ESSAYS
Your essays should normally be chosen from the lists below. Essays should be between 1,500-
2,000 words long, should be footnoted and have an appropriate bibliography. My expectation is
that you will use the readings provided assigned and recommended as a basis for your
bibliography. Your essay will be marked according to the Grading Scale detailed in your syllabus.
Pay attention to the rubric: you will notice that to achieve higher marks you will have to read
beyond the literature we have provided, so familiarise yourself with the library!
Essays require that you interpret primary source evidence in historical context, drawing from the
assigned course readings. All of your papers must:
? closely analyze and describe primary sources using specifics and details;
? use scholarly secondary source texts for evidence about the historical context;
? select evidence to prove a thesis;
? draw conclusions beyond those that are immediately obvious from the evidence;
? write a paper that has a clear thesis, evidence organized into logical paragraphs, and a
conclusion;
? use correctly formatted footnote citations.
Essays should also:
? Consider different perspectives on a problem or controversy related to Modern US History
and attempt to reach a resolution about it. (Global Engagement)
? Appreciate that U.S. history cannot be understood in isolation from people and events from
around the world. (Global Awareness)
? Recognize that history is comprised of multiple stories, representing diverse experiences
and perspectives (Global Perspective)
? Construct an evidence-based argument that integrates multiple perspectives on an issue in
Modern US History. (Global Perspective)
PROMPT:
With the influx of immigrants in the latter decades of the 19th century, American society
changed in fundamental ways. Discuss these changes with regard to any three of the following:
economically, socially, culturally, demographically, and politically.
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