Category: American history

Analyze the consequences of American rule in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines. Did the citizens prosper? Enjoy freedom? Accept American rule? Comment on the consequences for the United States with regard to the statement made by Eric Foner in the text: “Thus, two principles central to American freedom since the War of Independence—no taxation without representation and government based on the consent of the governed—were abandoned when it came to the nation’s new possessions.”

For this assignment, we’ll be looking at poetry from WWI.  Some of it
is incredibly beautiful, while others are sickening.  Here are 4 poems,
2 are lovely, and the other 2 ghastly, but very realistic.  
http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/john-mccrae-in-flanders-fields.htm (Links to an external site.)
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57324/i-saw-a-man-this-morning  (Links to an external site.)
(Achilles in the Trenches is my favorite out of all the WWI poetry!)
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-est (Links to an external site.)
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47411/dead-mans-dump (Links to an external site.)
After reading these poems (none are long), write a paragraph
discussing which you like the most and which you like the least. Why do
you feel that way?  How do the words create imagery that resonate with
you?  
Once you’ve done that, write your own war poem.  It needs to be at least 3 stanzas, and please don’t make it gross or gory!! 

Purpose: The goal of this assignment is for you to use document analysis to better appreciate different historical perspectives. To succeed on this assignment, you will need to incorporate primary source analysis skills and to demonstrate your ability to write clearly and follow the guidelines of writing for the historical discipline.
Directions: Each student will choose Three primary documents. Students will then write an essay analyzing their document based on the following prompt:
What insight does the primary sources provide on the respective topic and/or historical period?
Your paper should have:
Between 2,250 to 3,000 words.
Three primary sources.
A clear thesis statement.
To support your thesis and analysis of the source, you should provide relevant context, explain the document’s perspective, and analyze what the document is arguing. You are not pretending to be the document’s author – you are using the document’s point of view as a window into this past event.

I will post the topic and the two replies to class mates.  
First post is today and the the rest tomorrow 

POS 2041 assignment of a creative essay:
“Founding a New Nation”
INTRODUCTION:
This is an assignment of a 500-word creative essay. In this assignment, you will create the government of a new nation.
The essay will reflect your knowledge and understanding of government. Your
inspiration may come from the American federal example — or perhaps the example of a
state or another country, or your own innovative thinking. Relevant ideas have been
accessible through the study guides posted in Canvas, your reading of the U.S.
Constitution and textbook chapters, and virtual class meetings. Put the material of this
course to work for you.
Since the midterm exam, we have explored Congress, the presidency and the
judiciary — the major institutions of American government — and we are now turning to
policymaking, both domestic and foreign. Earlier, we studied the founding and
Constitution, federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, and political parties and elections.
THE ASSIGNMENT:
Write an essay of at least 500 words, typewritten, double-spaced, 12-point type,
standard margins. You may write more than 500 words if that will make it a better
essay. No cover page. Submit it as a Word attachment in college email to
No cover page. At the top, type only one line, at the left margin:
Your Name, Nation Essay, 2245. Skip one line. Then type double-spaced. Use
multiple paragraphs to improve readability. Indent the first line of each paragraph.
THE PREMISE:
An undersea earthquake has created a new island in the Atlantic Ocean, about
200 miles east of Miami. It’s about the size of Key Biscayne, and its mild climate
supports an abundance of tropical trees, thick forests, naturally growing fruit and sand
beaches, as well as plentiful fish in the surrounding waters.
You are among 10,000 people chosen to sail to this new island to make a new life
and establish a new nation, independent of the United States. (Many more wanted to
go, but you and your family were among the relatively few selected.)
On the way, before your ship reaches the island, all of you must agree on the
structure and functions of a new nation. Otherwise, the arrival could be chaotic – “every
man for himself,” with the strongest ones prevailing. You might also name your nation.
THE PROJECT:
All of you agree that you will create a democracy. What kind of democracy,
though, is up to the settlers. What do you propose? Since the group must draft a
constitution for the new nation, what do you recommend for the constitution? (Don’t
write the text of it. Just explain the broad outlines of the structure and powers of the
government, according to your constitution.)
Also, what functions must your government perform, and what bureaucracy
should be created to perform them? How should your government be structured to
carry out those functions? What about politics? How will you choose leaders?
You may refer to the U.S. Constitution for guidance – it’s in the back of your
textbook — but consider that a constitution written in 1787 for a new nation of 13 states
and several million people might not be exactly appropriate in 2024 for a tiny island
nation of only 10,000 people. Maybe you want a state constitution as your model — or
the constitution of another country. (An existing country with a similar size and
population is the Republic of Nauru, near Australia.)
(Remember: You have limited human resources in a population of only 10,000,
which includes children. Your new nation will grow slowly over time. Whatever
government structure you create will obviously have to begin very small.)
CAUTION:
Resist the temptation to propose grandiose plans such as skyscrapers, jet
airport, seaport, railroad, huge government buildings, factories, big army, navy, air
force, et cetera. This is a tiny island. It has only the land area and population to match
Key Biscayne – and it lacks the financial and economic resources that Key Biscayne has.
Also, do not invent fictional discussions among the settlers or predict what
kind of life you will all have. Limit yourself to creating a system of governance that
makes policies and implements them, as well as a system of politics that determines
who will control that government.
Do not write the text of a new constitution. Just explain what you would include
in a new constitution.
Do not quote the text of an existing constitution or law. If you adopt any part of
an existing document, just summarize in your own words what it would do in the system
you are creating.
Do not propose “amendments.” Amendments are changes to an existing
document, but you are creating an original constitution that doesn’t exist yet, so there
can’t be amendments. Everything you include is in your original constitution.
Essays found to have been plagiarized, entirely or partially, or generated by
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will receive a grade of F.
IN SUMMARY:
You and your companions at sea are organizing a new society. What do you
need to do to ensure that the society functions well, under law? The knowledge you
have gained about the structure, functions, issues and policies of American
government should enable you to do some creative thinking about this

