Assignment: Compare and Contrast Essay Requirements
We have reached the end of the race. I hope you have enjoyed the material. I have certainly enjoyed reading your insights and getting to know a number of you via texts, phone calls and emails.
As for Unit V Complete, I suggest reading your essay over before posting to ensure that you have "compared and contrasted" past and present with persistent themes in American history.
Here are some topic tips.
Unit I calls for a discussion of Reconstruction, a period famous for both very hopeful examples of American ideals such as the14th and 15th Amendments as well as examples of America at its worst; the birth of the KKK comes to mind here, for example. One theme of "compare and contrast" could be between the conditions and challenges faced by freedmen in the late 1860s with the conditions and challenges faced by many Americans of African descent today.
Another "compare and contrast" between Unit I themes and today would be the rise of labor unions. Just recently, the workers at an Alabama Amazon location voted down the formation of a union. Why? How does their view differ with the views of many workers from the 1870s?
In Unit II we delved into the Progressive Era, a time of reforms to address social ills and capitalism's excesses. How do modern day progressive movements such as environmentalism or Black Lives Matter differ from earlier incarnations of American progressivism?
In Unit III, we looked into the America First Committee and their desire for isolationism. Here, the compare and contrast with contemporary American politics is obvious; the former president explicitly took on some of the same language as the first America First movement.
Unit III also focused on the Cold War. As most of you noted in your essays, that one came to an end in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, are we facing a new Cold War? Current relations between the United States and China are not good, and relations between the US and Russia are even worse.
Any of the five topics above would be a rich source of material to compare and contrast the American past with the American present. Further, it is by no means an exhaustive list. There are at least a dozen other topics we have touched upon that would be relevant. Remember, however, that you need to focus on three. For the highest scores, make sure to bring in relevant historical context and support general points with specific facts along with your own analysis.
It has been an honor to be your facilitator for US history, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Format your assignment according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, 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 course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.