You must choose one of the following documents for your second document analysis, which is due on Monday, November 24th. See the description of the assignment for further details.
1. John Ross, “The Trail of Tears” (1837)
2. Julia Hardy Lovejoy’s Diary (1856-1860)
3. David Walker’s Appeal (1829)
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:
A “B” Essay:
A “C” Essay:
A “D” Essay:
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.
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.
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.
You must choose one of the following documents for your document analysis, which is due on October 6th. See the description of the assignment for further details.
1. John Smith, “A True Relation of Virginia” (1608)
2. John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity” (1630)
3. Thomas Phillips, “A Journal of a Voyage Made in the Hannibal” (1693-4)
I have posted the assignment description for the document analysis papers on the page named “Assignments,” located on the right sidebar.
Also, here is the link for the video on the Salem witch trials of 1692.
