Assignment :
Your final writing assignment consists of two parts each covering a different topic. You are required to submit both Part 1 and Part 2.
Both Part 1 and Part 2 must be submitted as one assignment
PART I. THE AMERICAN WEST IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY HISTORY
Essay Prompt:In what ways did the American West specifically influence the history of the United States between 1830 and 1861?"
Write a 4 to 5 page double spaced essay that demonstrates an understanding of your textbook material, films, and lecture material.
Suggestions on how to think about this topic: consider the major political and economic issues of the period; the emigration experience and people's lives; sectionalism; how America perceived itself - this could be culturally for example; environmental issues - the Gold Rush, for example; the experiences of native/indigenous peoples; what place did the West hold in the American imagination?
PART II. THE IMPACT OF THE CIVIL WAR
Essay Prompt: Write a 4 to 5 page double-spaced essay that demonstrates an understanding of how the Civil War affected social and economic life in the North and South and ultimately how it changed the nation.
Use Chapter "The War of the Union," lecture, and the Ken Burns video.
Your essays must demonstrate that you have read, thought about, and understand the material specifically presented in this course.