Assignment Question
The essay is about the profile of Francis Booth, a businessman in Boston. Here’s the instruction of it: Imagine that you are submitting this for publication in an on-line biographical dictionary of colonial Bostonians. Hold yourself to professional standards of accuracy, precision, and good writing. Include all aspects that you have researched on your figure’s life. In other words, weave in information on occupation, social rank, political profile, church and group affiliations (masons, etc.), changes of residence, fate of spouse, children, parents (if known), and relevant siblings. Don’t hesitate to be speculative where that is called for (e.g., if direct documentation is missing) or to offer 2 your own interpretive comments.
Recommended: refer to any illustrations or documents that will be included in section 9 of your Portfolio. In terms of the level of detail to include and the ways to organize your Profile paragraph- by-paragraph, take cues from the feedback you have received on drafts from the course instructor and from your Stage 3 peer partner.
Length: This will depend on the degree of documentation on your figure. You should have enough information to write at least single-spaced 2.5-3 pages; many of you will find that your full profile occupies 4 or more pages: that is good! You will be assessed for completeness, based on the available information; plus on clarity and effectiveness of writing and presentation; and also, the extent of your editing improvements from previous drafts.
Remember: 12-point font for both text and footnotes; single spaced, with an extra space between paragraphs. Citation method: You must include footnotes in your profile, so that I and other potential readers know where one can find documentation on specific aspects of your figure’s life. Consult the Descriptive list for my suggestions on how to cite our frequently used sources or databases; use the format suggested there instead of what you find online. See also the endnotes in the scholars’ work we read, like Al Young on shoemaker Hewes. (If you’d like some guidance from me on how to insert footnotes, let’s go over that in an individual appointment.) I’ll attach the file which must be used, there’s a checklist in it, information about Francis Booth can be found in it by clicking the link.