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your knowledge of the interrelatedness of local, global, international, and intercultural issues, trends, and systems. You are required to analyze the debates over the admission of African Americans into the Army Air Corps during World War II.  You must consider the opposition of the U.S. Army and former Secretary of the Army, Kenneth C. Royall, to Executive Order 9981 which desegregated the armed forces.   Kenneth Royall went so far to say in 1949 that the army “was not an instrument for social evolution.”  Additionally, evaluate how international and/or domestic events shaped the debate over desegregation of the military in the United States. 
Evaluation Process:
Describe how historical context shapes group interactions.  For example, how does your thesis address the views of both supporters and opponents of Executive Order 9981.
Explain the interrelationship of events on the local, regional, national, and/or global levels.  For example, the belief that “African Americans fought for freedom at home and abroad during World War II.”
Use primary sources together with prior knowledge to engage in critical thinking about a topic within the historical context.
ASSINGMENT TASK (PROMPT)
In between 1,200 to 1,500 words, use and analyze the article written by Gropman, A. L. on “Tuskegee Airmen”, Kenneth C. Royall’s quote, “the army was not an instrument for social evolution”, course notes, and information from chapter 24 to answer the following prompt:
What does the article reveal about the treatment of African Americans during World War II?  What could the United States government could have done different to prevent anomalies committed against African Americans in the armed forces? And, do you think that African Americans were fighting for freedom not only abroad but at home? If so, explain.
Please click on the link below to access article:
Gropman, A. L. (1996). Tuskegee Airmen. Air Force Magazine (March 1996), 52-56.
Tuskegee AirmenLinks to an external site.
Optional Additional Resources:  
African Americans Online ArticleLinks to an external site.
CRITERIA 
Argument: Does your paper have a clear, singular, specific argument that answers the question?
Evidence: Do you use all of the relevant evidence to defend your argument?
Organization: Does your paper have a logical structure and use clear topic sentences and transitions?
Clarity: Is your prose efficient, crisp and polished, free of excessive passive voice or distracting spelling or grammatical errors?
Formatting:
12-pt., Times New Roman font, double-spaced
1” margins
1200-1500 words (4-5 full, double-spaced pages)
Make sure you stay below 15% plagiarism

