Final Essay Assignment

For the purposes of this assignment, you are a high-school history teacher just about to start your first official job after graduation. One of the courses that you will be teaching during the spring semester is the U. S. history survey course, covering the pre-contact period through the Civil War. Your principal, who acts as your teaching mentor, has asked you for a 6-8 page proposal that outlines the most important theme that you will be focusing on in your course. This theme is absolutely crucial to understanding American history.

Your proposal should be a formal, professional essay (after all, you want to impress your principal!), and it must include four main parts. First, your introduction must state your chosen theme and define it. Think carefully and choose a theme that is not too broad (e.g. “racism”), but at the same time, not too specific (e.g. “black abolitionists”). There is not necessarily one correct answer, since we all know that there are many important themes that should be addressed in every U.S. history course. It may difficult to choose the MOST important, but for an assignment of this length you simply cannot cover everything.

Second, you should devote approximately two pages to the historical background of this theme. For instance, if you choose a theme like “ethnocentrism,” what are the historical events that illustrate how ethnocentrism has shaped American society? You will have to be concise—there is not room to write about everything—but you should still provide some specific examples to ensure that your proposal does not sound vague.

The third part of your proposal must highlight the key primary sources that you will assign in your course (stick to 2 or 3). Give a brief description of each source and then analyze it in the same way that we have been practicing all semester. Be sure to tie these sources to your main theme so your principal understands how these readings will benefit your students.

The fourth—and final—part of your proposal is the conclusion. This should be one or two paragraphs that reiterate why this theme is so important and why your students will benefit from a deeper understanding of our nation’s history. In other words, address the significance of this theme.

In preparing your proposal you can use our textbook, lecture notes, any available PowerPoints, primary and secondary sources, and discussion notes. A synthetic essay, by nature, will have you drawing from various sources to support your conclusions. However, no outside research is required for this assignment; simply use the sources assigned in this course. That includes the primary sources that are excerpted in the Henretta textbook (called “American Voices”). This paper must follow the normal style guidelines: double spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, page numbers, footnote citations, a title, etc…. If you go slightly over the page limit (say, onto the 9th page) that is fine.

It will be due in the Blackboard Assignment Dropbox by 12:00 noon on Wednesday, December 17th. If possible, please drop a hard copy by my office (Wescoe 4045) as well. Be aware that the normal late-paper policy will not apply to this essay; late essays will receive a 0. No exceptions. Give yourself plenty of time to upload your file to Blackboard; if you are having difficulty, email it to me as an attachment.

Broken Links

The links to the final essay assignment and the take-home quiz (for December 10th) don’t seem to be working consistently.  I sent an email this morning with those files attached, so check to make sure that you received that email.

Announcements for December 5th

- Instead of having an in-class quiz on December 10th, complete the take-home quiz posted under “Assignments.” Sometimes Internet Explorer puts the right sidebar at the bottom of the page, so you may have to scroll down (or use Firefox).  The take-home quiz will be due at the beginning of class–no exceptions.
- The instructions for the final essay are also available under “Assignments.” The final essay will be due on Wednesday, December 17th at 12:00 noon. ALL late papers will receive a 0, so you should be sure to budget enough time to upload it to Blackboard.

Announcements for December 1

1. We will be having another quiz on Friday, so don’t forget to keep up with the textbook readings.
2. Since the winter hours for the Constitution Hall site and Shawnee Mission site have kicked in, I will extend the deadline for the extra credit assignment to Friday. Your response paper will be due on December 5th (at 9am for the 9am section, or at 11am for the 11am section). There will be no other extensions for this assignment.
3. If you have not turned in a hard copy of your paper, you must bring one to the next class.

Further Instructions for Extra Credit

For the extra credit assignment, you will be required to turn in your notes from the presentation as well as a two-page response paper. The paper must follow the regular style guidelines (12 point Times font, double spaced, etc.) in addition to fulfilling the following criteria:

• Summarize in one paragraph the main point of the lecture and give the presenter’s name.
• Explain your reactions; for instance, what questions did this lecture raise?
• How does this make you rethink your preconceptions about John Brown?

For response papers, it is acceptable to use the first person (this is not the case for the other papers in our course). We have not yet discussed the Transcendentalists or John Brown, but you could also think about any of the themes that we have covered that might relate to what you hear on Sunday. How do you think this lecture fits with topics we’re covering in our course? The paper will be due on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, at 9am for the 9am section, or 11am for the 11am section. Put your paper in the Blackboard dropbox as well as turning in a hard copy. For those of you who’ve had trouble uploading papers, try using Internet Explorer instead of Firefox, but if it still doesn’t work, send it as an attachment to my email address. The paper is worth 50 points. Of course, extra credit is optional, so you will not lose points if you choose not to attend.

Extra-Credit Opportunity

For those of you looking for an extra credit opportunity, here is the information on an upcoming lecture by my advisor, Jonathan Earle, on Sunday October 26th, at 2:30pm. For this assignment you will be expected to attend the lecture, take notes, and write a 2-page response paper giving your reactions to the lecture.  More specific details will be discussed in class on Friday.  If you are unable to attend, there will be another opportunity offered later in the semester.  I’ll keep you posted.

“The Emerson Society and the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence will host a lecture on ‘A Plea for Captain John Brown: Unitarians, Vigilantism, and the Transcendentalists: From Bleeding Kansas to Harper’s Ferry’ by Associate Professor Jonathan Earle of the Department of History of the University of Kansas on Sunday, October 26, in the Fellowship’s new meeting hall at 1263 North 1100 Road, south of Lawrence, just off Route 59.  The lecture will begin at 2:30pm and will be followed by a reception.

