Category: American history

The discussion question for this week deals with chapter 16. ATLEAST ONE QOUTE MUST COME FROM THE TEXT BOOK
You should review the following ‘Historical Documents’ or ‘Primary Sources’:
A – The Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, found at this link
http://www.freedmen.umd.edu/procamn.htm#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI%2C%20%2C%20do%20solemnly%20swear,passed%20during%20the%20existing%20rebellion
B – The Civil Rights Amendments, which can be found in the Appendix of your textbook 
This is Amendments 13, 14, and 15 of the US Constitution
C – Abram Colby’s report ot the Joint Select Committee, which can be found at this link
https://web.mit.edu/21h.102/www/Primary%20source%20collections/Reconstruction/Colby,%20Testimony.htm
D – The I Am Committee poster, figure 16.13 in your textbook, on page 426, part of section 16.4. 
https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/1-introduction
After reviewing the material, answer the following discussion prompt. You MUST post your response before you can see the posts of others. 
1) who are the authors of these documents and what is the purpose of these documents?
2) What do Colby’s report and the I am committee poster reveal about race relations in the south during reconstruction? explain your thinking.
3) What is your opinion of Lincoln’s plan for Reconstrucition? What do the so called ‘Civil Rights Amendments add to his plan? Would this plan have been succesful in ‘Reconstructing’ the South if it had not been opposed by Radical Republicans? explain your thinking.
4) Of all the different laws, amendments, and policies attempted as part of Reconstruction policy, which one was most successful and which one was least successful? Why?
ATLEAST ONE QOUTE MUST COME FROM THE TEXT BOOK

It has been just over 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre in Greenwood, Oklahoma, and for many years this tragic event was not discussed in the state’s curriculum. Now, it is a required component of Oklahoma’s history curriculum and has also taken on national and international historical significance. For example, HBO’s Watchmen includes scenes of the event and “Fire in Little Africa” is a hip-hop project commemorating Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood known as Black Wall Street.
In a three-page essay (roughly 750 words), please provide a brief overview of the Tulsa Race Massacre using the following instructions and prompts:
What else was going on during this time period? How do other social, cultural, political, or economic events of the era help us to understand the conditions that led to the Tulsa Race Massacre? 
What did you learn from your research? Offer one specific example.
What is the historical significance of the Tulsa Race Massacre?
Offer at least one specific example of reconciliation and healing.

This assignment include Discussion 4, 5 and 5, you can find each assignments details in each word document name on it.
For the discussion 4, the article was attached individually
For discussion 5 and 6 there is various links with the material inside the word documents.

Please be sure to provide responses for two of the three selections. Be sure to include and cite specific examples from the assigned materials (lectures, https://www.americanyawp.com/ to an external site, and the documentaries linked in our course schedule). 
1. How and why did the meaning of the Civil War evolve between 1861 and 1865?
2. How did Native Americans respond to western expansion in the first forty years (c.1800-1840) of the nineteenth century?
3. How and why did tensions between the northern and southern United States heighten between 1846 and 1854?

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the United States experienced two wars, 
Afghanistan and Iraq, and a
natural disaster (Hurricane Katrina) in New Orleans. 
You will choose one of these events and summarize the
changes that have occurred
since the beginning of the event. 
• Create a Then and Now poster.
• Use the Internet, newspaper articles, and news magazine articles to find current information.
• When possible, incorporate pictures with your content
Assignment:
Choose ONE of the three pre-approved events
War in Afghanistan
War in Iraq
Hurricane Katrina
Poster: clear, concise, and relevant – use Titles: entire poster title and Then and Now 
sections
Format is up to you – use your creative muscles – PPTs, webpages, publisher programs are all acceptable mediums.
Then section: 
Should finish with TWO paragraphs worth of information. Information to include:
accurate historical background information
reasons or causes for the event
events leading up to the major event
consequences of the event.
Now section:
Should finish with TWO paragraphs worth of information. Information to include:
any major changes that have occurred
status of the people or economy
and any new laws or regulations created as a result of the event.
Images
relevant and specific to each section

