Assignment
1. The Nat Turner Rebellion Explained: US History Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHtWd52FYMs
2. Freedom Riders (A Documentary on NonViolent Civil Right Movement in the US)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66_kqSG6aHI
3.This link will take you to the article referenced in the prompt. Use it in drafting your paper.
Article: WHY BLACK LIVES MATTER: A SPIRITUAL VIEW
Background
For this essay, you will be using the assigned book, TheConfessions of Nat Turner. This book is a brief telling of the story of Nat Turner and his slave rebellion, as well as a collection of original sources.
In addition, you will be watching two videos :
1. The Nat Turner Rebellion Explained: US History Review. This is a brief video that outlines the rebellion and Turner's motivation, with good attention given to his religious motives.
2. Freedom Riders, a documentary about this dramatic and courageous moment in the Civil Rights Movement. This is a full length documentary, but it moves very quickly because of the dramatic footage, interviews, and insights into the Freedom Rider movement. Watch for the role of religion and non-violence within the movement.
3. Why Black Lives Matter: A Spiritual View. This essay is written by a black minister and focuses on the reasons people of faith, regardless of race, should embrace Black Lives Matter.
The Essay Question
Three themes continually emerge (and often intertwine) in American Civilization: religion, money, and race. All three converge in the struggle for civil rights, whether in the 19th, 20th or even the 21st century. In particular, Civil Rights in America is the struggle between those denied their full rights and freedoms of this democratic society, by practice if not by law, and those whose wealth and power enable that discrimination. How organized religion and personal spirituality motivates these protest movements is fascinating and worth giving some thought to.
Using the resources and the book, The Confessions of Nat Turner, draft a 5-7 page essay discussing the role of religion in Civil Rights protests. Be sure to consider the role of violence or non-violence in those movements. Support your point of view with specific examples from the sources provided.
Note that religion is and has been embraced by people of all social and economic classes. Keep that fact in mind as you consider each protest's message and goals. Can religious messages overcome the combination of money and power?
What I'm Looking For
This prompt is designed to:
1. Avoid the temptation to use a pre-written paper obtained online or through other "helpful" sources;
2. Allow you to develop your ideas and analysis; and
3. Apply the ideas we've discussed in class to a new subject.
In grading your paper, I'll be looking for:
1. Use of the sources provided in the prompt;
2. Use of sources and materials from the course, both lecture and text;
3. Originality - you should research the question to help form your ideas, but in the end they need to be your ideas;
4. Your analysis - you need to have some ideas that you have developed by watching the video, reading the article, and then thinking about what those sources have told you. Then apply those insights as you address the question.
Nuts and Bolts for Writing Your Paper
• 5-7 pages in length, double-spaced, 1" margins
o Those 5-7 pages are of CONTENT; it does not include the title page, bibliography, footnotes, etc.
• 12 point standard font (New York, Times, Times New Roman) - NOT a font that exaggerates the size of your text.
• Use the MLA standard for citing your sources
o You can find information on structuring your paper by going to this website: https://style.mla.org/formatting-papers/.
• Provide a Bibliography (also called "Works Cited") and in-text citations as per MLA style
• A cover sheet for your paper is required
• Proof-read your paper before handing it in
• Provide both analysis AND specific examples from the book and class resources
• In selecting the examples to use in your essay, choose the ones that speak to you most, and allow your voice/opinion come through.
• CHECK FOR PLAGIARISM by looking at the percentage of text that is the same as other sources
Title The Confessions of Nat Turner
Author Kenneth S. Greenberg
ISBN 978-1-319-06486-0
Publisher Bedford/Saint Martin's
Publication Date September 16, 2016
If you know how to get this book with cheaper price, it will be great!