History
Papers should be at least 5 pages in length (standard formatting, 12 point font, double-spaced), and should incorporate material from AT LEAST THREE primary source documents listed in the syllabus. (You may use outside primary sources as well if you wish, but please check with Prof. Blanton first to confirm that they are valid sources.) All papers must be submitted by 11:59pm on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18th. SELECT 1 PROMPT
Writing Prompt #1: One of the central themes of this course has been the historical agency of “marginalized” groups (white women, Indigenous people, enslaved and free Black people) and the ways this agency contributed to meaningful changes in the nature of American society, economy, politics, and culture. In a well-organized, thesis-driven essay of at least five pages, students will: 1) identify AT LEAST TWO specific examples of historical agency by marginalized groups in the period 1789-1848; 2) explain the significance of these events/examples in their immediate historical contexts; and 3) evaluate the extent to which these examples of historical agency challenged/altered oppressive structures (domestic patriarchy/settler colonialism/enslavement/racism).
Writing Prompt #2: The last decade has seen the intensification of a longstanding American debate over public commemoration and historical memory. As monuments to Confederate leaders and prominent enslavers are taken down, what should go up in their place? What kind of histories should we memorialize in public spaces, and how do they intersect with contemporary issues and debates? In a well-organized, thesis-driven paper of at least five pages, students will: 1) identify a person/place/event studied in this course who they believe should be memorialized and explain their significance in THEIR OWN historical context; 2) discuss why this history might be significant to CONTEMPORARY social/political/cultural issues and debates; 3) explain where and how this person/place/event should be memorialized (a statue? museum exhibit? historical marker?).
