Prompt #1 Religion, Politics, & Economics, 1492-1763
Prompt:
In considering economic, religious, or political motivations, which do you think functioned as the prime mover (i.e. “most important”) factor in the establishment of the Americas between roughly 1492 and 1763? In other words, are the actions of European powers, as they sought primacy on both sides of the Atlantic, best understood as economic, religious, or political initiatives? Or, alternately, do these motivations blend into one another, or shift in importance from place to place and time to time? Students are invited to either consider this question by briefly looking over the entire 270-year span of the course up to the midterm, or to consider the question in the context of at least two of the following episodes: the Western European Age of Exploration (~1492-~1600); the Reformation period and the efforts of the French, Dutch, and English to establish their own New World empires (~1540-1670); the consolidation of the English North American colonies in the context of religious-constitutional conflict in England (1607-1689); and the era of “salutary neglect” and imperial warfare in Europe and the Americas (1689-1763). Use pertinent examples from readings (both secondary and primary as listed below) to provide a plausible and well-argued response.
Primary Sources:
Book of Genesis (see Blackboard “Primary Sources” tab)
Aristotle, Politics (see Blackboard “Primary Sources” tab)
Martin Luther, “95 Theses” (focus on #’s 1-2, 6, 10, 12-13, 20-21, 27-28, 30-32, 41-43, 62-66, 95) https://www.biblestudytools.com/history/creeds-confessions/luther-95-theses.html
Instructions for the Virginia Colony, 1606 http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1600-1650/instructions-for-the-virginia-colony-1606.php
John Winthrop, “Model of Christian Charity” (see Blackboard “Primary Sources” tab)
Trial of Anne Hutchinson (see Blackboard “Primary Sources” tab)
Bacon’s Declaration in the Name of the People http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5800.html
Instructions
Term Paper
You will use the link above to submit your Term Paper.
Note: Before beginning this assignment, read through information contained in the Scholastic Honesty link on the course menu to the left.
The core assignment of this course is a analytical term paper (1200-1700 words in length, approx. 4-6 pages double-spaced, 12-point font) chosen from one of the essay prompts below.
The paper should support a thesis statement with information gained from research or investigation. While you may bring in some outside research, you must also incorporate the sources provided within each topic prompt.
The paper will not be just a report presenting information but will be a paper that carefully examines and presents your own historical interpretation of the topic you have chosen and your interpretation of the information you have gathered.
The paper may include consideration of problems and solutions, definition of key terms, or may refute arguments against your thesis statement.
From the choices provided below, it will be important to choose a topic of interest to you. While all of the below topics are fair game, it will generally be easier if you engage with a prompt that you find appealing intellectually.
Approach this assignment with an open and skeptical mind, then form an opinion based on what you have discovered.
You must suspend personal beliefs while you are investigating and let the discoveries shape your opinion. (This is a thesis-finding approach.)
Once you have found your thesis, write the paper to support it.
You will use some of the following critical thinking skills in this process:
Choosing an appropriate topic, limiting the topic.
Gathering information, summarizing sources.
Analyzing and evaluating sources.
Defining key terms.
Synthesizing information, comparing and contrasting sources.
Testing a thesis, making a historical argument, using refutation.
Amassing support for a position.
Documenting sources.
Because this may be a longer paper than you have written before and a complex process is involved, it is recommended that you complete this paper using the following steps:
Choose a topic below, related to the chapters covered in The American Yawp, (Chapters 1-15) that you would truly like to explore and that you are willing to spend some time on. You may want to begin with more than one topic in mind.
Do some preliminary reading on the topic(s). You may begin with the textbook, then further explore the information available, including the primary sources provided with the historical question. Refine your topic. Summarize your topic, your interest in the topic, the questions you want to answer, and a hypothesis you want to test.
Gather information from a variety of sources. Use a minimum of four sources for your paper, including the textbook and relevant primary sources (including the ones listed below the prompts).
Primary sources are contemporary to the times under investigation.
An example of a secondary source is our textbook, though the textbook also contains excerpts of primary sources, which you may use as a source in your paper.
Outline the results of your research and the plan for your paper (you are not required to submit the outline).
Write the final draft and be sure to include a Works Cited List, and use the correct MLA documentation style.
Grade Rubric
INTRODUCTION & THESIS: Includes a clear thesis statement, an assertion or position. Topic is original and manageable in a short research paper. /15
FOCUS AND DEVELOPMENT: Body of the essay focuses on this thesis and develops it fully, recognizing the complexity of issues and refuting arguments in opposition to the thesis. /20
SUPPORT AND SYNTHESIS: Uses sufficient and relevant evidence to support the thesis (and primary points), including facts, inferences, and judgments. Quotes, summarizes, and paraphrases accurately and effectively–appropriately introducing and explaining each quote. /25
RESOURCES: Shows a clear understanding of the sources; has evaluated each source and used it appropriately. Uses a wide variety of sources reflecting significant research. /10
CONVENTIONS: Uses MLA format correctly; includes internal citations and a Works Cited list; is free of errors. /15
CORRECTNESS AND STYLE: Introduces the topic in an interesting way; shows critical thinking and depth of understanding; uses appropriate tone; shows sophistication in language usage and sentence structure. /15
TOTAL: /100
Submission Instructions
Complete your assignment using word-processing software such as MS Word 365 (download free software at https://products.office.com/en-us/student?ms.officeurl=getoffice365), LibreOffice (download free software at https://www.libreoffice.org/download), or other per course requirements.
Save your file as an .rtf (rich text format) or .doc (word document).
Select the Browse My Computer button to navigate to the file.
Locate and select your saved file.
Select Submit.
