Reflect on the history that we have covered in this course. What do you consider to be the most significant and/or dominant theme in American history between the founding of Britain’s colonies through Reconstruction? (see the list of themes below for ideas) In answering this question, your essay must do the following:
- Begin with an introduction that clearly establishes the issue/topic and ends with a clear thesis statement (which will clearly identify the theme and state why you consider it the most significant and/or dominant theme).
- Identify three specific events or issues covered in the course that highlight the importance of that theme (and make sure that you clearly explain how each event/issue relates to that theme).
- Each specific event/issue must come from a different part of the course (the first part of the course covers the material up to the first exam, the second part of the course covers the material between the first and second exams, and the third part of the course covers the material since the second exam).
- For each of the three events or issues you address, you must also cite a specific example from the course materials to support/illustrate your points (and clearly identify the reading, lecture, or part of the homework/debrief that the example is coming from). For this requirement, you will be evaluated on how clearly you use the the material to which you are referring and how well you explain the example in relation to your overall thesis.
- At least one of the sources you cite/use in the essay must be a primary source.
- You must only use course materials (do not use any other materials). You must cite your sources when referring to them – whether paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting directly. Since you are only using course materials, you can cite using parenthesis as follows:
- For the American Yawp: (American Yawp, Ch # and Part #)
- For a document/primary source from the module: (Bacon’s Declaration, p. 2)
- A lecture or video: (Module 2 lecture, give approx. time stamp for reference); (“Winning Independence,” give approx. time stamp)
- Home work or homework debrief: (Module 1 Homework debrief, p. #)
- The body of the essay must consist of clear paragraphs that logically develop your argument. You will not be graded on grammar (however, I need to be able to understand your sentences, and you could lose points for excessive typos).
- End with a brief concluding paragraph.
- The essay must have clear paragraphs, it must be typed, and it must be at least 700 words in length.
What you choose to write about is up to you. But I suggest you choose one of the following themes: liberty; freedom; power; rights; democracy; equality; conflict; “Manifest Destiny”; exclusion; prosperity; reform; revolution; compromise