Teen Drinking and Behavior Problems

Teen Drinking and Behavior Problems Addiction Alcohol Use Binge Drinking Print Teen Drinking and Behavior Problems By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Updated on July 11, 2018  Chris Whitehead/Getty Images More in Addiction Alcohol Use Binge Drinking Withdrawal and Relapse Children of Alcoholics Drunk Driving Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Teen drinking leads to behavior problems and issues with behavioral control. Adolescents age 12 to 17 who use alcohol are more likely to report behavioral issues, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Especially behavior that is aggressive, delinquent, or criminal. There is a strong relationship, based on adolescent self-reporting, between alcohol use and emotional and behavioral problems, including: FightingStealingDriving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugsSkipping schoolFeeling depressed Illegal Drug Use Adolescent alcohol users, regardless of whether they are heavy, binge, or light drinkers, report they are more likely to use illicit drugs than non-drinkers. SAMHSA reports  current heavy drinkers were 16 times more likely than nondrinkers to have used an illicit drug in the past month. Light drinkers were eight times more likely to have used an illicit drug in the past month than non-drinking adolescents. Drinking as a Cry for Help Parents need to know that alcohol use can also be a warning sign or a cry for help that something is seriously wrong in a childs life. If parents, counselors, teachers, and other caring adults reach children early enough, they can intervene before troubling behaviors lead to serious emotional disturbances, including: Illicit drug useSchool failureFamily disagreementsViolenceSuicide Crime, Violence, and Suicide Here are some sobering statistics about crime, violence, and suicide based on self-reporting from teens who claimed they were heavy drinkers. In this comparison with adolescent non-drinkers these teens were: Four times more likely to steal something outside the homeThree times more likely to report deliberately trying to hurt or kill themselvesThree times more likely to report having gotten into a physical fightThree times as likely to report engaging in destruction of property belonging to othersFour times more likely to report that they had gotten behind the wheel under the influence of drugsFive times more likely run away from homeFive times more likely to say that they had driven under the influence of alcohol in the past yearSix times as likely to report skipping schoolMore than seven times more likely to have been arrested and charged with breaking the law The Difference Between Light, Binge, and Heavy Drinkers Teen drinking is defined in terms of it being non-drinkers, light, binge and heavy drinkers. SAMSHA defines  heavy drinkers as those who consumed five or more drinks per occasion on five or more days in the previous 30 days; binge drinkers consumed five or more drinks on at least one occasion, but no more than four occasions during the previous 30 days; light drinkers consumed at least one, but fewer than five drinks on any occasion during the previous 30 days; and non-drinkers did not drink alcohol in the previous 30 days. Prevalence of Underage Drinking There was been an encouraging decline in heavy drinking and binge drinking by adolescents and young adults from 2002 to 2014. But there were still over 5 million binge drinkers and 1.3 million heavy drinkers in this population.  More than 1 in 5 underage persons took a drink in the past month.

