To write the essay you may use Give Me Liberty!, applicable e-readings, and the recorded PowerPoint lectures. You must cite only these sources in your essay. You may use a parenthetical system of referencing, e.g., (Class Notes 3/28).
I will evaluate your papers based on 1) the quality and plausibility of your response (i.e. it is thoughtful and based on careful reading and engagement with the sources); 2) on how well you use the material from both the readings and the class presentations/discussions to support your response (including a judicious quote here and there—but do not use long block quotes; it is generally better to paraphrase); and 3) on the quality of your writing—your prose should be clear and precise, free of grammatical and spelling errors, and you must follow the format below. Please note: I take writing very seriously—it is one of the skills most valued in the professional worlds you are most likely to enter after college. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment and judicial referral.
Format:
The essays should be not more than 2 pages, double-spaced, with 1inch margins in 12 pt. Times New Roman or Calibri font. Your name, class name, and semester should appear in the top right-hand corner. You should have a title but no title page necessary. I will also not accept computer problems as an excuse for handing in a test late. The essay should have a thesis paragraph, body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.
Essay: Answer TWO (Fifty Points Each)
Senator Robert Dole commented during the debates over-turning control of the Panama Canal Zone to Panama that we had “stolen it fair and square.” Assess the extent to which this statement is true or false. Be sure to support your answer with the facts of how we came to acquire the canal zone from Columbia.
Explain how the Progressive Movement developed as a response to the corruption and inequality brought about by post-Civil War industrialism and evaluate the two responses to monopolies: New Freedom and New Nationalism.
Summarize Wilson’s role in the peace negotiations and treaty ratification. What were Wilson’s goals and assumptions when the negotiations began? Why was there opposition to the treaty in the Senate? How successful was he in realizing his goals both at Versailles and in the Senate?
Analyze the extent to which the Spanish-American War was a turning point in changing long standing assumptions about American foreign policy and our role on the world stage. Be sure to include the reasons for acquiring overseas colonies, our relationship to those colonies, our assumed hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, and the constitutional impact of acquiring an empire.
