Instructions:
In an essay that is approximately 750 words in length, analyze the provided historical image from the Civil Rights era (see below) and place it within its proper historical context. Your essay should contain a thesis or argument that answers the question below and use evidence from the image (attached as a file) and the corresponding documents (see links below) to support that argument. You may use your textbook and/or the reader Containing Multitudes in your answer.
In your analysis, answer the following question:
In 1959, photographer John Bledsoe captured this image of the crowd on the steps of the Arkansas state capitol building, protesting the federally mandated integration of Little Rock’s Central High School. This image shows how worries about desegregation were bound up with other concerns, such as the reach of communism and government power.
What does this image reveal about the time period and the ideas of equality?
In order to answer this question, you may consider addressing the following:
What does the image represent?
When was the image taken?
What was the intended impact of the imagery?
What is the purpose of the image? What messages does it convey?
What is the historical context in which the source was produced and viewed?
What unspoken assumptions does the image contain?
What does it reveal about Jim Crow and segregation?
What did people who lived in the Jim Crow era have to say about life and the American dream?
What emotions are detectable in the image?
Additionally, be sure to connect your analysis of the image to an ethical issue during the time it was produced or during the present day that illustrates your understanding of how this image relates to a sense of personal and social responsibility. See the first hand accounts found in your text:
*Document 26.2
*Document 26.3
*Document 26.7
For example, in what ways does this image reveal how individual actions and choices have affected our broader society and our nation? Devote approximately 250 of your 750 words to this exploration of personal and social responsibility revealed in the image.
Format:
The paper should be typed in Times New Roman font, doubled-spaced with margins of one inch, and be at least 750 words in length (longer papers will not be penalized). Any paper, which is not at the minimum word count, will be penalized. Papers must use left align formatting (no justification) and double-space only (no additional spacing after each paragraph). Your paper will consist of three (3) Elements:
Title page (name, class, section number, date)
Body of work (more than 750 words) using paragraph structure–intro, body, conclusion
Citations (you will be required to use citations in the body of the paper (parenthesis, MLA)
Rubric:
□ Form -20
Incorrect information
Incorrect use of grammar, punctuation, or capitalization
Poor word choice
Failure to address topic or answer question sufficiently
Unsupported generalizations
Poor organization or format Errors (length, style, spacing, font, etc.)
□ Structure -20
Poor sentence structure (Confusing or unclear; run-on or incomplete sentence).
Unidentifiable or poor transition from point to point
Lack of or poor use of evidence to support your arguments
□ Knowledge -20
Research of primary source documents is used in the paper (see the links to the documents in chapter 26)
Grasp of overarching themes is demonstrated by the author
Proper use of primary sources is used by students to convey an argument in your short essays
□ Critical Thinking -20
Arguments are found and pertinent to the questions asked
support of evidence is found
□ Documentation -20
Failure to cite
Research and evidence selected is documented accurately according to the UNT plagiarism rules
Formatting follows proper citation guidelines