Genre Analysis Essay - 2169 Words

No matter which type of job or career the author is looking for, a resume is a great first step. Generally, resumes are built and created in early adulthood by the author them self. There are a few things that can be assumed about the authors. First, they are middle to upper class individuals who like to show off their own personal qualifications, education, and academic and professional experiences they have obtained throughout their life. The audience in which will be looking over these resumes could be a pretty broad range generally speaking, but for the most part whoever the author is submitting the resume to will be the intended audience for this genre. I think it is safe to say this genre will be around for many years to come,†¦show more content†¦The example of the author wanting to become a teacher states, â€Å"Excellent background and proven success in helping children reach their full potential† (O’Neill). This statement clearly states that she has been a teacher in the past and has proof that she has helped her students to success and reach their full potential. Not only are the qualifications important but also the education in which the author has had. Under the education portion of the content it tells the audience where the author went to school and which type of degree they earned at the school and in what year. Another category placed on a resume is the academic and professional experience the author has had prior to creating their resume. The author who is applying for a business job placed under her academic and professional experience that she was a part of All Talk Radio in Terre Haute, Indiana where she was the Vice President of Marketing. The author states while being a part of All Talk Radio she increased the audience of student-run radio station 40 percent by establishing 13 member marketing department (Kim). In stating this, the author is showing the audience that she can make an impact on the compan y in which she is applying for. Although the content of the genre is important the structure of the genre is also important for the author to take into consideration. The structure of a resume starts off with the authors name, which is bolded and large in font to catch theShow MoreRelatedGenre Analysis Essay1377 Words   |  6 PagesGenre Analysis The musical film has always held a special place for me. From my time as a drama student in high school, my eyes have been opened to the amazing world of the musical and especially the musical film. The musical film is a film genre in which the characters sing songs that are integrated into the overall story. Since musicals first began in theaters, musical films usually contain similar elements. These elements often simulate that there is a live audience watching. In a sense, theRead MoreGenre Analysis of Movie Review Essay3976 Words   |  16 Pagesmovie instead. Genre analysis is a system of analysis by which observations are made on the repeated communicative functions found in genres and on the linguistic features of these functions (Brett, 1994). Genre knowledge played an important role in helping novices understand how to produce academics, professional or educational discourse. Genre study can help to improve Chinese students’ movie review writing skills. This study was conducted using the framework of genre analysis to explore moveRead MoreGenre Analysis: The Baroque and Rococo Periods Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pagescomparative analysis of Caravaggio’s The Musicians from the Italian Baroque period, and Watteau’s Mezzetin from the Rococo Period. Although both paintings depict a scene or event from everyday life, or a genre scene, the latter was painted more recently during the modern era and it differs immensely. The major differences become evident in the style of the painters as well as their personal representat ions of the subject matter. The works illustrate the evolvement of a certain genre in Western paintingRead MoreEssay on Film Analysis: Edward Scissorhands Genre1250 Words   |  5 PagesEdward