Project Assignment: American History
Be sure to include ALL pages of this project (including the directions and the assignment) when you send the project to your teacher for grading. Don't forget to put your name and I.D. number at the top of this page!
This project will count for 12% of your overall grade for this course. Be sure to read all the instructions and assemble all the necessary materials before you begin. For this project, you may choose either Option A or Option B. Note which option you choose at the start of your project.
Option A: Essay
Your project should follow the traditional essay format:
• Begin with an introductory paragraph in which you briefly summarize your topic. In one or a few sentences, express a thesis, or point of view. Your thesis will be a personal response to the question you are answering. You will express a personal view about a historic issue.
• Body paragraphs will make up the bulk of your essay. Use the body paragraphs to support and defend your thesis. Remember that each body paragraph should include a topic sentence. Other sentences in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.
• Finish your essay with a concluding paragraph. Summarize what you have said in the essay and boldly recap your ideas. Do NOT simply restate your thesis.
• If you use any direct quotations, be sure to cite them correctly. Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which may be accessed online or in many libraries.
Using your textbook and course materials, write an essay of at least 900 words (three typed, double-spaced pages) in which you answer the following question:
Do you believe that economic, political, or social issues did the most to bring about the Civil War? Consider economic, political, and social factors in your answer.
There are one hundred possible points on this project. In your essay, you should:
• Present a clear thesis. In your introduction, you must clearly express an opinion about the question. Any view is correct, as long as you defend it logically with evidence from your course materials.
• Describe the economic situations of the North and the South in the years before the Civil War.
• Discuss the political changes that occurred in the United States in the 1850s. Be sure to explain why the election of 1860 was significant.
• Summarize different views toward the Union and the United States Constitution in the years before the Civil War.
• Explain the role of social factors, including abolitionism and the antislavery movement, in bringing about the war.
• Explain why you believe that economic, political, or social factors did most to cause the Civil War.
• Use essay format. Follow the introduction-body paragraphs-concluding paragraph style. Your paper should read smoothly, and your word choice should reflect your ideas and beliefs.
• Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Option B: Creative Option
Design a website or a Power Point presentation in which you trace the development of a historic theme in American history from the colonial era through the turn of the twentieth century. Create a timeline in which you note between twenty and twenty-five events and individuals relating to this theme. How did the theme affect American society? What had changed by 1900?
Choose one of the following themes:
• Relations between whites and Native Americans
• Civil rights or women's rights
• Democratic government
• Technology
• Westward expansion.
If you do this option, you will need to submit your project electronically.
• Key events that affected development of the theme.
• Actions of key leaders and figures.
• The importance and significance of each event and person in your timeline.
• The impact of the theme you are discussing on American history.
• A clear conclusion that explains the impact of this theme on American history.
• Proper convention and presentation. Your timeline should be free of spelling errors. Use proper grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, as well as complete sentences if they are appropriate. The outline/layout you use is up to you, but the project must be clearly and logically organized. Items in your timeline should appear connected to demonstrate change over time, but they should not appear cluttered. The elements you use (which may include headings, different fonts, bullets, images, text, etc.) should be effectively integrated with white space. Any pictures you use should be cited properly (refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which may be accessed online or in many libraries).
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.