Any of the five topics above would be a rich source of material to compare and contrast the American past with the American present.

This week, you will write a comprehensive APA analysis paper using all the knowledge you

have gained in HIS 2100. Use what you have learned from the READ and ATTEND sections

throughout the course (including Unit 5) and at least three scholarly sources to address the

topics mentioned below. Use in text quotes and do not self plagiarize from the previous

weeks. If you need support on how to formulate your APA analysis paper, you may refer to

your APA template under the Resource tab or contact the CPS librarians. Please refer to your

Rubric for guidance. Upon completion you will click on the Dropbox tab to submit

your paper for grading.

In our contemporary digital world, facts and data are everywhere. A study of our past is truly

valuable when we strive to gain, beyond rote facts, a deeper meaning from what has occurred

before our time in order to give understanding to the present. Considering the topics you

addressed in Units 1-4, along with topics from Unit 5 (economic challenges of the 1970s and

80s, the end of the Cold War, plans for democracy in the Middle East, and the “two Americas”),

analyze three topics in light of their value to our time.

 

Tips for Unit V and Closing Thoughts

Hello All,

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.