Scissorhands Genre Essay The most appealing films are those that keep audiences guessing, surprise them at the most unexpected times and break conventional film boundaries. Edward Scissorhands (1990) directed by Tim Burton, is a feature film that does exactly that. It blends a fairy tale story with a gothic horror film, to engage the viewer right from beginning until the resolution. It tells the tale of Edward, who was the creation of an inventor who died before he could give Edward properRead MoreGenre Analysis and Special Way of Using Language Essay550 Words   |  3 PagesGenre analysis is an attempt to explain why members of specific discourse communities employ different and special ways of using language. Sociocultural aspects of language and existing differences among the contexts in which a language is used may, to some extent, answer this question. In addition, cognitive strategies applied by the speakers or writers may also play a role since the members of each language community use different st rategies to achieve their desired goals (Bhatia, 1996). AccordingRead More A Genre Analysis of Graduate-Level Reading Response Blogs Essays2192 Words   |  9 Pagesof course readings, rather than an isolated and individual response. In other words, the genre of the reading response blog allows the discussions of course texts, which traditionally take place in the classroom after the students have written a response to the text, to be initiated or conducted entirely within a social and public space. In this particular analysis, I will analyze examples of this genre from a graduate seminar, where students are responding not only to the texts but to the ideasRead MoreI Am Writing At The Spring 2015 Semester Of Mrs. Miller s Engl 112 Dual Enrollment College1577 Words   |  7 PagesEnrollment College Composition II course at Brooke Point High School. Continuing our work from the first semester, this course emphasized research and argumentative writing for both the social sciences and the humanities, and a very challenging multi-genre project on a topic of our choice. Mrs. Miller encouraged us to strengthen our research skills through the use of annotated bibliographies developed from using readings from our textbook (Graff 2008), and online research databases available throughRead MoreThe Real Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet928 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstanding of rhetorical knowledge. The second paper, â€Å"What is a Discourse Community?† shows my understanding of discour se community knowledge. The third paper, â€Å"Genre Analysis† shows my understanding of genre knowledge. Through these three papers, I have achieved the learning outcomes in rhetorical knowledge, discourse community knowledge, and genre knowledge. The first writing assignment that was assigned in the beginning of the semester related to rhetorical knowledge. By the end of the assignmentRead MoreLearning And Using Knowledge Of The Writing Essay826 Words   |  4 Pageswere learned through my essays. These learning objectives were subject matter knowledge, writing process knowledge, rhetorical knowledge, genre knowledge, and meta-cognition. The first essay written in the class was based on the premise of an instance where we fell in love with reading or writing. This essay involved learning and using knowledge of the writing process, rhetoric, genre, and overall subject matter. The use of writing process knowledge was prevalent in my essay due to the amount of prewritingRead MoreAnalysis Of Station Eleven By John Mandel881 Words   |  4 Pageschoose to put my essay of rhetorical analysis at the first page in the assignment section. One of the reasons is it is the first major work that may clearly show my progress that I have made in this class. The analysis was focusing on Emily St. John Mandel’s science-fiction novel, Station Eleven, which tells an alluring story about the post-apocalypse world. I found this analysis was difficult because I have never written an essay which analyses how authors applies different genres and conventions

