HIST 172, Intersession/Summer Paper
Primary Document Paper Critical Paper Assignment
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwife’s Tale
This paper should be brought in hard copy to class on Saturday, 6/20 by NOON. Please upload it to Beachboard, using a Word document. There does not need to be a title, just be sure to identity which prompt you are answering. The paper should be about three-four pages (approximately 800-1,000 words). Please include a word count at the end of your paper. Papers that do not meet the parameters of the assignment (meaning are shorter or much longer) will be graded down for their inability to meet the requirements of the assignment. You also must turn in your paper through turnitin.com via Beachboard.
All ideas must be your own; you should not look at any other outside writings or commentary about the book or about Martha Ballard’s life. I want YOUR historical reaction and interpretation of what this monograph can share with us as a primary document (the sections which are primary in nature). I am not asking you to complete a book report on the content; I am asking for an historical reaction.
Answer one of the following prompts.
Prompt One:
This book can be read as an exploration of the social world of post-Revolutionary New England. Discuss how Ballard’s diary allows us a clearer picture of social relations, class relationships and how early Americans interacted with one another. Using this theme, discuss and develop how Ballard’s diary can serve as a social record of a specific period of American history. Why might understanding social interactions add to our historical knowledge?
Prompt Two:
This book deals with themes related to women, gender, and in particular, childbirth in early American history. Discuss how these issues played out in the period Martha Ballard lived. In particular, you might want to discuss how relationships developed, sexuality and the sexual practice of those living in this period, and how Martha’s role as a woman informed her own experiences throughout the diary.
Prompt Three:
Reading Ballard’s diary, we get a large amount of detail about late eighteenth-century medicine and the practice of medicine, in general. What can we say about the field of medicine, how it developed, and in particular the roles of midwives in this culture? Be sure to understand that medicine is a field that changes over time; for instance, doctors had much less social status in the eighteenth century than they have in our world today in the United States. This prompt is NOT simply arguing that medicine is so much better and advanced now than it was in the 18th century.
Remember: Papers will be penalized for being late, so please keep this in consideration. All papers must be submitted to me electronically and will be penalized if turned in late. ALL work must be your own.
DO NOT: summarize plot, use outside sources, quote other scholars or websites.
DO: think critically, write actively, proofread carefully, submit on Beachboard.
DUE: electronically on Saturday, 6/20, through Beachboard.
Plagiarism on this assignment will be dealt with quite seriously. I am looking for your historical reactions – not those of someone else. Do not risk going the route of plagiarizing other sources for this short paper assignment. Please do not go to one of the literary sites and attempt to pilfer ideas from them; I am well-aware of the arguments and suggestions that exist on-line for this monograph.
If you have questions, please email me.
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