mpt: During the first half of the 19th century, the question of what to do regarding the institution of slavery became increasingly controversial to Americans. Multiple factions appeared, arguing for different objectives. One argued the benefits of slavery were such that it should be allowed to expand westward with as little restraint as possible. Another believed in a gradual form of emancipation, with compensation for slaveowners and return of the ex-slaves to Africa. And yet a third group demanded immediate and complete abolition of slavery, without compensation or other conditions.
For this writing assignment, select one of these three responses to the slavery question, identify the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach, and then evaluate what the long-term results of its adoption would have been. Note: to complete this assignment, you must try to forget the fact that the Civil War happened and abolished slavery. For Americans of this period, that hadn’t happened yet, and you need to look at things from their perspective. As with the first writing assignment, the emphasis here is on a thoughtful, reasoned response with an organized structure.
Requirements:
Papers must be 1000-1500 words in length (approximately 3-5 pages), submitted to the course website no later than 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. You may draw on any number of sources in making your argument, including but not limited to: our textbook, books and articles from the library, and reputable online sources. Whatever sources you choose, make sure to cite them, using MLA format, with footnotes or endnotes and a “Works Cited” page. (Caution: Be careful about the use of online sources; the Internet being the Internet, some websites claiming to be historically accurate will be nothing of the sort. Search for sites that are scholarly, well-documented, or both.)