The Aggression Toward The Elderly - 2098 Words

Abstract There are many types of abuse, and abuse can affect many types of people. Different examples of abuse include mental, emotional, physical, sexual, et cetera. At times, abuse can evolve into a crime that exudes an extreme amount of violence that can be life threatening. These forms of abuse can affect many types of people as well including children, spouses, and so on. The topic to be discussed in this assignment is the aggression toward the elderly (elder abuse). I will discuss the meaning of elder abuse, national and statewide statistics, and the different types of abuse that elderly people are affected by. Keywords: elderly, abuse, aggression, social issues, family, and dysfunction, worldwide Aggression toward the Elderly There are many types of abuse, and abuse can affect many types of people. For example, there is mental abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, et cetera. These forms of abuse can affect many types of people as well including children, men and women, and so on. An estimate of about 4 million older Americans fall victim to some form of abuse and/or neglect, as reported by American Psychological Association (2014). Additional claims from the APA include that for every case reported of elder abuse and neglect, an estimate of about 23 cases typically go undetected. This issue, like many other forms if abuse, is identified as being complex and surrounded by misconceptions. Taking the previous statement into consideration,Show MoreRelatedAssessment And Intervention Of The Geriatric Population845 Words   |  4 Pagesemotions a client has and how those ideas and feelings influence a client’s lifestyle and habits. A social worker then must o rganize and interpret these factors. In organizing, the social worker must decipher what is important to the case. If an elderly individual is experiencing depression, for example, the social worker would organize the factors about the client and interpret what the symptoms of depression are, if there is an underlying cause and how to further assist (Richardson Barusch, 2006)Read MoreThe Characteristics Of The Cognitive Disease1307 Words   |  6 PagesDementia. It is a direct goal oriented therapy which a fully certified Pet Therapy animal will meet with a client. This type of therapy can be done individually, or it can be done in a group. Pet Therapy helps with the decreasing of agitation and aggression which are a couple of prominent and common behaviors we see in Dementia patients. This therapy also has been known to bring happiness, to help in the return of memories, assist in relaxation, and to increase positive social behaviors. (Filan andRead MoreSocial Learning Theory Essay1057 Words   |  5 Pagesconseque nces of these actions and when a similar situation arises, they will alter their behavior according to what was most successful in the past. Through the Social Learning Theory, one can absorb new behaviors from others or one can form attitudes toward something that can in turn influence behavior. The attitudes we acquire may sometimes be implicit or explicit and depending on the strength of these attitudes and environmental factors, behaviors may come about. If implicit attitudes are strongRead MoreSex Freedom And Misogyny Analysis867 Words   |  4 Pagesnotifying how the massive conflict in this world against women increased. She instead used that information as an example, then she transferred that, and mentioned the Macquarie dictionary as a symbol of the world and created a different meaning towards the whole position. â€Å"Macquarie Dictionary expanded the definition of misogyny from â€Å"hatred of women† to incorporate â€Å"entrenched prejudice against women†. (Goldsworthy, 2013) (1) The connection by informing gathered its structure to be crystal clearRead MoreThe Implementation Of Anti Bullyi ng Initiatives976 Words   |  4 Pagesand frequent in occurrence (Ross, 2002). When compared to other schoolyard aggressions, bullying was found to be one of the most common forms of violence taking place (Ross, 2002). But bullying is, and never has been, something entirely confined to the schoolyard. It is an act that has been present for hundreds of years and takes place in a multitude of settings such as the workplace and the retirement homes of the elderly. It would be fair to say, however, that it does occur most predominantly inRead MoreViolent Video Games Should Be Banned1089 Words   |  5 Pagesthey would reciprocate their actions when they were presented with one (and weren’t given any orders). What would happen if a child were to play a game with a character wielding a lethal weapon? Studies have also shown where children have increased aggression levels after playing. So if an undisciplined child possessed the knowledge of techniques for harming others and beca me aggravated, chances are that they would use those skills that they’ve learned against someone. They should also be banned becauseRead MoreSociety s Negative Attitudes Toward Older People1857 Words   |  8 Pagesattitudes toward older people and it is a serious problem in our nation, such as older people are weak and helpless so their view, opinion or experience not taken into consideration, older adults are grumpy and they don’t have a stable relationship. b. The negative attitudes towards older people occur due to people’s beliefs about older people and aging process , the level of knowledge, education and experience about attitude toward elderly and their interest in working with elderlies, false informationRead MoreAnalysis Of Usama Ibn Manqidh A Muslim Warrior And Writer Who Lived During 1095-11881359 Words   |  6 Pagesreligion or their cultural norms it was condemned as being wrong. Usama also forms his perspective of the Crusaders through their religious beliefs and practices. Christians who were not acclimated to the different religions would use violence and aggression to correct others practices of religion. While Usama visited Jerusalem he goes to a mosque that is right by another mosque, which had been converted into a church by the Christians. Usama who is known by the Christians who have been in JerusalemRead MoreThe Role Of Nurses And Support Workers At An Elderly Mental Infirm ( Emi ) Unit1742 Words   |  7 PagesAppendices: Appendix A Mr A is a 66 year old gentleman recently admitted to an Elderly Mental Infirm (EMI) unit. In my first encounter with Mr A, he appeared both distressed and unsettled, and was walking around the EMI unit with his bags packed, making numerous attempts to escape through doors and by climbing over fences in the garden. After staff began to approach Mr A, signs of aggression arose, such as: pointing, moving close to staff members, having clenched teeth and breathing rapidly. It wasRead MoreAssess and evaluate the immediate and potential long term effects of two types of abuse on the health and well-being of adults.1258 Words   |  6 PagesPhysical abuse of the elderly occurs when a carer harms the individual or places them in danger. A carer may be a family member or someone who is responsible for taking caring of them. The carer may hit, slap, kick, push, burn, or force feed the elderly person and these are all considered to be signs of physical abuse. They may also give the wrong amoun t or even the wrong medicine to the elderly person. Physical abuse also includes sexual abuse; when someone has sexual contact with an individual

