Write a paragraph that introduces the main historical time periods, people, primary sources and ideas that you are going to talk about in your paper.

Assignment Question

Paragraph 1: Introduction Write a paragraph that introduces the main historical time periods, people, primary sources and ideas that you are going to talk about in your paper. This paragraph should include a thesis statement: a one sentence statement about what will illustrate/discuss/argue in your paper. Example: During the colonial and American Revolutionary periods, enslaved Americans and free Blacks used American conceptions of political liberty to advocate for their freedom. Underline your thesis statement so that both you and I can be sure of what it is! Make sure that you are referring back to this main idea in each paragraph of the paper. Help! I don’t know where to start! First, consider whether you’d like to focus your paper on liberty, slavery, or the development of both. For example, you might choose to write about the development of one aspect of liberty (ex. economic, religious, or political liberty) from the colonial period to the American Revolution. Or you might choose to write about the development of slavery/unfree labor from Spanish settlement, English Virginia, to the expansion of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade. Or you might consider how both ideas developed simultaneously (ideas of political liberty alongside the development of actual slavery). Another angle, you might write about women and liberty in this period (looking at the primary sources from Elizabeth Sprigs, Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams). Or, you might choose to look at Native American experiences with these ideas, or writers advocating for liberty, or the limits of liberty, etc. In general, go with the topics/people/primary sources that have interested you the most.

Paragraph 2: Historical Context 1 In this paragraph, set up your first time period/context that will frame your first primary source (ex. Spanish colonization, early English Colonial period in Virginia, Colonial indenture, 1607-1700, etc). This paragraph should clearly state the time period, specific locations, and significant people and events taking place in this period. Choose the most important details that pertain to your discussion and thesis topic, not random historical facts. Rely on Foner and lecture notes to help you write this paragraph. Be as specific as possible in your historical details to show your mastery of the secondary source material that you have learned in class. Trust your own voice, cite where necessary. DO NOT dump your lecture notes in this paragraph;, write your own summary of the period. If this paragraph is an idea-by-idea or sentence-by-sentence account from my lecture, it will NOT earn points (because I wrote that, not you). You want to incorporate material from lecture and Foner in your own words, using quotes and citations where necessary. Save any mention of the primary source for the next paragraph. You can mention other primary sources here, but DO NOT discuss any material from or about the primary source that you are going to write about in the next paragraph. Your chosen primary source may have some context details, but you need to corroborate those with other secondary source material in this paragraph first. For example, if you have chosen the Phyllis Wheatley poem as your first primary source, the historical context paragraph will include details about Boston, Massachusetts in the decades before the American Revolution, the Great Awakening, and details about colonial American slavery (particularly in the North). This helps set up your discussion of the poem in the next paragraph. Any discussion of Wheatley, her owners, why she is specifically writing letters/poems — this all goes in the beginning of your Primary Source discussion.

Paragraph 3: Primary Source 1 Discussion If you are not sure what primary sources are, make sure to watch Lecture 1 again! Primary sources are “things left behind from the past” – the documents written in the past. For a list of acceptable primary sources, check the syllabus. You can also check the readings in Modules 1-7 and look for the list for each week. In one paragraph, introduce and discuss the key ideas of the first primary source. Introduce details about the primary source author, date, and location. Discuss their primary reason for writing (the immediate context). Choose 2-4 short quotes from the primary source to illustrate key points from the source. Provide some analysis of how this source is significant within its historical context (what you discussed in paragraph 2). Pick the most important parts of the quote, DO NOT use block quotes or quotes longer than about 2 lines.

Paragraph 4: Historical Context 2 Start with a transition from your first discussion to your next historical context/period. In this paragraph, set up your second time period/context that will frame your second primary source (examples: Late English colonial period, The Great Awakening, French-Indian War, 1700-1750s, American Revolutionary Period, etc). This paragraph should clearly state the time period, specific locations, and significant people and events taking place in this period. Choose the most important details that pertain to your discussion and thesis topic, not random historical facts. Rely on Foner and lecture notes to help you write this paragraph. Be as specific as possible in your historical details to show your mastery of the secondary source material that you have learned in class. Trust your own voice, cite where necessary. DO NOT dump your lecture notes in this paragraph, write your own summary of the period. If this paragraph is an idea-by-idea or sentence-by-sentence account from my lecture, it will NOT earn points (because I wrote that!). You want to incorporate material from lecture and Foner in your own words, using quotes and citations where necessary. Save any mention of the primary source for the next paragraph. You can mention other primary sources, but DO NOT discuss any material from or about the primary source that you are going to write about in the next paragraph. Your chosen primary source may have some context details, but you need to corroborate those with other secondary source material in this paragraph first.

Paragraph 5: Primary Source 2 In one paragraph, introduce and discuss the key ideas of the second primary source. Introduce details about the primary source author, date, and location. Discuss their primary reason for writing (the immediate context). Choose 2-4 short quotes from the primary source to illustrate key points from the source. Provide some analysis of how this source is significant within its historical context (what you discussed in paragraph 4). DO NOT use block quotes, or quotes longer than about 2 lines.

Paragraph 6: Historical Context 3 Start with a transition from your first discussion to your next historical context/period. In this paragraph, set up the broad general context of your third time period that will frame your third primary source (ex. American Revolutionary Period, Early Republic Period). This paragraph should clearly state the time period, specific locations, and significant people and events taking place in this period, particularly as they help contextualize your next primary source. Choose the most important details that pertain to your discussion and thesis topic, not random historical facts. Rely on Foner and lecture notes to help you write this paragraph. Be as specific as possible in your historical details to show your mastery of the secondary source material that you have learned in class. Trust your own voice, cite where necessary. DO NOT dump your lecture notes in this paragraph, write your own summary of the period. If this paragraph is an idea-by-idea or sentence-by-sentence account from my lecture, it will NOT earn points (because I wrote that!). You want to incorporate material from lecture and Foner in your own words, using quotes and citations where necessary. Save any mention of the primary source for the next paragraph. You can mention other primary sources, but DO NOT discuss any material from or about the primary source that you are going to write about in the next paragraph. Your chosen primary source may have some context details, but you need to corroborate those with other secondary source material in this paragraph first.

Paragraph 7: Primary Source 3 In one paragraph, introduce and discuss the key ideas of the third primary source. Introduce details about the primary source author, date, and location. Discuss their primary reason for writing (the immediate context). Choose 2-4 short quotes from the primary source to illustrate key points from the source. Provide some analysis of how this source is significant within its historical context (what you discussed in paragraph 6). DO NOT use block quotes, or quotes longer than about 2 lines. Conclusion: In one paragraph, remind the reader of the three main time periods and the three primary sources you talked about. Discuss how these three primary sources help illustrate your thesis. Do not end with a social commentary about today: keep it historical. Bibliography/Sources List the sources that you will be using to write your paper (that would be your Foner textbook, the primary source readings you have chosen, and lectures. Remember your goal is to show mastery of the assigned readings, so do not use outside sources). You can use whatever citation style you are most familiar with (Although FYI, Historians use the Chicago Manual of Style for citations and references). The primary source citations are listed at the top of the sources. Here’s the proper citation for your textbook to get you started: Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!:An American History. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020)

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