: Modern American Civil Rights Movement

History 3100 / AAAS 2800: Modern American Civil Rights Movements

Fall 2019

Dr. Mitch Kachun

Final take-home essay exam

Your paper must be uploaded to the e-learning final exam dropbox no later than 5:00pm

on Wednesday, December 11, 2019.

For your final examination in this course, you will write a 5-7 page paper (about 1,500 to

2,000 words) responding to the following three-part assignment.

Consider all the materials we have read, viewed, and discussed this semester regarding the

African American freedom struggle from the 1890s to the early 2000s, including the different

approaches, organizations, movements, strategies, tactics, or individual actions that have been

used over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st.

Part 1 (approximately 2-3 pages):

1. Discuss the extent to which there has been progress in African Americans’ pursuit of the full and equal citizenship rights that were supposedly guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, and

15th Amendments to the US Constitution.

2. Discuss several of the leaders, organizations, movements, or approaches to civil rights activism that you think were most important or effective in achieving that progress, and

explain why you think that is the case.

3. While explaining clearly why you think particular individuals or approaches were important or effective, make sure you refer to specific details and examples from the

readings, films, lectures, and discussions.

Part 2 (approximately 2-3 pages):

1. Discuss the areas in which you believe African Americans’ pursuit of full and equal citizenship rights have been frustrated and remain unfulfilled. In other words, what do

you think have been the most significant areas in which African Americans are still not

treated as full and equal citizens?

2. Clearly explain the reasons why you believe justice has not been achieved in these areas. (Or, if you believe African Americans are now treated as full and equal citizens, support

that position by showing why the readings and other course materials failed to convince

you otherwise.)

3. Again, make sure you refer to specific details and examples from the readings, films, lectures, and discussions to support your position.

Part 3 (approximately 1-2 pages):

Discuss what you believe is the most significant civil rights or human rights issue in

American society today, and discuss what you see as an appropriate way to pursue justice

in that cause. This can relate to African Americans’ continuing freedom struggle or it

could relate to some other group in American society that is struggling for full and equal

rights (#BlackLivesMatter; #MeToo; LGBTQ issues; immigration policies; etc.). You

should consider whether any of the approaches, organizations, movements, strategies,

tactics, or individual actions you discussed in Part 1 might apply to the current struggle

you identify. Are there any rights organizations working today on the issues you

identified that seem to be utilizing effective strategies?

For all sections of the essay, be clear (in your own mind and in your writing) about what you

think and why you arrived at your conclusions. You should refer to specific statements and

evidence from the course materials and discuss how those statements affected your own

understanding.

Paper format:

The paper will be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and 12 point Times New Roman

font. The paper must be in either a .doc or .pdf format. At the top of page one put your name,

the course number, my name, and the assignment (“final exam”). This is a formal writing

assignment. I expect clear standard prose free from errors of spelling, grammar, and

usage. PROOFREAD!

Citing sources:

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Always cite the author and page numbers in parentheses so I know where you got the information. For example, (Fairclough, p. 62). Or, if it is not a

written source, (Black Panthers video) or (lecture, Oct. 29). When you use either direct

quotations or specific information (even if not a direct quotation) from any source you must

indicate where you got that information. For the purposes of this paper, you may do this

parenthetically within the text, including page numbers where they are available.

How I will evaluate your paper: 1. Does the paper follow instructions and respond appropriately to all parts of the exam? 2. Does the paper demonstrate a clear understanding of the material that is discussed? 3. Does the paper utilize appropriate information from the historical sources (Alexander,

Fairclough, McGuire, documents, lectures, films, etc.) and does it cite those sources

appropriately?

4. Does the analysis show independent critical thinking based on a thoughtful and serious engagement with the materials?

5. Is the paper clearly written and appropriately formatted, and does it follow all formal rules of grammar, spelling, usage, style, citations, etc.?