History
Paper instructions:
This assignment brings all the critical thinking skills you have learned thus far together. Write a basic college essay on the following topic:
Was disunion inevitable or could it have been prevented? Consider both long term (from the Articles of Confederation through the 1840s) and proximate (1850s-1861s) political, social and economic causes of disunion in arguing your point.
. Specifics .
The basic college essay consists of an introduction with clear thesis statement, the body of the paper (where each point of the thesis statement is discussed fully with supporting evidence in its own paragraph), and a conclusion. See the writing tips (Student Resource Center tab) on the left side for further guidelines as to what constitutes an “A” history essay. You may also contact the Writing Center for help in writing the basic essay.
This a broad topic which is meant to assess your understanding of the course material and your ability to bring together information in a well-substantiated and coherent analytical essay explaining patterns of events and developments in American history (in other words, it is an exercise in critical thinking). Successful papers will utilize lecture and reading materials in a thoughtful, well-organized and persuasive argument in reaction to the above topic. Grammar and spelling will count, as will the overall logic and clarity of your argument.
Be sure to use plenty of detailed, specific examples to back up your broad, general statements. A great place to find specific examples is in the readings – particularly the documents and other non-textbook/lecture course materials.
I stress the following:
1.DO NOT consult internet sources or other outside materials. You have plenty of information in the materials assigned in this course module to answer the question. Absolutely stay away from about.com, Wikipedia, blogs, etc. I cannot be plainer, do not use outside materials.
1.There is a one-letter grade penalty for using outside resources.
2.If we determine that you used outside resources without proper citation, you will get a 0 for this assignment.
2.DO NOT QUOTE SECONDARY MATERIALS from the textbook, any other assigned or unassigned materials, or the internet.
a.If you ignore this instruction/warning and quote secondary materials for some reason, there is a one-letter grade penalty.
b.If you ignore this instruction and choose to quote without proper citation, you will receive a 0 for the assignment.
c.If you ignore this instruction and closely paraphrase without citation, you will receive a 0 for the assignment.
d.If you do not understand what this means, contact your coach immediately.
3.This is to be your original work expressing your understanding of the material. If in doubt, cite.
4.You may utilize brief quotes from the primary documents, but they are not to be used as filler and must be analyzed