Reference no: EM133386642

Topic: Choose TWO texts from the list below and compare their respective visions of America. How does each writer define the identity of the United States? According to each text, what does it mean to be American? What factors shape each writer's understanding of the American project? What assumptions do they bring to the subject of a new nation or the idea of national character, and what language do they use to describe it? What are the implications of the two texts you chose for understanding how narratives of America are produced, circulated, reinforced, or contested?

When choosing your texts, think carefully about how they might work together. For example, do these texts offer compatible visions--or are there key tensions between them? Does one text offer a vision that another text critiques? Do the two texts ultimately arrive at a similar argument but use very different language and reasoning and examples for support? Or do the two texts have surprising similarities despite major differences?

To help you get started, there are three examples of text pairings. You are not required to choose one of the options below. You are free to come up with your own.

A.) Crèvecoeur describes Americans in terms of the intermingling of backgrounds, cultures, and even religious traditions. How does another text correspond to this vision of American identity or perhaps argue for an alternative vision? For example, consider Rebecca Samuel's letters (you can use both letters) or Grimké's Appeal to the Christian Women of the South. What about Douglass's "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"

B.) Sagoyewatha's response to a Christian missionary defends Seneca traditions in diplomatic terms, suggesting that his audience is reasonable despite a different religious background. In contrast, William Lloyd Garrison makes his argument in much harsher language that criticizes both the North and the South on the issue of slavery. What does each author suggest about American ideals and/or actions?

C.) The editors of Freedom's Journal and the Cherokee Phoenix both seek to assert their right to speak on behalf of and for the benefit of a specific community. And yet these declarations of independence often use a deferential tone. What are the effects of adopting this approach? Does each newspaper suggest the same purpose or reasons for crafting an appeal in this way? How do they view their role in writing a narrative of American identity and what are the implications of their respective views?