Reference no: EM133066404 , Length: word count:1500

Instructions

As part of your grade for this class, you will write an essay (1,000 to 1,500 words) on a primary document that will be provided to you. Each student in a class will have a different primary document. However, there are likely one or two students in other classes that have the same document as you. It is okay to talk to these other students about the document, but the writing must be done separately.

The documents range in length from 2 pages to about 10 pages. But note that a shorter document is not necessarily an advantage! For example, even though your reading time may be shorter, you may have more trouble finding evidence. This assignment is worth 100 points, which is the same as the midterm exam.

In the folder "Primary Document Essay" you have a primary document with your name on it. Read it carefully, then consider the following questions. These are the questions I would like you to address in the essay:

• Who wrote the document, when was it written, and why do you think it was written?
• What are the main points, arguments, or ideas, in the document?
• What biases, if any, are present in the document?
• What is the relevance of this document to American history? In other words, what important information does this document (not the event itself or the person) tell us about that part of American history?

Based on these questions, you should structure your essay as follows. Note that the estimated word count is only a guideline. You may write a bit more or less for each section. Just be sure you address each question. Also, note that if you cannot find any bias in your document, you can just write a bit more in the relevance section. Do try to find bias though.

1. Introduction (100-200 words): Here you will state who wrote your document, when, and why.
2. Main Idea (400-600 words): In this section, you will write about the main ideas or arguments in the document.
3. Biases (200-300 words): In this section, you will discuss the biases, if any, in the document.
4. Relevance (200-400 words): Here, you will explain the relevance of the document to American history.

You are going to have to use evidence (quotations) from the primary document to answer the proposed questions well. Note that you should NOT be using evidence from any other source, except for basic information about who wrote the document and when. It is especially important to use evidence in sections 2 and 3 (Main Idea, Biases). But also remember that you should mostly be paraphrasing. That is, the vast majority of the essay should be your own words rather than quotations. Here is an example of using evidence from a primary document:

Franklin Roosevelt wanted to instill in Americans a sense of security, so he said "You have nothing to fear but fear itself".

The page number here is the page in the document where the quote can be found.

With this in mind, here is the marking scheme I will use when grading your essays:
• Introduction
• Summary of Main Ideas
• Analysis of Biases and Relevance
• Use of evidence from the primary document
• Use of English and Formatting

Here are the formatting requirements for this essay:
• Double-Spaced
• 12 pt. font (Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibria, or another standard font)
• Left-aligned
• Center and bold the title. Put your name and class number in the top right or left corner of the essay.