Essay Instructions:
Select ONE of the primary source readings from those included below and write an essay on the selection. In writing this essay, integrate information from the textbook with the primary as well as the secondary source readings. Write an introduction paragraph and present a thesis to the reader. Choose relevant and specific examples to support your arguments in an appropriate number of body paragraphs. Write a unified essay while answering all of the bulleted questions and organize the information by placing it in logical sequence. Come to a conclusion in a separate paragraph.
The use of any other sources beyond the ones assigned as well as the textbook in writing the essay is not expected. If other sources are used to gather information they must be documented and “historical” or written by a professional and identifiable historian; in other words, the historian’s name must be ascribed to the writing. If information (not just quotations) is used from a source and not documented, that is plagiarism, a form of cheating. See the section on documentation and Academic Honesty in the Syllabus. Also, if direct quotations are used from the sources assigned, textbook, or any other material they must be properly documented and a works cited page included.
Essays should be 900 to 1200 words long, double-spaced with normal margins, in a 12 font, and your name and a title at the top. Indicate paragraph separation by indenting the first line rather than adding additional space. The essay should be in formal English, using proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. Late papers may be downgraded 10% for every day late. Again, 900 words is the minimum requirement. Failure to follow through on these guidelines will result in a less than desirable grade. Save the essay with your last name and Primary-Secondary Source Essay 2 as the title.
Submit the essay by following the instructions associated with the link at the bottom of this page.
Assignment Selections:
Reading Texts in Older English:
The selections below are from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Because many of the words used may be unfamiliar, use a dictionary. Read these sources slowly to extract the meaning and treat every clause like a sentence. Always look for the declarative statement that the author is trying to convey amidst his ornamentation. After becoming more accustomed to reading these texts, students can begin to relish the beauty of the language. Since written language was the only mode of distance communication, even people with very little formal education wrote very well.
Primary/Secondary Source Selections and Topics (the readings are available directly below these instructions):
1. READ
Sources: Middle Colonies Constitutions including secondary source on William Penn
Using the text, primary, and secondary source readings, write an essay on the foundation and development of the middle colonies, particularly Pennsylvania; include discussions of ethnic and religious diversity, economic/political/constitutional development, and answering the following questions:
What led to the foundation of the English colonies of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania? What was the unique religious and ethnic character of these colonies?
What major political, personal, and religious liberties are granted by the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania and the Charter of Government of New York?
Who was William Penn and how did his personal experiences affect the liberties given in Pennsylvania?
In what way does the founding of Pennsylvania mirror the beginnings of the Puritan colony in Massachusetts during the early 17th century? How is it different?
How are these Middle Colonies Constitutions similar or different from the U.S. Constitution?
2. OR READ:
Sources: Critical Race Theory and alternative origins of the American Revolution
Using the text, primary, and secondary source readings, write an essay discussing the importance the Somerset’s Case and Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation as well as documents on the meaning of “critical race theory” and a secondary source by historian Gerald Horn by answering the following questions:
What is theory behind the 1619 Project?
What are Somerset’s Case and Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation?
How do these documents relate to the American Revolution?
Do these ideas add, replace or mean nothing to our understanding of the reasons for the American Revolution.
What is “critical race theory” and how does it relate to current historical analysis of the American Revolution and the origins of the United States? Why has this become such a controversial subject?
3. OR READ:
The Constitution of the United States, located in Appendix B of the textbook. Also, secondary sources by Garry Wills and Stephan Ornes.
Using the text, primary, and secondary source readings, write an essay discussing the original structure of the federal government and the first ten amendments to the constitution, and answering the following questions.
What was the basic structure of the United States government as set forth in the constitution?
How/why did the “three-fifths clause” of the Constitution come about? How did it impact pre-Civil War politics in the United States? What was the basis of the disagreement between the federalists and anti-federalists?
As described by the U.S. Constitution, what was the relationship of the federal government to the states? How did this relationship as described by the Constitution lead to the Civil War?
What is “gerrymandering” and how does it impact the premise of the Constitution regarding fair representation? Does this practice add to the partisan divide in the United States today?
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Select ONE of the primary source readings from those include appeared first on Scholars Hub Blog.
