Assignment: Timeline Project
After reviewing the Unit VII materials, you should be familiar with some events that shaped Western Expansion and the Antebellum South. For this assignment, you will pick one of the following events identified on the timeline and discuss how that event prompted a change in national philosophies or ideals.
• 1793 Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
• 1846 Wilmot Proviso
• 1848 National Election
• Compromise of 1850
• 1854 Kansas/Nebraska Act
• 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford
In addition to discussing a specific event from the timeline, you will also want to take into consideration how the nation's views had evolved to the point of the event you choose. Incorporating ideas and related concepts from previous units may help you develop your ideas. Below are the steps you will need to take in order to successfully complete this assignment.
Step 1: Choose an event.
Choose an event from the timeline above that interests you the most. Your research will surround this event, so it is important to think about what you want to learn more about.
Step 2: Conduct research.
Conduct research around the event you chose. For this assignment, you are required to utilize at least one source from an Online Library. Your source can either revolve around the event you chose or it can focus on the philosophies and ideals before/after your event, whichever supports your writing more. Note that you may not find an article specifically addressing both the event you chose and the philosophies surrounding it; in most cases, you will need to use your critical thinking skills to infer the information. You may use more sources if you would like, but those sources cannot include Wikipedia, biography.com, history.com, or other encyclopedias.
Step 3: Plan and reflect.
Reflect on the change in American life before and after the event you chose. Once you have completed your research, you should sit back to think about what it means to see if you notice any trends and to have a better sense of what you want to convey in your writing. Although it is not required, you may want to develop a short outline to help you organize your thoughts and ideas. Use some of the following prompts to help guide you: Ask yourself about how historical figures and groups related to your event were shaped by this time period and environment.
- Ask yourself how the lives of the people around before and after the event were impacted.
- Ask yourself what qualities, ideals, and philosophies you would most like to emphasize, and make sure the facts that you present support it.
- Find the perfect anecdote to demonstrate these qualities.
Step 4: Write your assignment.
Your final assignment should include a title page, a minimum of three pages of content, and a reference page. As you are writing, be sure to keep the following in mind:
- The introduction should engage the reader and clearly present a summary of the main points that clarify your point of view. The introduction should also include a thesis statement.
- The quality of your writing should demonstrate critical thinking.
- Organization should clearly present points arranged to illustrate your opening points.
- Writing should be clear and concise with no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.
- You must utilize at least one source from an Online Library.
- APA formatting guidelines should be used for this assignment.