Midterm Essay
250 points (25% of course grade)
Due Friday, October 21 (11:59pm)
DIRECTIONS: Answer ONE of the below essay questions in an organized, substantive, well-developed essay. READ ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO WRITE THE ESSAY!
For this essay assignment, you may ONLY use the following:
1. The Give Me Liberty! textbook
2. The American Perspectives e-reader (you will be required to incorporate at least ONE primary source from American Perspectives)
3. My lectures and your notes on those lectures
4. Any other reading or other supplemental materials provided in the course
You may NOT refer to or use ANY outside sources, including (but not limited to) other books, websites, YouTube videos, and online study/cheating resources such as Course Hero, Chegg, and Quizlet (which I check regularly). Even if properly cited, the use of ANY outside source will result in an automatic point deduction of AT LEAST 10 percentage points (and possibly more, depending on the severity of the offense, with a possible score of ZERO on the assignment). You have more than enough materials to complete this assignment without the Helpance of any outside resources.
A successful essay will consist of SIX substantive paragraphs: an introduction, four body paragraphs (each consisting of AT LEAST 10 to 15 sentences), and a conclusion. This is what is expected in each section of the essay:
1. The introduction should be at least four to five sentences and should introduce the topic and set the stage for the essay. This is an argument-driven essay, so most importantly, the introduction MUST include a strong thesis statement (argument) that directly responds to the central question posed by the essay prompt. The thesis statement must be UNDERLINED so I can easily find it.
2. Each body paragraph must address the required key terms listed in the essay prompt. Each numbered set corresponds to a body paragraph (the key terms in the first numbered set should be addressed in the first body paragraph, the key terms in the second numbered set should be addressed in the second body paragraph, and so on). You must address ALL of the listed key terms—there is no choice between the key terms. Your body paragraph must fully define each key term, addressing the following items: WHO or WHAT the key term is, WHEN the event happened (may not be applicable to all key terms), WHERE the event happened (may not be applicable to all key terms), the SIGNIFICANCE of the key term (why is it important?), and the CONTEXT of the key term (1-3 sentences providing enough background information to contextualize the key term). For each key term, you should include as much detail as you possibly can. You must also tie each key term back to the larger essay prompt and your thesis statement. Each and every body paragraph MUST make connections to the larger essay prompt in order to reinforce your thesis statement, since this is an argument-driven essay. Do not simply define the key terms as if you are writing short answer key term definitions.
3. The conclusion should be four to five sentences, and it should wrap up the essay by restating the thesis statement and summarizing the evidence reinforcing your argument.
IMPORTANT: While you can use all of the above-listed course materials to write this essay, you MUST substantively use and cite at least ONE of the primary sources that I have assigned this semester from the American Perspectives reader (you can find all of those listed in the Canvas modules). The primary source that you choose must be relevant to the essay prompt and must be used in at least one of the body paragraphs to reinforce your thesis statement. You should be thoughtful as to how you incorporate this primary source—choose one that can help you prove your thesis statement.
There is no required page or word count—this essay will be graded on the substance of each section of the essay. The essay must meet the following formatting requirements:
1. The essay must be double-spaced.
2. The font must be 12-point Times New Roman.
3. The margins must be 1-inch on all sides.
4. The essay must be saved as a Word (.doc or .docx) file. No other file formats will be accepted on Canvas.
5. You MUST include footnote citations throughout the essay showing where you got your information from. Nothing should be left uncited! See below for citation instructions. Although you need footnotes, you do NOT need a works cited page.
CITATIONS: You must use FOOTNOTES (no MLA or APA parenthetical citations). If you do not know how to insert footnotes into a Word document, see the following short tutorial video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9_dw_CxG6w
Please use the following formats for your footnote citations:
– For lecture material, use the following footnote format:
Christopher Haight, “Title of Lecture,” Date of Lecture.
– For Give Me Liberty! material, use the following footnote format:
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! (Sixth Edition), Page Number(s).
– For American Perspectives (primary source) material, use the following footnote format:
Author of Primary Source, “Title of Primary Source.” American Perspectives, Page
Number(s).
– For podcasts, use the following footnote format:
“Title of Podcast Episode,” Name of Podcast, URL Address.
IMPORTANT: If your essay is not properly cited, you will lose a SUBSTANTIAL number of points. If you have any questions about citations, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Lastly, do not plagiarize any part of this essay or engage in any other academic dishonesty (this includes working together through GroupMe).Your essay will be run through Turnitin, which will catch most instances of plagiarism. In addition, I am extremely vigilant about checking the usual places students go to get information (such as Chegg), and it is safe to say that you WILL be caught. If you are caught plagiarizing any part of this essay or engaging in any other form of academic dishonesty, you will receive a ZERO on the assignment with NO opportunity for a redo. You will also be reported to HCC for academic dishonesty via the Maxient system, and college-level disciplinary action may follow. There are NO exceptions to this policy. Plagiarism also includes “accidental” plagiarism (such as paraphrasing the textbook or one of my lectures too closely), so be VERY careful if you paraphrase a source! All parts of the essay must be COMPLETELY YOUR OWN WRITING (it is not enough to just change a few words here and there to “make it your own”).
This essay is due via the Canvas assignment submission link by 11:59pm on Friday, October 21. The 48-hour grace period applies, so no points will be deducted as long as the essay is submitted by 11:59pm on Sunday, October 23.
Essay Prompts (Choose ONE)
1. During the first decades of the seventeenth century, England developed several distinct colonies. Each colonial region faced different and unique experiences. Write an essay that compares and contrasts the colonial experiences in the Chesapeake (Virginia) and New England (Massachusetts). In your essay, you need to explain: why the English settled these areas and who went there, what the colonists’ expectations were, how well the realities of settlement matched those expectations, and what their societies looked like, and how the colonists made their money. Your thesis statement (argument) must address the following central question: In what major way(s) were the colonial experiences in the Chesapeake and New England similar and/or different? You must use the following key terms: (1) Virginia Company / Jamestown; (2) John Rolfe / Tobacco; (3) Puritans / Great Migration; and (4) Salem Witch Trials / Anne Hutchinson.
2. Throughout the seventeenth century, colonial Virginians (Chesapeake colonists) perpetually faced a labor problem: finding enough workers to grow and harvest their cash crops. Write an essay that fully explains how Virginians worked throughout the 1600s to resolve their labor problem, from indentured servitude to slavery. Your thesis statement (argument) must address the following central question: How and why did the colonies shift from societies with a few slaves to societies dominated by slave labor, and how did this shift impact ideas about race in the colonies? You must use the following key terms: (1) Anthony Johnson; (2) Indentured Servants / Bacon’s Rebellion; (3) Rice and Indigo / Middle Passage; and (4) South Carolina / Georgia / Stono Rebellion.
3. At the turn of the 18th century, a series of events occurred that created tension between the British colonists in North America and England. Write an essay that evaluates the lead-up to the American Revolution and independence. Your thesis statement (argument) must address the following central question: Do you think that America’s declaration of independence and subsequent American Revolution was inevitable? At what point do you think there was no turning back? You must use the following key terms: (1) Enlightenment / Seven Years War; (2) Stamp Act / Tea Act / Boston Tea Party; (3) Coercive (Intolerable) Acts / First and Second Continental Congresses; and (4) Thomas Paine and Common Sense.
