For the third document analysis assignment please read one of the following for your analysis:
Henry David Thoreau, “Resistance to Civil Government,” (1849), in Foner, Voices of Freedom, 262-267.
“South Carolina Ordinance of Secession,” (1860), in Foner, Voices of Freedom, 279-282.
In your analysis and interpretation consider some of the following questions:
What motivates the writers or speakers to express their views?
What risks might be involved in expressing these views?
What is the message they are trying to communicate?
Does their message clash with any of the accepted values or perspectives of that time in American history in which they live?
Who is their intended audience?
Do the authors or speakers achieve their goals?
Explain how their words or ideas change the course of subsequent events.
The paper must include the following:
A title.
A thesis statement and an argument. Do not simply summarize or describe the document. Provide an analysis of its meaning and significance. In other words, form an interpretation of the document.
Evidence from the text to support your thesis statement, the evidence must come from the text itself.
Citations, in-text or footnotes or endnotes
A bibliography containing references to texts that you used specifically in your paper, and also texts that you consulted but did not necessarily use or refer to in your paper.
In addition, your paper must have the following format:
single-sided, 500-750 words (a minimum of 2 pages, roughly, 2-3 pages).
10 or 12-point readable font
double-spaced
1” margins
Page numbers must appear on every page except for the first
Include your name, course and section number, and date on the first page (or title page).
Include your name in the header of each page.
STAPLE all of your pages together.
The paper will be graded according to the following rubric:
Conceptual (interpretation, comprehension, understanding) 15%
Thesis Statement (arguable, manageable, concise, specific) 20%
Development (argument, evidence, logic, persuasiveness) 20%
Structure (paragraph organization, transitions) 5%
Language (clarity, vocabulary, spelling, grammar) 5%
Citations (appropriate, correct style, accurate) 15%
Bibliography (correct style, accurate) 10%
Format (page length, single-sided, double-spaced, 1” margins, page numbers, 10-12 pt. font) 10%
Total 100%
It is absolutely imperative that your paper contains citations of the sources used and that the citations are correct. Even though citations are worth 15% of the total grade of the paper, any paper without citations will earn an automatic grade of “F” for the assignment. You must cite your sources.
Other tips:
Start your paper early. Don’t wait until the night before the paper is due to begin writing.
Always write more than one rough draft. The more drafts you write, the better your paper will be.
Always proofread your paper one final time after you have run a spell check in your word processor.
Make sure that you have a reliable printer available, and that you give yourself plenty of time to print before the paper is due. That way you can handle any techincal problems that you may encounter (no ink, no paper, etc.)
Only use sources from the voice of freedom.