Why Math is a Requirement for My Lifelong Career goal Free Essays

Life constantly presents new problems. The more sophisticated our society becomes, the more complex the problems become. We as individuals are constantly solving problems. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Math is a Requirement for My Lifelong Career goal or any similar topic only for you Order Now For example when we consider ways to save money, reduce our expenses, budget our money or even save for a vacation, we are always dealing with numbers. Throughout this personnel reflection you will see why math is so important in my life long career goal, which is my BBA in Business management in the medical field. First and foremost my job will entail being a supervisor/manager of a nursing staff whether it be Registered nurses (RN’s) or Licensed Practical nurses (LPN’s). This is ultimately what I want to do. This job includes schedules for the nurses, patients, scheduling tests for the patients. I will also need to know the international metric system along with dosage calculations, one must know three important pieces of information, the desired dose, the dosage strength and the medications’ unit of measure (Survey of Math p 609). I will also use mathematics in my career by doing schedules, coordinating the staff on different shifts, making sure the staff is not working over 8-9 hours unless it is necessary, also making sure the staff doesn’t overlap one another’s schedule and handling the payroll. It is very important for people that work in the medical field to know what their doing when it comes to measurements of medication particularly, any miscalculation’s due to a staff members error can lead to 1) losing your job, 2) losing your license, and or prison time if it is fatal. One example of a similar incident that was not to long ago, and is still in the hands of the courts involved Michael Jackson and Dr. Conrad Murray. Reports stated that Michael Jackson died from a propofol overdose; propofol is a drug that reduces anxiety and tension, and promotes relaxation consciousness. Dr. Conrad Murray is being charged with involuntary manslaughter for giving Michael Jackson multiple medications intravenously; which is a needle directly into the vein. Reports have stated that Dr.  Murray gave Michael Jackson valium which is a sedative, along with numerous amounts of pain medication and anti-depressant medications throughout a 10 hour period. These multiple medications were found in Michael Jackson’s toxicology report. They state that Michael Jackson had enough medication in his body to sedate a large animal (KTLA. com info). Another similar incident was that of a oncologist that wrote orders for a new salvage regimen that employed higher doses of chemotherapy than usual. The patient developed acute renal failure and required weeks of dialysis, but ultimately recovered, and the tumor responded. The physician later discovered that he had mistakenly ordered four times the recommended amount of the nephrotoxic drug in the treatment regimen. The physician decided not to tell the patient, 6 months later the tumor progressed and the patient obtained a second opinion. The patient learned of the error the first physician made and sued the doctor settling for $75,000 dollars (PubMed Central). The patient survived and the tumor was taken care of, but as you can see mistakes are made like this every day, sometimes people don’t get another chance. Most of the time, the mistakes are made mathematically. The medical field is very crucial when it comes to mathematics. You must be on top of things, re-read your care plan every time you need to administer medications. A care plan can vary from patient to patient, but for the most part it included numerous activities, such as administering medications, careful documentation of dosages and avoiding interactions. Starting, maintaining, and discontinuing intravenous lines for fluid, medication, blood, and blood products. Administering therapies and treatment, observing the patient and recording those observations; and consulting with the physician or supervisor on duty (â€Å"Summary report for 29 – 111. 00 – Registered nurses,† 2010, Tasks). In this line of work documentation of everything that happens with the patient is very important. In conclusion, my math 103, survey of mathematics taught me a lot. I learned how to subtract, add, multiply, and divide w negative and positive numbers. This was one of my greatest challenges. Reducing fractions, radicals, algebra, solving an equation, percentage formula’s, application of percents, the american system of measurement, the scientific system, set theories, and more. I learned a great deal and will be able to take this with me in the future for my career goal. In all honesty, I’ve never been all the great in the math field, after taking this course, along with taking advantage if the tutors Bryant Stratton offers, I feel very pleased with myself and what I’ve learned. It was a very positive fortification and I will take this with me, where ever I go. How to cite Why Math is a Requirement for My Lifelong Career goal, Essay examples

Nelson Gandhi free essay sample

Essay Compare the strengths and weaknesses of ONE Asian leader with those of ONE leader from another part of the world. Name :Course :Tutor :College :Date : A comparison of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela . Introduction Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 in India . He was assassinated at the age of 78 . He is recognized as political and religious leader of India and the Indian independence movement .He was the found of Satyagraha , an idea that is mainly concerned with truth and confrontation to evil through active , on violent resistance , which led India to self-government and enthused movement for `civil rights and autonomy ‘across the world . He initially engaged peaceful civil disobedience in the Indian community ‘s fight for civil rights in South Africa (Gandhi et al 121 )Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in South Africa he was an anti-apartheid campaigner and the person in charge of the African National Congress .He was the 11th president of South Africa and severed as president between 1994 and 1999 . We will write a custom essay sample on Nelson Gandhi or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He is also a `Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1993 . He is at present an eminent elder statesman who continues to offer his views on contemporary issues . In 2001 , he became the first living individual to be made an honorary Canadian citizen . In 1990 he was also given the Bharat Ratna Award from the Indian Government . This paper will attempt to look at two world leaders , one from Asia : Mahatma Gandhi and another from Africa : Nelson Mandela .We will also try to compare their strengths and weakness as world leaders . World leaders such as Dr Martin Luther king Jr , Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela are said to be children of Gandhi and his religious recipients to non-violence (Mandela 92 )The Indian government also has a yearly Mahatma Gandhi peace prize which it awards to notable social workers , world leaders and also citizens . One key beneficiary of this celebrated award and non Indian is Nelson Mandela due to his fight to eliminate racial prejudice and isolation .

