Reference no: EM133456457

Part 1.

1. What incentives, purposes, and/or agendas drive Hannah-Jones' approach to U.S. History? What about President Trump's approach?

2. Which perspective is more convincing? Why?

3. How might historians synthesize or make sense of conflicting perspectives?

4. How do we acknowledge biases? How do we avoid brushing some perspectives under the rug or writing them off as false or misleading? In other words, what can bias tell us? What value does bias offer the historian? (hint: bias is incredibly valuable!)

Part 2

1. Explain what Eric Foner means when he says, "It's impossible to free yourself completely from the image of the Great Emancipator." What is the problem with this image of Abraham Lincoln?

2. What new information did you learn about Lincoln that you did not know before?

3. Foner states, "Every generation takes a new look at Lincoln, so there's nothing unusual perhaps in me coming along and saying, 'Well, there's 10,000 books about Lincoln, but I have something to say--book 10,001.' I don't claim that this is the final word on Lincoln, but I do think Lincoln is always in some ways our contemporary." How does this statement relate to your research experience in our class?

Part 3

1. Describe the major differences between the first and final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. What is the significance of these changes?

2. What advice did Lincoln give to the free slaves? What did Lincoln instruct his Union army officers do with the slaves who ran to the Union lines? Why did Lincoln not free all slaves?

3. How do the arguments of James M. McPherson and Ira Berlin differ, and is there any way to reconcile their positions?