“Professor Earle, who also serves as Deputy Director of the Dole Institute at the University of Kansas, is a well-known scholar on anti-slavery and democratic movements in nineteenth-century America.  He is the author of Jacksonian Antislavery and the Politics of Free Soil (University of North Carolina Press, 2004).”

Rubric for Document Analyses

These are the guidelines used to evaluate your essays. Your work is evaluated in four categories: 1) response to the assignment and related questions, 2) development of evidence, 3) composition/organization, and 4) written expression (grammar, spelling, etc.).

An “A” Essay:

• Responds to the assignment and related questions thoroughly and intelligently; demonstrates critical thinking and a solid understanding of the subject matter
• Has a clear introduction to the source (including most of the 5 Ws) and a nuanced conclusion that is the product of careful reading and reflection
• Uses substantial, relevant evidence and specific examples from the document (including appropriate citations)
• Has a coherent structure
• Has a focused discussion that doesn’t follow rabbit trails
• Has a clear, concise, and easy-to-follow style
• Contains virtually no grammatical or mechanical errors

A “B” Essay:

• Responds to the question intelligently, but has a less nuanced discussion than an “A” essay
• Uses appropriate evidence, though the analysis is less comprehensive than an “A” essay
• Is generally well-structured
• Has a relatively clear writing style
• Has a few grammatical or mechanical errors, but not many

A “C” Essay:

• Attempts to address the document but misunderstands the document or provides more summary than analysis
• Has a competent, but uninspiring, discussion of the source
• Includes some evidence and examples, although these are sparse and or misused (the citations are formatted incorrectly or are misused)
• Demonstrates some problems with focus, coherence, and organization
• Has grammatical and mechanical problems

A “D” Essay:

• Does not address the guidelines of the assignment (virtually no analysis of the document)
• Includes little (or no) specific evidence (with no or few citations)
• Has noticeable problems with organization, style, and grammar
• Is difficult for the reader to follow

Submitting Papers Digitally on Blackboard

Here are the instructions for submitting papers digitally.  Be sure you leave plenty of time to upload in case there is a computer glitch; there is no way for me to verify that you had computer problems so papers that are late will have points deducted.  For instance, a paper from a 9am student that is turned in between 9:01am Monday and 9:00am Tuesday will be docked one FULL letter grade.  The paper is due precisely at 9:00am for the 9 o’clock class, or 11:00am for the 11 o’clock class, on Monday, October 6. Also, remember to bring a hard copy to class.  All papers must be submitted in BOTH formats on the due date.

Submitting Assignments via SafeAssign:

1.  Go to the “Assignments” link in Blackboard (http://courseware.ku.edu).

2.  Click on the “View/Complete” link for the correct assignment.

3.  Use the “Browse” button to attach your paper.

4.  Click “Submit” to upload your attachment.  You should get verification that it uploaded correctly.

Acceptable file formats for uploaded papers are .doc or .rtf.  If you are using Office 2007, you will need to save the file as an Office 2003 extension (.doc) because Safe Assign cannot handle Office 2007 attachments (.docx).  You can go up to “File”–>”Save As” and then choose the .doc extension.  If you have trouble and you are using the Firefox browser, you could also try switching to Internet Explorer.  I’ve never had problems with Firefox, but occasionally things do happen.

Suggestions for First Essay

Two quick announcements:

1)  I have posted excerpts of a sample document analysis from several semesters ago (on the main page just below).  I have not included it in its entirety (for obvious reasons).  This is from a sophomore student’s analysis of a document that we will be reading later in the semester.  I have not changed it in any way.  This should give you an example of what a successful document analysis looks like.

2)  I have also added a handout describing how to use footnotes.  It can be found under “Class Handouts” on the right sidebar.

Sample Document Analysis

THE TRAGEDY OF INDIAN REMOVAL

Introduction:

The Indian Removal Act was ratified by Congress in 1830 with the full support of President Andrew Jackson. The Removal Act stipulated that all Indian tribes residing east of the Mississippi River be relocated to lands in present-day Oklahoma—including those that had assimilated to white ways.[1] The leader of the Cherokee Nation’s fight against removal was a man named John Ross. Known as a Chief among his people, Mr. Ross was a highly successful plantation owner in Georgia at the time the Removal Act was passed. Ross, who had fought alongside Jackson himself in the War of 1812, was the principal author of the Cherokee Nation’s Memorial and Petition.[2] In it, Ross outlined his people’s numerous arguments against removal. This document, when considered together with the author’s unique point of view and in the proper historical context, provides students and historians alike with an astute and insightful perspective on the subject of 1830s Indian removal.

Outline of Paper Body:

Summary of Memorial and Petition
Explanation of Ross’s argument
The historical significance of this document
Tone of document; Ross’s reason for writing; the “end of the story”

Conclusion:

Indisputably, 1830s Indian removal was an unspeakable tragedy. Today, primary documents such as Ross’s Memorial and Petition serve to remind all Americans that no government is infallible. Even when presented with numerous compelling arguments against removal, Congress turned a blind eye to the plight of its countrymen. Was the need for land so great that it merited the deaths of thousands of innocent people? Memorial and Petition is truly a gem, and if nothing else, it will forever stand as a grim reminder of the mistakes of past generations. Such is the importance of the study of human history—the same kind of mistake need never occur twice.

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[1] Kristen Epps, “Jacksonian America” (lecture, University of Kansas, July 10, 2006).

[2] Robert D. Marcus, David Burner, and Anthony Marcus, eds., America Firsthand, 7^th ed., vol. 1 (Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007), 173.