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Essays

Essay 1

  • Question: Did the framers of the Constitution betray the principles of the Revolution?
  • Working draft due in class September 22.
  • Final draft due in class Sept. 25.

Essay 2

  • Question: The Declaration of Independence states that it is "self-evident" that "all men are created equal." Why, then, did Americans in the early nineteenth century disagree so strongly about equality?
  • Working draft due in class October 20.
  • Final draft due in class October 23.

Essay 3

  • Question: Between 1865 and 1940, Americans debated the proper role of government in economic life. How did Americans' understandings of the nation's pre-1865 history shape their beliefs about this question? Use at least one primary document from Unit 1 or Unit 2, as well as multiple documents from Unit 3, in your answer.
  • Working draft due in class November 10.
  • Final draft due in class Nov. 13.

At the November 10 workshop, you will offer your peers one of four comments:

  1. Your paper corrected a misconception I had. Before reading it, I thought _________. But you showed me . . .
  2. Your paper answered a question I had. Before reading it, I could not understand why _________. But you showed me . . .
  3. Your paper explained the significance of _________. Before reading it, I couldn’t understand why _________ was important. But you showed me . . .
  4. For the most part, this paper did not teach me anything that wasn’t pretty obvious from reading the documents. But I was struck by your comment that “_________.”  This comment [insert phrase 1, 2, or 3]. Could you expand this point into a thesis for the whole essay?

 

Essay 4

  • Question: In his book, The End of Reform, historian Alan Brinkley writes of the 1930s that “as the concept of the ‘consumer’ gained resonance in American politics, it became the basis of an almost universal political language; supporters of nearly every approach to public policy used the language of consumption to justify (or at least rationalize) their efforts.” How did the concept of the consumer change the ways Americans debated their rights in the years after 1945? Use documents from unit 4 and at least one document from an earlier unit in your answer.
  • Working draft due in class December 6.
  • Final draft due in class December 8.

Group Presentations

General Resources

These are some of the best sites for historical images. They will be useful for multiple assignments.

Assignment 1: Founders

Each group should present a thesis about a thematically coherent group of images of Americans from 1750-1800. Images of buildings or artifacts from that period are also acceptable.

Note: Images of early America are rather scarce, so it will be harder to find images for this assignment than for the remaining three. Some of the most common images online are

Resources

Assignment 2: Slaves

Each group should present a thesis about a thematically coherent group of images of American slavery from 1750-1865. Images of buildings or artifacts from that period are also acceptable.

Resources

Assignment 3: Workers

Each group should present a thesis about a thematically coherent group of images of American workers from 1865-1945. Images of buildings or artifacts from that period are also acceptable.

Resources

Assignment 4: Consumers

Each group should present a thesis about a thematically coherent group of images of Americans as activists and consumers from 1940-1975. Images of buildings or artifacts from that period are also acceptable.

Resources

 

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