WRITING ASSIGNMENT # 2A: The Stamp Act Resolutions and Declaratory Act

After the British success in the French and Indian War, relations between the colonists and the mother country started to deteriorate. Britain’s attempt to tighten control over its colonial empire and to finance its administration by imposing new taxes aroused American resentment. Colonial opposition to British policies eventually led to armed resistance.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Review the relevant sections in Chapter 6.
• Read the following documents:

Document 1: The Stamp Act Resolutions

Document 2: The Declaratory Act of 1766

If you are interested in reading the Resolutions transcript full transcript of the Declaratory Act, you will find them on the previous page.

As you read each document identify and be prepared to discuss the information that addresses the following points. Keep in mind that answering the following questions does not constitute an essay. This information must be incorporated into your essay.

Document 1 is an extract from the Resolutions that were passed by the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. Note, these are not the Virginia Resolves presented by Patrick Henry to the Virginia assembly, although reading and comparing the two may help you in your discussion. You are being asked to “Note the line of argument.”

• In order to do this, you must examine each statement separately and determine what the colonist are proposing/arguing.
• The next step is to identify how each statement that follows is related to the preceding statement. How are they being used to validate/argue for the view, opinion, or rationale being presented in each statement?

Document 2 is an excerpt from the Declaratory Act of 1766, passed by Parliament.

• Note the tone of the document. According to their statements, what is the relationship that exists between the crown and the colonies?
• What are they prepared to do to enforce that relationship?

PREPARE AND SUBMIT:

Write a well-organized essay, a minimum of 700 words (but not limited to), including supporting details from the documents/textbook/other sources in which you analyze and discuss the material that has been assigned by addressing the following questions:

1. Discuss the main arguments that the colonists are presenting to Parliament, how they support those arguments, and how these resolutions reflect the attitudes toward local affairs developed during the preceding century.
2. Discuss how Parliament refutes American claims, and how the Declaratory Act reflects the English view on the nature of empire, as opposed to the view held by most colonists.

Should we remove Confederate monuments?

There is a debate over whether to remove Confederate monuments. Part of the debate involves what the Confederacy stood for. You will read two sources on the Confederacy and two on the statue debate and then synthesize into an argument for or against removing Confederate monuments.

Assignment directions

Read TWO of the sources about the Confederacy below AND TWO of the sources about the monuments debate below. Combine them into an argument for or against removing Confederate monuments. 1. Go through each source and identify key points to support your argument on what the Confederacy stood for and/or the monuments’ history and/or the national history since then and/or the politics of today.2. Organize your paper by argument, not by source. You can use the matrix format we learned about in last week’s assignment or some other outline format.3. Write the synthesis paper, arguing either for removing the Confederate monuments or keeping the Confederate monuments, supported by specific points and facts from the four sources you are using. You are only submitting the synthesis paper.Use only the information from the four sources you chose (and the Lecture Notes if needed). I want your analysis, not something you found on the Internet on the subject. Be very clear whether something is your idea, the idea of the person or people who wrote the article or document, or the idea of the person quoted in the article or document.  Work alone.2-4 pages, 12 point font, 1 inch margin all around, double-space. You don’t need a title page or Works Cited since you are only discussing the four sources which you will identify in the first paragraph or as soon as you start discussing them. Use proper American English spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphs.

Sources

Confederacy Sources

1. South Carolina secession (Links to an external site.)2. Georgia secession (Links to an external site.)3. Mississippi secession (Links to an external site.)4. Texas secession (Links to an external site.)5. Stephens speech (Links to an external site.)

Monument Debate Sources

1. Washington Post article (Links to an external site.)2. Vox article (Links to an external site.)3. Washington Post article — masculinity (Links to an external site.)4. AIER article (Links to an external site.)5. NPS article (Links to an external site.)

how the concept of federalism affects the balance of power between the Federal government and the states.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

This week we explore federal and state powers and how the concept of federalism affects the balance of power between the Federal government and the states. Federalism can be defined as the distribution of power between a central government and constituent units—in the case of the United States, between the federal government and the state governments.

