Essay Paper
There is an essay assignment in which you are tasked to summarize, analyze,
and compare the documents specified as well as present your own views and interpretation. The essay is based primarily on readings in Foner’s Voices of Freedom!
This assignment is worth 150 points toward your final grade. The essay is due by the start of class on THURSDAY 4 MAY. It must be turned in on time. Essays turned in at least one week early will receive a bonus of five points. Failure to do the essay will result in a grade of “F” for this assignment, and you will receive zero points for the essay assignment.
The essay should be 4-6 typed, double-spaced pages, font size 12
(approximately 1000 -1500 words). You should organize and write your essay with care. It will be graded on the persuasiveness and contents of your analysis and on the skill of your writing, including such fundamentals as grammar, spelling, and sentence and paragraph structures. If you quote from one of the authors, you must use quotation marks and give due credit (a short-version reference in parentheses will suffice: author’s name and page number). You also should give credit if you paraphrase an author’s opinion.
The essay topic is “U.S. History to 1877 and the Development of U.S. Enduring Interests.” You are to summarize, analyze, and compare the ideals, policies, goals, and motivations of U.S. History as expressed in any five of the nine documents listed below in Voices of Freedom. The objective of this paper is centered on your development of a supported thesis and conclusion focused on your views and interpretations as to the developmental relationship between U.S. History to 1877 and U.S. enduring, vital interests as evidenced in the Twenty First Century.
– The Independent Reflector, Limited Monarchy & Liberty (Doc 23) – Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776) (Doc 31)
– George Washington, Farewell Address (1796) (Doc 48)
– The Monroe Doctrine (1823) (Doc 59)
– Frederick Douglass on the Desire for Freedom (1845 (Doc 65)
– Rise of the Cotton Kingdom (1836) (Doc 66)
– Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address (1863) (Doc 89)
– Robert B. Elliot on Civil Rights (1874) (Doc 100)
– Your Choice from Voices of Freedom