What contributed to the development of race-based, inflexible slavery within the
Americas? How were people enslaved, to what ends, and how did enslavers justify their
subjugation? How did enslaved people resist colonization and oppression? How did their
cultures adapt to their circumstances and allow for their survival?
Your essay must be at least four full pages of double-spaced text in a twelve-point
font, not counting headers, bibliographic information, and an introduction page, if
included.
Your essay must include a complete, properly formatted bibliography containing full-
form citations for each source you utilize.
Your essay must incorporate properly cited information from at least six sources, as
outlined previously.
Your essay must provide a comprehensive, detailed thesis (argument/answer, etc.) in
response to the topic question you selected based upon the research you conducted.
Your essay must adhere to generally accepted standards of proper written English in
terms of grammar, syntax, and composition.
Your essay must utilize a consistent format for citation of source material; I highly
recommend you use the Chicago/Turabian format I will teach you in class, but you
are welcome to use another common academic format (MLA, APA, etc.) if you find
them more manageable, but their use must be both accurate to said formats standards
and internally consistent throughout the paper (i.e. dont switch formats/citation styles
midway through the piece).
You must endeavor to completely abstain from first-person commentary, or otherwise
restrict it to an absolute minimum.
You must base your commentary, analysis, and narrative on the historical facts and
evidence you uncover to the best of your ability, and do your utmost to avoid baseless
conjecture, tangents founded solely upon personal opinion/ideology/emotive
response, and the like.
You must keep direct quotation of your sources to an absolute minimum. No more
than 10% of your text may be taken verbatim from your source base;
paraphrasing/interpreting the ideas, words, and works of others (with proper
citation, mind!) is almost always preferable to direct quotation in my classes.
You must include a proper introductory paragraph wherein you present your thesis,
identify major topics, themes, or types of evidence that you will be presenting to your
audience in support of said thesis, and establish the context and stakes of your
historical commentary.
Likewise, you must include a proper conclusion.
Each body paragraph- that is, each paragraph aside from the introduction and
conclusion- must contain at least one citation for one of your sources, as each body
paragraph should present, analyze, and interpret some of your evidence!