In this essay, students will be using evidence (both primary and secondary sources) to make a historical argument. Essays will be examined for three key components:
• Does the essay have a clear argument?
• Is the essay organized in a clear manner, with paragraphs that are structured by theme?
• Is the argument supported by specific evidence from the source materials?
This essay assignment is designed to help students learn how to use primary sources to write a historical essay. For this essay, you will choose 2 (no more, no less) primary sources that we have read in class. Using these documents, you will answer the following question:
At the end of the Civil War, the notion that anyone could rise upwards in society and become wealthy through hard work, thriftiness, and a little bit of luck, seemed triumphant in America.
Was this an accurate depiction of American society in the three decades after the war? Explain why or why not.
Again, the purpose of this essay is to introduce students to the art of using primary source documents to make an argument about the past. As such, the primary documents should be the major source of information that you use. You may use your textbook and lecture notes, but they should be used only sparingly, if at all. You need to convince me that you read and understand the primary source material. No other sources may be used, and the use of any other sources besides those assigned in class (this includes Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, any and all internet sites or other sources) will automatically drop your overall grade by 2 full grades.
Essays should be approximately 3 pages in length; 2 pages is probably too short, 4 pages is probably too long.
Please remember that writing will be a major factor of your grade. Your writing should be clear, concise, well-organized, and free from all spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors. You need to have a clear thesis/argument to your essay. Citations for all material used in the paper are required. Plagiarism will be afforded zero tolerance—academic dishonesty of any kind will result in an automatic course failure.
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