Assignement
Below are the requirements and the question for your first reading response assignment. Please read the following closely:
Requirements
1) Must be 2-3 pages. (2-3 pages = 1000-1500 words-which means NOT one and a half pages)
2) NO TITLE PAGE.
3) Citations: there are many acceptable formats in this course, but the easiest is parenthetical citing the author and the page. For example: (Foner, p. 119). I prefer that people use The Chicago Manual of Style ce., , which is basically footnotes, but that might be too difficult for some.
4) For this paper, you should use the readings and your lecture notes for the information.
5) Do not plagiarize (copy another person's work, copy from the book without quotation marks). If you do this, you will fail this assignment, and maybe the class. (the easier way, which causes less trouble, would be to just ask for my help!)
Essay Question
Initially, the British arrived in two very different regions in North America: (1)The Chesapeake, and (2) New England. Compare and contrast these two regions. How were they different geographically? What kind of people settled in each region? How did each of these regions develop politically, socially, and economically throughout the colonial period? Do you think that there are connections between their development and today's politics? Why or why not?
Tips/advice for writing this paper:
1) Don't freak out. This is just a series of questions, and if you answer them all, you will have an essay at the end.
2) Opening paragraph. This is where you talk about the main question. In this case, the question is about the similarities and differences between the Chesapeake and New England regions/colonies. You can start by saying something like, "The New England and Chesapeake regions in the early colonial period were " Spend a few sentences telling the reader (me!) what you are going to talk about and why you think it is important to talk about
3) Now just answer each of the questions individually, with one or two paragraphs each.
4) Answering the questions is good, but you also want to use examples from the readings or your notes as a way to provide evidence for your answers. There are plenty of examples in the readings, and a few in the lectures, too. You can find them!
5) When you use quotes from the book, make sure to use quotation marks, and then cite the author and page number right after. For example, (Foner, p. 112)
6) Your conclusion (last paragraph in an essay this short) will round up everything that you have written so far-just a review. However, in this particular essay, it is ALSO a good place to answer the final question about connections between how these regions developed and how you think it connects to politics today. For example, "There were a number of differences between the Chesapeake and New England regions during the early colonial period, and the politics of today..." (and then you say what you think...).
7) Email me with any questions, or if you want me to read anything you have written!