Teaching Personal Space to Children With Disabilities

Teaching Personal Space to Children With Disabilities   Children with disabilities, especially children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, have difficulty understanding and appropriately using personal space.  Its importance is significant since many of these young people when they reach adolescence, become particularly vulnerable to assault or predation because they are unaware of the social and emotional boundaries that are important in the general public.   Deep Pressure Some Children with ASD are what we call deep pressure, and they seek as much sensory input as they can get.  They will throw their arms around not only significant adults in their lives but sometimes to complete strangers.  I worked 5 years ago as a volunteer at a camp at Torino Ranch, maintained by the Torino Foundation.  Ã‚  When my camper came off the bus he threw his arms around me (we had never met,) and I ticked off deep pressure kid, which led to four days of success.  I used that sensory need to keep him calm and appropriate.  Still, these students need to learn appropriate interaction.   The Science of Personal Space Proximics, or the science of personal space, explores how we as humans and as social and ethnic groups use the space around us.  Research has found that in a typical person the amygdala responds negatively to the invasion of personal space.  Research has not been definitive on the effect of population density on the size of personal space, as reported by anthropologists, but this writer has experienced it.  In Paris, in 1985, I attended a concert at the Place de Concord.  There were somewhere in the range of 50 to 60 thousand people there.  Someone started to push at the outside (Word was out that they were thugs [clouchards].)  Amazingly, after several minutes of chanting Assis! Assis! (sit down) we sat down.  Probably a couple of thousand people.  I looked at an American Friend and said: In America, we would have had a fist fight. This, of course, is why its important for special education students to understand personal space.  Students with autism may resist everyone entering their personal space, but all too often their amygdala is not firing when someone comes into their space, and we know they cant understand another persons desire for personal space.   There are three things needed to help them learn this: A metaphor that can help them understand personal space.Modeling to show how we use personal space andExplicit instruction in the use of personal space.   The Metaphor: The Magic Bubble Typical children and typical human beings are able to write their own meta-narrative, the story of their life.  Face it, when a woman gets married she often has a lifetime of plans dancing in her head about the perfect wedding (or her mothers dream.)  Children with disabilities, especially children with autism spectrum disorders, are unable to write those meta-narratives.  That is why Social Stories (TM) or Social Narratives (my name) are so powerful.  They use visual images, a story and often the childs own name.  I will be changing the name in the original document for the children I will use it with. I created the social narrative, Jeffies Magic Bubble, to support students with autism spectrum disorders.  It uses the metaphor a magic bubble to define the invisible space around each of us that is also called personal space.  Children with disabilities love to play with bubbles, so using it as a metaphor will provide a visible understanding of what that space is like.   Modeling Once the model is established by reading the book, make a game of magic bubbles.  Have children spin and identify the edge of their bubbles (arms length is a good compromise between intimate and familiar personal space.) Practice welcoming others into their magic bubbles by putting hands out and greeting others with a handshake. Hi, Im Jeffie.  Nice to meet you.   Make a game of Magical Bubbles by giving students clickers and having others come as close as they can without stepping inside another childs personal bubble.  The student in their Magic Bubble will click when they think the other student or students enter their bubble. Explicit Instruction Read the book Jeffies Magic Bubble aloud as a group.  If students need individual instruction (so they are better at paying attention to personal space) you will want to read it to those students over and over again.   After reading each page, have students practice:  when you get to crossing arms and hands on hips, have them practice.  When you read about Jeffie saying NO!  practice saying NO!  Practice asking friends for a hug.   Be sure that you recognize students who respect each others personal space.  You might want each child to have a magic bubble chart.  Hand out stickers or stars for each time you catch them asking to enter another childs space, or asking another student politely to move outside of their personal space.

