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WRITE ABOUT PROMPT NUMBER 1
For this assignment, you will choose one of the following prompts. This assignment provides you with another opportunity to practice critical reading, summarization and paraphrasing skills and making a historical argument based on primary source evidence.
The actions of African-American civil rights activists had a broader effect on activists for other minorities. Agree or disagree. Explain your answer with examples.
What role, if any, did the notion of a “balance of power” play in the international relations of a period you have studied? Explain your answer.
From your readings on the Vietnam War, evaluate the American role in Vietnam from 1961 to 1975. Was the United States able to fulfill its objectives?
The Cold War had profound implications for U.S. domestic policy and culture. Discuss the ways in which heightened tension with the Soviet Union influenced America’s national scene from 1945 to 1989. What were the benefits and losses of this “great fear” on American culture?
Write a 2000-word analytical essay that is thesis-driven and evidence-based.
Write an essay that explains and analyzes the perspectives of each writer on the issue. You can organize the paper in the way that seems best to you, but in general, the essay should contain the following components:
An introduction
Shape your introduction like a funnel while introducing the topic and each perspective.
Write a thesis statement. Your thesis statement should indicate which perspective is the most persuasive. Nuanced arguments that effectively appreciate and critique both perspectives will be much stronger than those that simply choose a side.
Some historical background.
Be sure to summarize the historical background thoroughly yet concisely for this issue. Should be 1 paragraph max.
A summary of the arguments
What problem does each author address, what is the significance of that problem, and how does each author address it with an argument?
Analysis of the sources
What do these sources tell us about the issue, and in what ways do they speak to each other?
In what context were these sources written? How might the context have influenced the authors’ perspectives?
What are the areas of commonality? Think of approach, evidence, claims, problems, thesis, and conclusions.
What are the major differences between the sources? Think of approach, evidence, claims, problems, thesis, and conclusions.
Conclusion
Summarize your thesis and main points
Try to expand and connect this debate to the present. Think: what can this debate tell us about similar issues we face today?
