Part I: Transcript of a Speech from Joseph Brant to Lord George Germaine, 1776
Directions: Before you read the fourth paragraph of the “Transcript of a Speech from Joseph Brant to Lord George Germaine, 1776,” review these definitions of terms you will come across:
• Albany: city in New York that is now the state’s capital
• Klock: Johannes Klock, a colonist who built a farmhouse and fort on Mohawk land • Sir William Johnson: former British Superintendent of Indian Affairs
• Susquehanna: river that runs from modern-day southern New York to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland
• “the boundary we settled in 1768”: a boundary, determined by a treaty between the Iroquois and the British, that was meant to limit British expansion into Iroquois land
After you read the paragraph, answer the questions below.
1. In this excerpt from Joseph Brant’s speech, what is his main argument?
2. What evidence does Brant use to support this argument?
3. How does the final sentence fit into the structure of the paragraph and contribute to the ideas he has discussed?