Final Essay
DIRECTIONS: Answer ONE of the below essay questions in an organized, substantive, well-developed essay. READ ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO WRITE THE ESSAY!
For this essay assignment, you may ONLY use the following:
1. The Give Me Liberty! textbook
2. The American Perspectives e-reader (you will be required to incorporate at least ONE primary source from American Perspectives).This is the website to get the book ( https://reader2.yuzu.com/#/books/9781264322091/cfi/0!/4/[email protected]:0.00)
3. My recorded lectures and your notes on those lectures
4. The supplemental podcast episodes that I assigned in the Canvas modules
These are the supplemental podcasts
a) Early American Family Limitation: Contraception and Abortion: https://digpodcast.org/2018/01/01/early-american-family-limitation/
b) Patriarchs, Brawlers, and Gentlemen: Manhood in the Civil War Era: https://digpodcast.org/2019/08/04/manhood-in-the-civil-war/
You may NOT refer to or use ANY outside sources, including (but not limited to) other books, websites, YouTube videos, and online study/cheating resources such as Course Hero, Chegg, and Quizlet (which I check regularly). Even if properly cited, the use of ANY outside source will result in an automatic point deduction of AT LEAST 10 percentage points (and possibly more, depending on the severity of the offense, with a possible score of ZERO on the assignment). You have more than enough materials to complete this assignment without the assistance of any outside resources.
A successful essay will consist of SIX substantive paragraphs: an introduction, four body paragraphs (each consisting of AT LEAST 10 to 15 sentences), and a conclusion. This is what is expected in each section of the essay:
1. The introduction should be at least four to five sentences and should introduce the topic and set the stage for the essay. This is an argument-driven essay, so most importantly, the introduction MUST include a strong thesis statement (argument) that directly responds to the central question posed by the essay prompt. The thesis statement must be UNDERLINED so I can easily find it.
2. Each body paragraph must address the required key terms listed in the essay prompt. Each numbered set corresponds to a body paragraph (the key terms in the first numbered set should be addressed in the first body paragraph, the key terms in the second numbered set should be addressed in the second body paragraph, and so on). You must address ALL of the listed key terms—there is no choice between the key terms. Your body paragraph must fully define each key term, addressing the following items: WHO or WHAT the key term is, WHEN the event happened (may not be applicable to all key terms), WHERE the event happened (may not be applicable to all key terms), and the HISTORICAL significance of the key term (why is it important?). For each key term, you should include as much detail as you possibly can. You must also tie each key term back to the larger essay prompt and your thesis statement. Each and every body paragraph MUST make connections to the larger essay prompt in order to reinforce your thesis statement, since this is an argument-driven essay. Do not simply define the key terms as if you are writing short answer key term definitions.
3. The conclusion should be four to five sentences, and it should wrap up the essay by restating the thesis statement and summarizing the evidence reinforcing your argument.
IMPORTANT: While you can use all of the above-listed course materials to write this essay, you MUST substantively use and cite at least ONE of the primary sources that I have assigned this semester from the American Perspectives reader. The primary source that you choose must be relevant to the essay prompt and must be used in at least one of the body paragraphs to reinforce your thesis statement. You should be thoughtful as to how you incorporate this primary source—choose one that can help you prove your thesis statement.
There is no required page or word count—this essay will be graded on the substance of each section of the essay. The essay must meet the following formatting requirements:
1. The essay must be double-spaced.
2. The font must be 12-point Times New Roman.
3. The margins must be 1-inch on all sides.
4. The essay must be saved as a Word (.doc or .docx) file. No other file formats will be accepted on Canvas.
5. You MUST include Chicago style footnote citations throughout the essay showing where you got your information from. Nothing should be left uncited! See below for citation instructions. Although you need footnotes, you do NOT need a works cited page.
CITATIONS: You must use Chicago style FOOTNOTES (no MLA or APA parenthetical citations). If you do not know how to insert footnotes into a Word document, see the following website: https://libguides.uco.edu/c.php?g=360142&p=5809006
Please use the following formats for your footnote citations:
– For lecture material, use the following footnote format:
Christopher Haight, “Title of Lecture,” Date of Lecture.
– For Give Me Liberty! material, use the following footnote format:
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! (Sixth Edition), Page Number(s).
– For American Perspectives (primary source) material, use the following footnote format:
Author of Primary Source, “Title of Primary Source.” American Perspectives, Page
Number(s).
– For podcasts, use the following footnote format:
“Title of Podcast Episode,” Name of Podcast, URL Address.
IMPORTANT: If your essay is not properly cited, you will lose a SUBSTANTIAL number of points. If you have any questions about citations, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Lastly, do not plagiarize any part of this essay or engage in any other academic dishonesty (this includes working together through GroupMe). Your essay will be run through Turnitin, which will catch most instances of plagiarism. In addition, I am extremely vigilant about checking the usual places students go to get information (such as Chegg), and it is safe to say that you WILL be caught. If you are caught plagiarizing any part of this essay or engaging in any other form of academic dishonesty, you will receive a ZERO on the assignment with NO opportunity for a redo. You will also be reported for academic dishonesty via the Maxient system, and college-level disciplinary action may follow. There are NO exceptions to this policy. Plagiarism also includes “accidental” plagiarism (such as paraphrasing the textbook or one of my lectures too closely), so be VERY careful if you paraphrase a source!
Essay Prompts (Choose ONE)
- Following the Revolution, American political discussion was dominated by a debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists; although the names of the parties changed over time, their central arguments regarding the power of the federal government remained. Write an essay that traces this debate from the Founding to the years of the early republic. Your thesis statement (argument) must address the following central question: What were the main arguments between supporters and opponents of centralized government, and which side “won” the debate by the early 1800s? You must use the following key terms: (1) Articles of Confederation; (2) Federalists / Anti-Federalists / Constitution / Bill of Rights; (3) Bank of the United States / Whiskey Rebellion; and (4) Republican Party (Jeffersonian) / Louisiana Purchase.
- In the Jacksonian era, the United States saw a contradiction between rapidly expanding democracy (the power of the “common man”) and a brutal crackdown on Native Americans. At the same time, there was a fundamental clash between federal power and states’ rights. Write an essay that traces these major issues in the Jacksonian era. Your thesis statement (argument) must address the following central question: Were Jackson’s actions as president consistent with his belief in a limited government and the power of the “common man”? How did politics change by the 1840s? You must use the following key terms: (1) Andrew Jackson / Democratic Party; (2) Indian Removal Act / Trail of Tears; (3) Tariff of Abominations / Nullification Crisis / Second Bank of the United States; and (4) Whig Party / John Tyler.
- As the 19th century progressed, the United States became increasingly divided between North and South, largely revolving around the issue of slavery. Write an essay that traces both the attempts in Congress to “resolve” this longstanding debate over slavery AND the attempts by enslaved people and abolitionists to fight the existence of slavery. Your thesis statement (argument) must address the following central question: How important was the issue of slavery in the events leading up to the Civil War, and at what point did war over the issue become “inevitable”? You must use the following key terms: (1) Cotton Gin / Domestic Slave Trade / Missouri Compromise of 1820; (2) Nat Turner’s Revolt; (3) William Lloyd Garrison / Elijah Lovejoy / Gag Rule; and (4) Compromise of 1850 / Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 / Republican Party / Bleeding Kansas.
