The Final Exam has two parts. Each part has separate prompts to answer, but both parts must be submitted together in the same file. The instructions for each part are listed below, along with the links and documents you will need to answer all of the prompts. Grades will be based on the content of your answers and must be more than 800 words in length (Each Part should be at least 400 words, for a total of more than 800 words for the whole exam). Direct quotes do not count toward the required word count. Submit your papers via the link below the instructions by the due date listed on the course calendar.
Part 1:
For Part 1 of the Final Exam, read George Washington’s Farewell Address (document 1 or 2, linked below). Using the address and the textbook (chapter 8), write an essay answering the prompts listed below.
Part 1 Documents:
There are two versions of George Washington’s Farewell Address linked below. Document 1 is a shorter version that I edited and saved in a Microsoft Word file. Document 2 is the full version of his address in a .pdf file from the National Constitution Center (constitutioncenter.org). Either version is fine for this assignment.
Document1-WashingtonFarewell.docx
Document2-WashingtonFarewell-complete.pdf
Part 1 Prompts:
Remember to address ALL 6 PROMPTS in your answer.
What warnings does Washington provide about domestic politics in the United States?
What warnings does Washington provide about the United States’ relationship with other nations?
What advice does Washington give to Americans for avoiding these dangers?
In the address, Washington refers to two specific treaties with other nations that were completed during his administration. Which treaties does he refer to and how do they relate to his warnings and recommendations?
What other warnings does Washington provide in his address?
Do you think Washington’s warnings are still relevant today? Why, or why not?
Part 2:
For Part 2 of the Final Exam, read the following two documents. Then, using the documents, your lecture notes, and the textbook, write an essay answering all of the prompts below.
Part 2 Documents:
Document1-Douglass.docx
Document2-Lincoln.docx
Part 2 Prompts:
Remember to address ALL 5 PROMPTS in your answer.
Compare and contrast how each speech reflected ideas about American freedom and American identity in the 1850s and 1860s?
What inconsistencies does Frederick Douglass (Document 1) identify with the founding principles of the nation and the current status of people of African descent within it?
How does President Lincoln (Document 2) frame the Civil War and effort to restore the Union as a moral imperative?
Do you think Lincoln’s vision of “a new birth of freedom” for American society was intended to be an answer to (or even a solution for) Douglass’s criticism of American hypocrisy?
Do you think these speeches are still relevant today? Why, or why not?