First, read and take notes on the following three primary-source documents from the Voices of Freedom documents textbook, paying attention to similarities and differences on the issue of women’s rights and the Equal Rights Amendment.
“The National Organization for Women” (pp. 296-299).
“Brochure on the Equal Rights Amendment” (pp. 307-309).
Phyllis Schlafly’s “The Fraud of the Equal Rights Amendment” (pp. 324-326).
Then, write a letter exchange between two women in the mid-1970s on opposite sides of the women’s rights and Equal Rights Amendment. Creatively explain who the women are and how they are related. Perhaps they are a mother and daughter, two friends, pen-pals, or sisters. Regardless of their relationship, they are on opposite sides of this issue. Write a dialog in which each woman attempts to persuade the other to change their mind on the issue of the Equal Rights Amendment. Write two short letters (1 paragraph each; or, approximately 100-200 words) for 200-40

Having read the textbook material on federal policies, watched one of the two videos (again, your choice but you need to pick one of the two), and reviewed the other materials presented in this module (specifically the lecture video I added), you will use this journal to reflect on the boarding schools. In a journal entry of at least 300 words, provide your evaluation of the boarding schools, whether positive, negative, or mixed. Also, if you had been in charge of education for Native American children during the closing years of the nineteenth century, what would you have done differently? In order for your response to earn full points, you must provide specific details from the course materials (video, lecture, module content, and textbook). You will lose points if you are vague or if you did not make use of all of the materials provided on the boarding schools. As a suggestion, mention specific speakers or details from the film and the recorded lecture. When referencing the film, be sure to use time stamps to document where the information appeared.
please review this section of chapter 17. :https://www.americanyawp.com/text/17-conquering-the-west/#III_The_Indian_Wars_and_Federal_Peace_Policies
Lecture video : https://youtu.be/_gLojZWP_6s
video (In the White Man’s Image):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb_Xllo8LUA
video (Unspoken: America’s Native American Boarding Schools) : https://www.pbs.org/video/unspoken-americas-native-american-boarding-schools-oobt1r/

Write a 3 page original research paper on a topic of your choice within the parameters below, using at least 2 primary and 2 secondary sources to support your thesis argument and address different perspectives on the topic. Your writing must be supported by sources to provide support for whatever claims you are making. 
Considering that the study of history examines change over time, choose an aspect of modern American society (think 2000 to present) that you believe has been influenced by historical events. Using sources, explain how this aspect of history was impacted by the past (as in, how did we get to this point?) and your opinions of where you think the future is headed. 

1. Write an essay (introduction, main points/body, conclusion) of MORE THAN 1100 words;
2. In your own words – if you must quote, count the cut-n-pasted word count of the quote AND ADD IT 
TO THE 1100 word minimum requirement. 350 words in quotes means the essay should total 
MORE than 1450 words.
3. Adhere to rules of English grammar, spelling and punctuation
4. Keep the phrasing in the THIRD PERSON and the tense in the past.
(“One may conclude” not “I believe”, and “They WERE” not “They ARE”
5. Citations, if given, should be formatted as FOOTNOTES or ENDNOTES, not in text. In other words, 
according to The Chicago Manual of Style and NOT APA/MLA. A cover page and/or a works-cited page
are not required.
APPROACH 1:  The first possible approach would see you choose one of the Chapter-specific documents and write an essay answering a question or questions of your own devising related to that document.  Answer your question(s) by reading the document(s) provided in the form of an essay. For Unit 01, you are limited to the topics covered in Chapters 1-2-3-4-5. The essay is to be submitted via the Canvas Turnitin button at the bottom of this page. 
APPROACH 2: This approach sees you choosing from the same primary sources for a given chapter, but analyzing one (OR MORE, in a compare/contrast format) with reference to these QUESTIONS which should form the body of  your ESSAY.  In this approach you are writing about the document(s) and/or image(s) as HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS to be INTERPRETED BY YOU, AS YOU SEE FIT, guided by the questions available via the “Questions” link.  Again, you should present the answers IN THE FORM OF AN ESSAY (Intro, main points, conclusion), NOT AS SIMPLE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS, and submit it via the “HERE” link below.
ONLY choose from documents in Parts 1-2-3-4-5