indians traveled 15 miles an hour, approximately how many miles did the group travel before they stopped for the evening? (Refer to the document for the times they left and arrived.)
Read Mrs. Plummer’s Observation of the Texas Countryside and answer these questions
What type of timber did Mrs. Plummer encounter?
Using a quote from the document, describe the Cross Timbers.
What happened to the group as they reached the Grand Prairie?

Choose TWO more sections of the document and summarize the events.

1. Section Title
Write a summarization of the events that includes three pieces of historical evidence.
2. Section Title
Write a summarization of the events that includes three pieces of historical evidence.
Think about the following questions, then type in some notes for you to use during the discussion with your teacher and classmates.
List some adjectives that describe Rachel Plummer during her captivity.
Think of some other groups of people in history who were taken from their homes into a very different lifestyle. List one example from history.
Why is this primary source document (narrative written by Rachel Plummer) so much more emotional than reading about her in a textbook?
Save this file to your personal drive, include a heading and print after receiving permission.

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Updated 9/17/2003