• Do you think the current balance of power between these entities is appropriately balanced, or is it imbalanced in one way or the other?
• Explain why you think so, and, if you think they are imbalanced.
• Explain in which direction you think they are imbalanced.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT # 2A: The Stamp Act Resolutions and Declaratory Act

After the British  success in the French and Indian War, relations between the colonists  and the mother country started to deteriorate. Britain’s attempt to  tighten control over its colonial empire and to finance its  administration by imposing new taxes aroused American resentment.  Colonial opposition to British policies eventually led to armed  resistance.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Review the relevant sections in Chapter 6.
• Read the following documents:

Document 1: The Stamp Act Resolutions

Document 2: The Declaratory Act of 1766

If you are interested  in reading the Resolutions transcript full transcript of the  Declaratory Act, you will find them on the previous page.

As you read each  document identify and be prepared to discuss the information that  addresses the following points. Keep in mind that answering the  following questions does not constitute an essay. This information must  be incorporated into your essay.

Document 1 is an extract from the Resolutions that were passed by the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. Note, these are not the Virginia Resolves  presented by Patrick Henry to the Virginia assembly, although reading  and comparing the two may help you in your discussion. You are being  asked to “Note the line of argument.”

• In order to do this, you must examine each statement separately and determine what the colonist are proposing/arguing.
• The next step is to  identify how each statement that follows is related to the preceding  statement. How are they being used to validate/argue for the view,  opinion, or rationale being presented in each statement?

Document 2 is an excerpt from the Declaratory Act of 1766, passed by Parliament.

• Note the tone of  the document. According to their statements, what is the relationship  that exists between the crown and the colonies?
• What are they prepared to do to enforce that relationship?

PREPARE AND SUBMIT:

Write a well-organized essay, a minimum of 700 words  (but not limited to), including supporting details from the  documents/textbook/other sources in which you analyze and discuss the  material that has been assigned by addressing the following questions:

1. Discuss the main  arguments that the colonists are presenting to Parliament, how they  support those arguments, and how these resolutions reflect the attitudes  toward local affairs developed during the preceding century.
2. Discuss how  Parliament refutes American claims, and how the Declaratory Act reflects  the English view on the nature of empire, as opposed to the view held  by most colonists.

Write two well-formed essays (with introduction/thesis statement, body paragraphs with topic sentences, and conclusion) addressing the following two prompts:

1. Primary Source Analysis: Using the 6 C’s of Primary Source Analysis as a guide, make an argument about this novel’s importance as a historical source as it relates to Japanese internment during World War II. What themes, background information about the war, internment, and/or histories of immigration and incarceration you have encountered in the the course thus far, and information about the author John Okada are helpful for understanding the novel and appreciating its importance?

2. Passage Analysis: See below for your assigned short passage from the novel, and then make an argument about the meaning of this passage through a close reading of it, and then by connecting it to the novel’s main themes, relevant events, and its larger significance. A “close reading” is an interpretation and analysis of the passage, and should focus first on describing how it conveys meaning through various literary devices of your choice (see tips below).

• Question 1: This is a more traditional expository essay, similar in content to the Primary Source Analysis assignment but it should be shaped around a clear argument, or thesis. (Here is a helpful guide on developing a thesis). You should begin with a brief introductory paragraph that introduces the novel and contains your thesis argument: your conclusion(s) about why this is an important historical source about Japanese internment. Each of your body paragraphs should begin with an arguable topic sentence (the main claim of the paragraph, which should be a sub-argument that contributes to your thesis) followed by evidence and analysis that warrants your use of chosen examples. End with a short concluding paragraph that re-states your thesis and its broader significance. You can also acknowledge here what information might still be missing or questions left unanswered. You do not need to do any additional outside reading or research beyond our readings and lectures; if you do, be sure to cite your sources properly. Overall, aim for 3-4 body paragraphs and 2.5 to 3 pages total.
• Question 2: This prompt is asking you to conduct a close reading of a given passage, interpret its meaning(s) by describing how it conveys meaning, and then connect it to the novel’s overall plot and larger significance. Think of this as first zooming in closely to walk us through what’s happening in the passage itself by identifying key words and literary devices, then zooming out to connect it to the novel’s main themes and other relevant things that happen throughout the book. This essay is not a plot summary. Your organization should be straight forward:  begin the essay by getting straight to the point with a thesis statement about the meaning of the passage. It may help to choose one theme to focus on (e.g. race, family), and 1-3 literary devices (e.g. dialogue, flashback, allusion, etc. Here is a helpful guide to common literary devices). This essay does not require any outside references; use parenthetical notation to cite page numbers. Overall, aim for 3-4 body paragraphs and 2.5 to 3 pages total.