U.S. History
Please choose ONE of the following prompts. DO NOT answer both prompts.
• In 1815, America was united. Americans, North and South, thought of themselves as American, read the same books, prayed to the same God and were socially and culturally similar. By 1860 the country was divided and Civil War was imminent, what happened? In a carefully written and cogently argued essay, explain what the MOST important issues were that divided the country and please explain how that divisive issue(s) altered the course of events that eventually led to secession and war. Use course readings and lectures for evidence and examples.
• In 1790, in the wake of the American Revolution, the Republican Mother ideology, granting education for women, was accepted by American society. By 1848, a group of women at Seneca Fall’s were demanding women’s equality and emancipation. What happened? In a carefully written and cogently argued essay, explain how and why a women’s rights movement emerged in the United States. Use course readings and lectures for evidence and examples
Grading the Paper:
• please note that the paper should be double spaced and printed in “Times Roman” font at “12 point” size. In addition, the paper should have one-inch margins. In the upper left hand corner, please list your name, the course number, my name, and the date. Please remember to use page numbers and to give your paper a catchy, imaginative title. And be very, very sure to check spelling and grammar. Papers with misspellings will be penalized.
The paper should be minimum 2 pages in length. You are encouraged to go over the page minimum, but students who fall substantially short of the minimum will be penalized
• First, remember that I will mark you down if the paper contains misspellings, grammatical errors, and any other evidence that you either didn’t proofread or can’t write a complete sentence. Sloppiness will cost you dearly. If you can’t take the time to proofread your paper (or get someone to look it over for you) you can rest assured that your grade will suffer. A paper written the night before will have an excellent chance of earning a “C” or a “D” – if you’re lucky. Don’t disappoint me by handing in shoddy work.
• Second, you must have an argument, other wise known as a thesis.
• Third, you must back up your argument with evidence from the readings. That means that each paragraph should develop an aspect of your argument and then back up your contention with evidence. Whenever possible, you should quote from the sources as well. Each paragraph should have at least one quotation, and several citations.
• Fourth, you only have to use course readings and lectures for this essay but you must cite the sources you are quoting or drawing from. You are free to cite in whatever format you are comfortable with (MLA, APA, Chicago). Just make sure your citations are clear. DO NOT cite full sources in your paper, instead, abbreviate your citations. If you cite full sources throughout your paper, I will mark you down. After the paper, in a bibliography page, cite the full citation of an source, ex: author name, title of work, (place of publication, publisher, date). If it is an internet source make sure to cite the full hyperlink so I can track it down and look at it myself. Remember, edu and gov hyperlink’s are the most legitimate. Make sure you critically assess any other website before citing it in this paper. You can and should cite lecture material. You can cite lecture material as: Carroll Lecture, date
• Fifth, avoid unnecessary spacing to try and artificially lengthen the paper. Do not put extra spaces between the title and the paper or between paragraphs. Also, avoid long quotations. If you have a quotation
longer than 4 lines that is fine, but you must single space the quotation into a block quote. This is so that you don’t have a page of quotes and no actual prose. Contact me with questions about this point.
• Sixth, don’t plagiarize. While some history professor somewhere has undoubtedly assigned questions like the ones I have assigned, the evidence with which you will answer the question is unique to this class. So don’t bother looking for someone else’s words in place of your own. Also, remember if you draw anything from someone else’s work, even if its just an idea, you must cite it. Intellectual property is real, and if you violate it you will be punished. Students suspected of plagiarism will be hauled before the appropriate disciplinary body on campus and punished according to the laws of the university. Plagiarism WILL result in a ZERO for the paper, and could result in an F for the class. I am obligated to do this, I don’t like to do it, so don’t force me to!
• Finally, I will accept drafts of papers before the due date. If you have gotten an early start and want me to proofread your work, please send it to me. I will also accept late papers, they will not receive full credit, but better late than not at all!