The Moundbuilder Myth Debunked

The Moundbuilder Myth Debunked The Moundbuilder myth is a story believed, wholeheartedly, by Euroamericans in North America well into the last decades of the 19th and even into the 20th century. The central myth was that indigenous people who lived in what is today the United States were incapable of engineering of the thousands of prehistoric earthworks found by the newcomers and must have been built by some other race of people. That myth served as justification for the plan to exterminate Native Americans and take their property. It was debunked in the late 19th century. Key Takeaways: Moundbuilder Myth The Moundbuilder Myth was created in the mid-19th century to explain a disconnect within the thought processes of Euroamerican settlers.  The settlers appreciated the thousands of mounds on their new properties, but could not bear to credit mound construction to the Native American people they were displacing.  The myth credited the mounds to a fictional race of beings which had been driven out by the Native American residents.  The Moundbuilder Myth was disproven in the late 1880s.  Many thousands of earthen mounds were purposefully destroyed after the myth was dispelled. Early Explorations and the Mound Builders The earliest expeditions of Europeans into the Americas were by the Spanish who found living, vigorous and advanced civilizations- the Inca, the Aztecs, the Maya all had versions of state societies. The Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto even found the true mound builders, when he visited the chiefdoms of the Mississippians running their sophisticated communities from Florida to the Mississippi River between 1539–1546. Circa 1540, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto (c.1500–1542) and his men journey across America on one of their expeditions in search of treasure. Original Artwork: Painting by Frederic Remington. MPI / Stringer / Getty Images But the English who came to North America convinced themselves first that the people already inhabiting the land they were settling were literally descended from the Canaanites from Israel. As the European colonization moved westward, the newcomers continued to meet Native people some of whom were already devastated by diseases, and they began to find thousands of examples of massive earthworks- very tall mounds like Cahokias Monks Mound in Illinois, as well as mound groups, and mounds in various geometric shapes, spiral mounds, and bird and other animal effigies. The Great Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, built and used by the Adena people between 800 BCE and 400 CE. This protected historical earthworks is nearly a quarter of a mile long and represents a giant snake holding an egg in its jaws. Photo by MPI/Getty Images A Myth is Born The earthworks encountered by the Europeans were a source of great fascination to the new settlers- but only after they convinced themselves that the mounds had to have been built by a superior race, and that couldnt be the Native Americans. Because the new Euroamerican settlers could not, or did not want to, believe that the mounds had been built by the Native American peoples they were displacing as fast as they could, some of them- including the scholarly community- began to formulate a theory of the lost race of mound builders. The moundbuilders were said to be a race of superior beings, perhaps one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, or ancestors of Mexicans, who were killed off by later people. Some amateur excavators of the mounds claimed that the skeletal remains in them were of very tall individuals, who certainly could not be Native Americans. Or so they thought. Restored Mississippian palisaded mound group at Aztalan State Park in Wisconsin, fancifully named for the ancient home town of the Aztecs. MattGush / iStock / Getty Images Plus It was never an official government policy that the engineering feats were made by someone other than the indigenous residents, but the theory did bolster arguments supporting the manifest destiny of European desires. Many of the earliest settlers of the midwest were at least initially proud of the earthworks on their properties and did much to preserve them. Debunking the Myth By the late 1870s, however, scholarly research led by Cyrus Thomas (1825–1910) of the Smithsonian Institution and Frederick Ward Putnam (1839–1915) of the Peabody Museum reported conclusive evidence that there was no physical difference between the people buried in the mounds and modern Native Americans. Subsequent DNA research has proven that time and again.  Scholars then and today recognized that the ancestors of modern Native Americans were responsible for all of the prehistoric mound constructions in North America. Unintended Consequences Members of the public were harder to convince, and if you read county histories into the 1950s, you will still see stories about the Lost Race of Moundbuilders. Scholars did their best to convince people that the Native Americans were the architects of the mounds, by giving lecture tours and publishing newspaper stories. That effort backfired. Unfortunately, once the myth of a Lost Race was dispelled, the settlers lost interest in the mounds, and many if not most of the thousands of mounds in the American midwest were destroyed as settlers simply plowed away the evidence that a civilized, intelligent and capable people had been driven from their rightful lands. Selected Sources Clark, Mallam. R. The Mound Builders:  An American Myth. Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society 23 (1976): 145–75. Print.Denevan, William M. The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the Americas in 1492. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 82.3 (1992): 369–85. Print.Mann, Rob. Intruding on the Past: The Reuse of Ancient Earthen Mounds by Native Americans. Southeastern Archaeology 24.1 (2005): 1–10. Print.McGuire, Randall H. Archeology and the First Americans. American Anthropologist 94.4 (1992): 816–36. Print.Peet, Stephen D. Comparison of the Effigy Builders with the Modern Indians. American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal 17 (1895): 19–43. Print.Trigger, Bruce G. Archaeology and the Image of the American Indian. American Antiquity 45.4 (1980): 662–76. Print.Watkins, Joe. Indigenous Archaeology: American Indian Values and Scientific Practice. Lanham, MD: Alta Mira Press, 2000. Print.Wymer, Dee Anne. On the Edge of the Secular and the Sacred: Hopewell Mound-Builder Archaeology in Context. Antiquity 90.350 (2016): 532–34. Print.