Caleb's Crossing

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The novel is set in 17th-century New England. List 6-8 facts or suppositions about the colonial history of New England in overview form (e.g., notable places, figures, events; conflicts; daily life). What are some social, cultural, and religious movements readers typically associate with this period?

Teaching Suggestion: The colonial history of New England is marked by Europeans’ struggles for independence and religious freedom but also by conflicts with Indigenous populations. Some areas, such as Martha’s Vineyard, were distinguished by relative peace and prosperity, but conflicts arose as the settlers clashed with other Europeans, with Indigenous populations, or with themselves. A review of key events in New England’s colonial history, perhaps by means of a basic timeline, will be beneficial for students before starting the novel. It also may be helpful to touch on how the conflicts and tensions that marked the colonial period eventually boiled over into the Revolutionary War and the birth of the United States.

• This article provides a brief overview of the history of Martha’s Vineyard.
• This article from the Library of Congress provides an overview of European colonial settlement of the Americas; subsequent pages offer detailed information on early colonies.

2. Caleb’s Crossing is based on the historical figure of Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the first Indigenous person to graduate from Harvard College. Consider colonial-era relations between Indigenous groups and European settlers of the Americas. How might the interaction between Indigenous and settler populations be characterized, generally? What were some of the cultural and religious tensions that arose between these populations?

Teaching Suggestion: As European settlers from Spain, England, and France began to pour into the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, they came into significant contact with the Indigenous populations already inhabiting these lands. Though some tried to coexist peacefully with these Indigenous populations, other settling groups resorted to violence. European settlers generally failed to respect the cultural and religious traditions of the Indigenous groups. They also did not acknowledge or respect Indigenous land rights. After attempting the question independently, students might discuss the ways the European settlers exploited the Indigenous populations, seeking to convert them to Christianity and take their land. This topic is a potentially sensitive one, and it may be beneficial to review guidelines for discussion, especially if groups or the class as a whole discusses the topic aloud. Students might briefly investigate through research the conflicts that arose between the Indigenous groups and Europeans as tensions mounted, including King Philip’s War, which was fought between 1675 and 1676 in southern New England.

• This article discusses early interactions between Indigenous groups and Christian settlers from Europe.
• This article from History provides an introduction to King Philip’s War, an early conflict between the Indigenous populations and the European settlers of New England

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What is a “culture clash”? Reflect on a time in your life when you encountered or observed a different culture and the difficulties or tensions that arose from that encounter. How did you overcome this “culture clash”? Looking back, what might you have done differently?

Teaching Suggestion: Brooks’s novel deals with a challenging topic, namely, the exploitation of Indigenous populations by Christian settlers from Europe. As students think about this topic, it may also be a good opportunity to think critically about their own experiences and their own cultural interactions. Very often, it is easy for us to condemn the actions of our historical forebears while ignoring the ways in which we might improve in our own actions and thinking. When dealing with historical themes of exploitation and cultural tension, introspection is therefore an important quality, because it is only by looking critically at ourselves that we can hope to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. This mindset will be important as students begin reading the novel.

Differentiation Suggestion: To encourage student agency and for students with artistic interests, readers might create a visual representation of a “culture clash” in the form of a sketch, drawing, political cartoon, or comic book-style scene, then provide a description aloud when they present their artwork to the class. Students who request or would benefit from a less personal response to the question might discuss an example of a “culture clash” they recall from a historical fiction or nonfiction text.