US HISTORY ESSAY

ANDERSEN HIST 1301

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ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS

• Choose two of the three prompts below on each essay and write well-written responses to them.

• Formatting guidelines:

o Font – Use either Times New Roman (12pt), Calibri (11pt), or Arial (11pt). Use of other fonts/sizes will result in a point deduction.

o Margins – 1 inch margins all around. o Double-space, do not include extra spacing between paragraphs. o Each essay must be at least three full pages. There is no maximum limit. The

cover sheet and works cited page do not count towards the page minimum. o The cover sheet must include the student’s name, date, and course information (ex

HIST 1301.20246) should be single-spaced, center aligned, and at the bottom of the page. The topic prompts should be centered and in the middle of the cover sheet. See the example below:

Jack D. Andersen 10 December 2018 HIST 1301.20246

Essay I: Prompts 1 and 3

o The responses should be organized into multiple paragraphs including introductions, multiple body paragraphs, and conclusions.

o Papers must be supported by a minimum of five citations per prompt. Commercial websites (Wikipedia, History.com, Khan Academy, etc.) are forbidden. Any direct use of a commercial internet source will result in a failing grade. Online federal or state government resources and newspaper archives are acceptable. Secondary sources in book form (including the textbook) are allowed. When in doubt, ask me!

o All citations should be in accordance with the current edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. Failure to cite sources will result in plagiarism charges.

o Page numbers starting at “1” at the bottom and centered on each page, excluding the cover sheet.

o The Works Cited page should be a separate page at the end of your paper.

• All essays must be submitted on MyTCC before midnight on their respective due dates. Please refer to the syllabus for due dates. I will not accept papers emailed directly to me without prior arrangement.

ANDERSEN HIST 1301

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ESSAY I PROMPTS

1. Compare and contrast the colonies of Virginia and Massachusetts Bay. Within your essay, explain the reasons why colonists emigrated to those two colonies, their economies, systems of government, and labor. Please provide specific examples to support your answer.

2. Discuss the aftermath of the French and Indian War. Within your response, explain the problems that Britain faced after the war, how Britain attempted to resolve those problems, and the reaction in the colonies.

3. Discuss the American Revolution. Within your essay, compare the relative strengths and weaknesses of both Britain and the United States. Also, explore this nuanced question: Did the United States win the war, or did Britain lose it? Support your answer with specific examples.

ANDERSEN HIST 1301

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EXAM II PROMPTS

1. Discuss and analyze how the United States earned the respect of Britain, France, and Spain from 1789 to 1815. Your essay must include specific examples from the presidencies of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

2. Discuss and analyze the economic plans of Alexander Hamilton during George Washington's presidency as an example of the increased power of the government under the Constitution. What were the major economic problems facing the United States and how did Hamilton propose solving them? Were Hamilton's policies effective at solving the economic issues of the country without making the government tyrannical?

3. Discuss and analyze the rise of the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party from 1789 to 1815. On which issues did they agree? On which issues did they disagree? Did the first parties subvert the founding principles of the United States, or did the parties help make the United States work?

ANDERSEN HIST 1301

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ESSAY III PROMPTS

1. Discuss and analyze the realities of life among the planter elite, “plain folk,” and the slaves in the Antebellum South. How was slavery tied to the economy of the South, the North, and the United States as a whole in the antebellum era?

2. Examine the sectional debate over slavery from the Era of Good Feelings until the 1850s. Within your argument, explain how anti-slavery and abolitionist arguments differed from pro-slavery arguments and how those arguments changed over time. Your essay must also examine how the United States attempted to resolve the sectional dispute over slavery.

3. Discuss the United States during the Reconstruction era. Your essay must include an analysis of Presidential Reconstruction, Congressional Reconstruction, and “Redemption.” What were the major problems facing the United States during Reconstruction and how were they addressed?

ANDERSEN HIST 1301

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ESSAY RUBRIC

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Addresses the topic (Weight 20%)

Essay does not answer the specific topic.

Essay substantially digresses from the specific topic.

Essay addresses the topic in part but leaves several questions unanswered.

Essay mostly answers the specific topic.

Essay completely answers the specific topic.

Evidence (Weight 40%)

Essay does not incorporate any pertinent information from primary and secondary sources. There is no support for the argument.

Essay does not incorporate information from primary and secondary sources, or does so minimally and/or irrelevantly. Evidence presents little support to the argument.

Essay does not adequately incorporate information from primary and secondary sources, may rely on unsupported statements or generalities. Evidence offers some support to the student’s argument.

Essay incorporates some information from primary and secondary sources but could incorporate more. Evidence is moderately supportive of the student’s argument.

Essay incorporates detailed information from primary or secondary sources. Evidence used clearly support the student’s argument.

Organization (Weight 20%)

Essay lacks any recognizable organization.

Essay has significant problems with clarity and organization.

Information in the essay is sometimes unclear and/or has significant organization problems

Presents information fairly clearly and concisely with few organizational problems.

Presents all information clearly and concisely in an organized manner.

Formatting Requirements (Font, line spacing, margins, citations) (Weight 10%)

Does not meet formatting requirements.

Meets some formatting requirements.

Meets all formatting requirements.

Grammar and Spelling (Weight 10%)

Numerous grammar and spelling errors.

Moderate grammar and spelling errors.

Little to no grammar and spelling errors.