answering one question into a essay

CHEROKEE REMOVAL

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Assignment: Read Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green's The Cherokee Removal: A Brief

History with Documents (yes, the whole thing) and write a 3-5 page paper that responds to ONE

of the following questions:

 Americans of European ancestry often described Native Americans as "primitive,"

"savage," "barbaric," "uncivilized," and "backward," devoid of any kind of redeeming

qualities or intelligence. Do the documents support this conclusion or do we get a

different view of the Cherokee people? What role does gender, age, and education, for

example, play in Cherokee society? Does removal cause a breakdown of society or does

it make them stronger?

 Explain the process of removal and how the Cherokee responded to it. How did the

Cherokee people express agency (control over their own lives) and maintain aspects of

their culture and history?

Important reminders:

The book includes a brief history to give you the necessary context you need to understand the

documents, which you need to read. HOWEVER, the purpose of this assignment is to see how

well you can use the assigned primary sources to answer the question. You may use and quote

the narrative summaries written by historians, but they should be a small part of your paper, and

certainly not the majority. Use the primary sources as the heart of your argument. Papers with an

overreliance on the summaries and background (rather than primary sources) cannot earn a grade

higher than a C.

All papers must be word processed, double spaced, have one-inch margins, and use standard font

(12 pt Times New Roman). You do not need a title page. You MUST cite your sources using a

standard citation convention outlined by your GTA (and include a works cited page if your GTA

requests one). See sample citations below. Footnotes are preferred. Make sure you have a clear

thesis and consistently use documents to prove your thesis. In order to earn a grade higher than a

C, you must answer the entire question AND explicitly use documents. Please refer to the "How

To Write" document and grading rubric (in How To module on Canvas) for general guidelines,

as well as the grading rubric your GTA will use in evaluating your work.

Papers must be submitted electronically via Canvas on your breakout section's Canvas site. This

will automatically run your paper through anti-plagiarism software. Emailed and late papers are

not accepted. If your GTA requires a hard copy as well, submit that too.

Sample Citations (Chicago Style):

Footnote: Young Wolf, “Last Will and Testament, 1814,” The Cherokee Removal: A Brief

History with Documents, 3rd edition, Theda Perdue and Michael Green, eds. (New York: Bedford

St. Martin’s, 2016), 29-30.

Works Cited/Bibliography: Perdue, Theda and Michael Green, eds. The Cherokee Removal: A

Brief History with Documents, 3rd edition. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2016.

See Course Schedule for due date.