Your task is to present a final essay on a particular topic in this class to your classmates and professor for consideration and discussion.  This essay is a combination of a summary and analysis.  You summarize a topic in the history of American popular culture from 1800 to recent times.  Also, you analyze the significance of the topic in American culture.  In other words, you are going to tell us about the topic, and you are going to tell us why it is important.  
You need sources to support the main ideas in your essay.  How many sources?  This is always a popular question from students.  You have at least five paragraphs of main points.  You need to support your main points with sources.  You need a variety of sources.  So, this means you should have at least five different sources in your essay.  You might have up to ten sources for a wider variety of viewpoints on a controversial topic, but you should have at least five sources to be sure you have researched your topic adequately.
How long does the essay need to be?  This is always a popular question from students.  The answer is at least seven paragraphs long.  A typical paragraph in college is 100 to 200 words.  Let’s say that your introduction and conclusion paragraphs are closer to 100 words, and your main point paragraphs are closer to 200 words.  This means that your final essay should be approximately 1200 words.  Let’s set the guideline as a range.  Please keep your essays to between 1000 and 1400 words.  Shorter essays probably mean you didn’t have enough to say about the topic.   Longer essays probably mean that you chose a topic that was a bit too large.
Final Essay – Format
The heading of your new thread will be the title of your essay.  Your name is already part of that heading because Blackboard already includes your name.   Single-space your paragraphs, and put a blank line between each paragraph.  Cite your sources as you use them in the main point paragraphs.  Then, list your references that you cited at the end of the essay.  
So, the format is very similar to what we have been doing throughout this class.  This essay simply has more main points and more sources to support those main points.
A heading with the title of your essay.
An introductory paragraph telling us the topic of the essay and your thesis.
At least five paragraphs of main points, with APA-formatted citations whenever you use information from your sources.
A concluding paragraph to sum things up for your reader.
References in APA format listed after the conclusion.
Remember, have at least five sources and 1000 to 1400 words.

DR. MANIAN   HST 17A  PAPER (100 POINTS)
Book under review: Frederick Douglass The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.
Chapters to read and use: First Part—Chapters 1—21 and Second Part—Chapters 1—12. (Total of 33 chapters)
Look for First Part and Second Part in the Table of Contents             
INSTRUCTIONS.
1. The paper should be typed.
2. Double-space it; 10 or 12 font size.
3. Use one inch margin space on all four sides.
4. The length of the paper should have a minimum of 7 complete pages and cannot exceed a maximum of 9 pages.
5. You have to upload your paper on to Canvas as a pdf file.
6. DO NOT USE QUOTES FROM THE BOOK. WRITE IN YOUR OWN WORDS. POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED IF YOU DIRECTLY QUOTE FROM THE BOOK.
7. Answer the question completely in an essay format. Write in paragraphs. Do not number your paragraphs.
8. Organize your paper in your own style. Answer the questions in any order you like.
9. Use a spell-checker to check spellings. Points will be deducted for spelling errors.
10. I will grade your paper on your understanding of the book, demonstration of your reading through the use of multiple details and examples from the book, and your discussion.
11. The details and examples you write about should cover details from all the assigned chapters.
13. Do not hesitate to consult me while you are writing the paper.
14. I will NOT accept late submission of paper.
15. Do not email me the paper, submit it in a zip folder or post it on your web site.
16. I will regard copying from any outside source including the internet as plagiarism/cheating. It will result in a F grade for the assignment.
QUESTION: (Part 1 and Part 2) You should write both Parts as ONE PAPER in ONE File.
Part 1 (5 pages minimum)
You would have read that Frederick Douglass was born a slave in an isolated Maryland plantation and then escaped. He traveled extensively in the North and abroad and became a prominent abolitionist. He counseled President Lincoln during the Civil War and influenced some of his decisions. 
What enabled Frederick Douglass to escape from slavery? In answering this, you should include all the significant people, experiences, incidents and books that created a desire in him to escape and gave him the ability to do so. You should also explain HOW these factors influenced him. Once Douglass escaped he joined up with abolitionists in the North and became a prominent abolitionist. What role did he play in the abolitionist movement in the U.S. and abroad? You should also discuss his introduction to the world of abolitionists, his extensive work as an abolitionist at home and abroad, and his views on the purchase of his freedom. You should discuss his views on the Constitution. You should further include in your answer his views on the Civil War, on Abraham Lincoln, and his work in the Civil War.
Part 2: (2 pages minimum)
Listen or read the transcript of historian Eric Foner’s interview in the NPR program. What similarities do you see between Douglass’ experiences and the experiences that Professor Foner discussed. According to Foner what reasons did slaves give for wanting to escape? What estimate did Foner give for the number of slaves who escaped through New York city? What is Foner’s opinion on the importance of the Fugitive Slave Act? What is the source of the information in Foner’s book “Gateway to Freedom” and who found it?
http://www.npr.org/2015/01/19/377606644/gateway-to-freedom-heroes-danger-and-loss-on-the-underground-railroad

