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 ONE primary document listed in Units 1-3. Students will then write an essay analyzing their document based on the following prompt:
What insight does the primary source provide on the respective topic and/or historical period?
Your paper should have:
Between 750 to 1,000 words.
ONE primary source.
ONE reference to the textbook, including a proper footnote citation: George Brown Tindall David Emory Shi, America: A Narrative History, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013), pg#.
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.