In as much detail as possible, respond to the two writing prompts below (Part I and Part
II). Compose two separated essays. Maximum word count for each separate essay is
2000 words. While there is no minimum word count, be sure to respond to each prompt
thoroughly. In composing the essays, draw on the material assigned for the course.
There is no reason to seek additional information from sources not assigned.
Compositions must be entirely original; completely the student’s own work. The exam is
set up in a way that there is no need to quote directly from sources. With that in mind, all
of the wording within the composition must be the student’s own.
Composition format follows standard essay form: introduction, body, and conclusion.
Here are a few links to help you think about how to compose these three elements of an
essay; check these site if you are not presently familiar with the proper style format:
Introduction: http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html
Body: http://tipsforresearchpapersandessays.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-write-bodyparagraphs.
html
Conclusion: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/endings.htm
Exam essays shall be submitted as one single submission to the Turnitin.com website.
(In other words, do not submit two essays to the site. Put them together in one document.
But in the exam itself be sure to distinguish Part I and Part II.) All submissions must be
in before 6pm, Friday, March 22. No late exams will be accepted. Submit the exam on
the Turnitin.com site on the “Midterm” line.
There are 100 points available for the midterm. Each writing prompt is worth fifty
points. Plagiarism is clearly defined in the syllabus. Evidence of plagiarism will result in
no credit for the entire exam. All work will be automatically checked through the
Turnitin.com site and Grammarly.com for originality of submissions.
Do good work and contact me with any questions.
Midterm Exam Writing Prompts
Part I.
The period of Reconstruction was defined by extraordinary successes and tragic failures. In the end, most observers of the period note that the failures ultimately outweighed the successes. Describe how the conflicting (or overlapping) goals of African-American, Radical Republicans, and the Southern elite contributed to the various successes of Reconstruction (identify what these successes were and how they came about) and also to the final failure to truly “reconstruct” southern society.
Part II.
During the period 1875 to 1910, extraordinary numbers of foreigners came to the United States. These massive waves of immigration forever changed the ethnic composition of America and reshaped notions of American pluralism. What expectations did these immigrants hold as they arrived on America’s shores? By and large, where were the “new immigrants” coming from? What tensions arose between the “old stock” and the “new immigrants” as American culture became more pluralistic? How did industrialization inform the content of their lives and alter their expectations? What means, if any, did the new Americans have to address the inequities of capitalism that appeared omnipresent and horrifically oppressive?
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