Paper 3: Thinking Historically About the Meanings of Freedom Since the Civil War
Due May 26 by 11:59pm
Points 100
Submitting an external tool
“No idea is more fundamental to Americans’ sense of themselves as individuals and as a nation than freedom.” (Foner, et al, Preface to Give Me Liberty!, xxxi)
If there is a single idea that has unified the narrative of this course on American history it is the idea of freedom. Yet, as we have seen, freedom is a far more complicated idea that it might first seem. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence he stressed the universal and innate character of human freedom, prior to the establishment of any political state:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson, Declaration of Independence)
Certainly, Jefferson’s aim was to conceive of a more fundamental—and unalienable—concept of freedom than that which colonists exercised under the “English Liberties” established by the British constitutional monarchy. Yet, in practice, freedom in American history is far more inconsistent, contested, restricted, denied, and that many have had to struggle to attain freedom’s basic exercise.
For the third and final paper of the course you will develop a unique historical argument about the meanings of freedom since the end of the Civil War: how it was exercised by some and not others; how some Americans conceived of their own freedom as dependent upon its denial to others; how it has been achieved by some and then lost; how Americans have used the idea of freedom to define their sense of identity in different historical contexts.
Requirements for Paper 3:
Choose three events from three separate historical periods in which the idea of freedom is present in some sense. Each event you choose must come from the following historical periods (one event from each period):
Reconstruction to the Progressive Era (1865-1920)  
World War I through Watergate (1914-1973)
Neoliberalism to the present (1970-2024)
For each event you choose, explain how freedom was exercised, attained, restricted, denied, or otherwise struggled for.
For each event explain either the continuity of freedom over time (how it endured, or was reinforced), or its discontinuity (how it was modified or changed from earlier periods).
To support your argument, in your paper, for each event that you analyze, discuss (at least) one primary source from the course reading assignments (either from Voices of Freedom or other assigned readings, but not from sources other than those assigned). Also, select sources that were not analyzed in previous papers (do not choose Douglass, Luce, or Wallace).
Based on your historical analysis, develop a thesis about the meaning and significance of the idea of freedom in American history. For example: Why is freedom significant? Why is it contested? Why is it elusive?
For the paper it is absolutely imperative that you cite your sources using one of the acceptable academic citation styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.), and that the citations appear correctly in the body of your paper. If you fail to submit a paper with citations you will fail the assignment. You must cite your sources.
Your paper must be submitted to Turnitin. There is a link to upload your paper on this page.
The paper must include the following:
A descriptive title.
A thesis statement and an argument.  
Provide evidence from primary sources among the course readings to support your thesis statement. The evidence must come from the texts themselves.
Use in-text citations when quoting or paraphrasing a source (either parenthetical citations or footnote/endnotes).
Include a bibliography at the end of your paper.
1000-1500 words (a minimum of 4 full pages, roughly, 4-6 pages).
10 or 12-point readable font, double-spaced, with 1” margins
Submit your paper on Canvas using the Turnitin link. You will only be able to submit your paper once. You must submit the file in a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file format, but not in a .pages format or with a Google Docs link.

Read through American Yawp chapter 25 and 26! Answer questions! Please right down part A 1. 2. 3 Part B 1. 2. 3. and so on! instructions and requirements are attached below!

First and foremost the essay is required to be of from five to seven pages (double-spaced) in length.  You are welcome to use any secondary sources out there including the textbooks, but you all most use at least one primary source.  What that means is you can choose any topic(within reason) and write about it.  You can choose something in antiquity including (but not exclusively) the Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Egyptians and so on, or something more recent such as the Black Plaque (my favorite), the Crusades, the Moors conquest of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, the Eastern Mediterranean and southeastern Europe, the Renaissance and so much more.  Whatever topic strikes your individual fancies is fine by me, but above all else, all of you must communicate with me and obtain my permission to run with it.  You of course can go into the European conquest (really) of the Americas and western Africa.  That of course means anew kind of slavery that was built strictly on racism and the subsequent exploitation of those west African inhabitants.
Of course, some students may have an interest in the establishment of the three mono theistic religions culminating with the introduction of Islam in the 7th Century.  I do caution anyone who chooses such a topic that I do not want to see any sort of preaching about any of the religions and your respective adherence to that faith.  Just tell a story as to how they came about and leave the embracing of that faith as a private matter between yourselves and the faith.  By the way, keep in mind that the Jesuits have maintained for centuries that the Bible is a work of didactic fiction.  What one’s  beliefs are private and not open for discussion. 
Students choose their topic from the readings and the time frame of approximately 3500 BCE until about 1600 CE.  The essay’s length is from 5-7 double-spaced pages with the appropriate citations.  You must choose from the “Perspectives” book one original source document as the basis for the subject you need to write about and then use as many legitimate internet sources that you would need to complete the assignment.
The textbook is Perspectives from the Past: Primary Sources in Western Civilizations (Volume 1)