Book title: The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire by Stephen Kinzer
· ISBN: 978-1250159687
Reading Schedule:
Read By…
Introduction and Chapter 1 Mon 1/22
Chapter 2 and 3 Thur 2/8
Chapter 4 and 5 Tues 2/20
Chapter 6 and 7 Thur 3/7
Chapter 8 and 9 Mon 4/8
Chapter 10 and 11 No assignment
After reading the assigned monograph, write an essay on the following topic.
Topic: In the final chapter, Stephen Kinzer declares that “foreign intervention has weakened the moral authority that was once the foundation of America’s political identity.” Do you agree or disagree with this declaration? Use the examples of BOTH Cuba and the Philippines to explain why or why not. In addition, how does our involvement in foreign conflicts (2 of your choice) in the 20th century fit into the argument?
PAPER IS DUE ON April 19 by 7 PM.
ABSOLUTELY NO LATE PAPERS!!! However, you are welcome to turn it in early.
THIS ESSAY MUST BE YOUR OWN WORK, WRITTEN IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Your paper will be submitted in Canvas which will run it through plagiarism software. If you make poor choices, you are very likely to get caught, which will result in a zero, this means you lose 20% of your final grade, meaning, even if you are perfect on everything else, you can’t earn higher than an 80 in the course. Poor choices have resulted in students losing an entire letter grade and even failing the course.
Paper format
1. Cover page with name, class period, and title of your paper
2. Paper must be typed and double-spaced. You must use Times New Roman 12pt font.
3. One-inch margins around the entire paper (this is usually the default setting, don’t change it to increase your margins)
4. Paper must be at least five full pages long – it can be slightly longer. Shorter papers will lose points.
5. Grammar & spelling must be correct. When in doubt, have your paper edited by someone and corrected.
6. Quotes from the Kinzer book should be used sparingly. A minimum of FOUR quotes from Kinzer are requested. Please understand, I want to hear from you more than I want to hear from him. When you use a quote, be sure it is:
i. Succinct
1. you can get rid of less important items using an ellipsis (…)
2. Be sure you don’t lose the content of the quote when you use an ellipsis!
ii. Documented
1. Use an in-text citation
2. should include the author’s name and the page number that the information is from.
3. Ex: “quote” (Kinzer 22).
iii. Quotes should not be used as filler, followed by a long summary or paraphrase of what you copied. Make sure that when you discuss the quote, you aren’t simply repeating what the text says in different words.
7. Outside research on 20th century events
a. Use of three outside quotes
i. Succinct
1. you can get rid of less important items using an ellipsis (…)
2. Be sure you don’t lose the content of the quote when you use an ellipsis!
ii. Documented
1. Use an in-text citation
2. should include the author’s name and the page number that the information is from.
3. Ex: “quote” (name of author).
iii. Quotes should not be used as filler, followed by a long summary or paraphrase of what you copied. Make sure that when you discuss the quote, you aren’t simply repeating what the text says in different words.
8. Bibliography
a. full bibliographic citation (Author’s name, full title, publication details, etc. Use Chicago style citations)
9. Your paper must be uploaded through Canvas as a Microsoft Word or PDF document. Do not give me the link to a google document. If you write in GoogleDocs, convert the file by using the “File”→“Download”→“PDF” menu command and upload that file.
Rubric
Item Description Points
Introduction/Thesis Essay has a clear introduction that includes an identifiable thesis statement that aligns with the rest of the paper. (a roadmap) 10 points
American Identity Describe what is meant by the moral foundation of America’s political identity 10 points
Do you agree or disagree with
this declaration? Use of Cuba and the Philippines to back up your opinion 20 points
Do you agree or disagree with
this declaration? X2 Use of 2 foreign conflicts in 20th century to back up your opinion 20 points
Quality of Writing Essay demonstrates college-level writing skills. Also, the paper is written using proper grammar and spelling. 10 points
Use of quotes Use of 4 Kinzer quotes, 3 outside research quotes, discussed the quotes 10 points
Bibliography Correct use of Chicago citations Includes the Kinzer book PLUS 20th century research 5 points
Formatting Cover page, everything is properly cited, the paper is at least 4 pages long with proper margins and 12pt font.