Directions
Write an essay that is a MINIMUM of 1000 words, a MINIMUM of 5 paragraphs in length, each paragraph AT LEAST 5 full-sentences long addressing ONE of the prompts below. Students may only use the supplementary reading material for their S.R.E. Make sure to use a MINIMUM of 4 supplementary readings. Students may NOT use lecture material or the textbook on this essay. Using lecture material or the textbook readings for this assignment will NOT give students a passing grade. If you quote from the sources, quotes can only be 3 paragraph lines in length. You must state an argument or thesis in your introduction. Make sure to underline your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. Make sure to provide specific examples from the readings that support your argument or thesis.
Pick ONE of these 3 prompts:
1. The term “counter-narrative” describes a narrative that is contrary to more culturally popular narratives. How does Howard Zinn offer counter-narratives to the standard U.S. history narrative? What perspectives does Zinn provide and why? Why does Zinn offer his historical interpretation? Use specific examples from Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States to support your argument.
2. How do the supplementary readings describe the development of U.S. society and government from the American Revolution to Reconstruction? How are dynamics of liberty and civil rights described during this time? How are minorities like women, blacks, and Native Americans included during this time? Use specific examples from the supplementary readings to support your argument.
3. How do the supplementary readings discuss the issue of African American civil rights from the Civil War to the 1920s? How are Black rights widened and restricted during this period? What policies and methods were used? How did Blacks improve their positions in society and reinvent themselves? Use specific examples from the supplementary readings to support your argument.