How to Write a Thesis Statement for History

For this assignment, you will be drafting your thesis statement and creating a plan for writing your paper through the creation of a full sentence outline.

  • Review the How to Write a Thesis Statement for History in the eText (see attachment)
  • Based on the topic you chose and your instructor approved earlier, draft a one to two sentence argumentative thesis statement.
  • Write a full sentence outline in outline format with at least three main arguments or support (see the arguments you included in your thesis statement).
    • Each argument should have at least one to two subtopics.
  • Make sure you review the example Thesis Statement and Outline to review the layout.
  • Once you are satisfied that you have included all the required elements, submit your completed Thesis Statement and Outline to the Assignment folder by the due date on the Course Schedule in .docx or .rtf format (no PDFs).

write a letter to a fictional family member

For this assignment, you will write a letter to a fictional family member; where the family member lives is your choice.

You currently live in Colonial America in 1776, immediately after the Declaration of Independence has been announced throughout the colonies. Where you live in Colonial America is your choice.

In your letter, you will identify yourself as a loyalist or a patriot, and discuss whether the political actions taken by King George III or the Continental Congress were enough. Discuss how the people in your colony are feeling and reacting to the acts that have been imposed. Briefly describe the economic, political, and social impacts you will face; what actions will you take as the 13 colonies and Great Britain wage war?

Your assignment must be a minimum of two pages in length.

Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are used. Please note that no abstract is needed. Colloquial tone is permitted.

Is Education a Fundamental Right?

please the following article:

Jill Lepore, “Is Education a Fundamental Right?” The New Yorker, Sept. 10, 2018

After reading the article please answer the following questions:

1) What was Doe v. Plyler and how did it come about?

2) Peter Roos, of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund took on the case. What legal precedent did he use to argue his case? What was the State of Texas’ argument? You have to read the entire article to be able to answer this question.

3) The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court as Plyer v. Doe in 1981. Lepore’s article includes a section of the transcript where Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall questioned the plaintiff, Attorney John Hardy. Hardy represented the school board. Who was Marshall and what was his point when questioning the plaintiff.

4) Lepore writes that the Court’s decision was the result of a compromise between Chief Justice Robert Powell and the majority on the Court. Who was Powell and why did he not want to sign the original opinion? (What was the original opinion?)

5) Court-watchers consider Plyler insignificant because of its narrow findings. Lepore cites several law professors who disagree. Who are they and what do they say?

6) Lepore discusses Prop 187 – as did Vargas. You will be responsible for knowing what Prop 187 is for the final exam. For the exam you will need to be able to discuss Prop 187 from our readings (Vargas and this article) – and not Wikipedia. So better to do the reading now so that you can participate in the discussion during class and at the same time, be better prepared for the exam.

7) James Plyler was interviewed in 2007, when he was 82 years old and long-retired. What did he say about losing the case with his name on it?

8) What can we take away from this article about a democratic country’s responsibilities toward its own citizens – as well as citizens of the world? To what extent might the country have responsibilities toward people who come into this country from Mexico and points south? How might we – as a country as a whole – benefit from making public education available to everyone who lives within our borders (whether or not such people pay taxes)?

Aside from Watergate, should he be considered a good president?

Richard Nixon served as Vice-President of the United States from 1953 to 1961, and as President from 1969 to 1974.  He was the only person to be elected twice to both the Presidency and Vice Presidency.  In 1969 Americans had joined together in pride over the lunar landing and Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon.

Yet Nixon’s personality may have played a part in his eventual demise. He believed the United States faced grave dangers from the radicals and dissidents who were challenging his policies, and he came to view any challenge as a “threat to national security.” As a result, he created a climate in which he and those who served him could justify almost any tactics to stifle dissent and undermine the opposition. He has been described as being a devious, secretive, and embittered man whose White House became a series of covert activities.  On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon became the first chief executive in American History to resign, because of his role in the Watergate scandal.

Some Americans viewed this as an indication that the system worked.  They were proud of the way the US political system had weathered the crisis and peacefully transferred power. Others worried about the further erosion of popular trust and belief in their government.  Regardless, when he left office the nation remembered an administration that had been discredited by the Agnew and Watergate scandals. Watergate has come to define Nixon’s presidency.

QUESTION:   Evaluate Richard Nixon’s presidency.  Aside from Watergate, should he be considered a good president?

Watch Nixon | American Experience | Official Site | PBS

The Unraveling (slate.com)

Does the person align well with the political party?

Open your physical or email mailbox during a campaign year and you may find hundreds of unsolicited, political handbills funded by individual campaigns, Political Action Committees (PACs), and Super Political Action Committees (SPACs). Handbills may include endorsements and/or condemnation from interest groups, public policy concerns, and snippets of news coverage favorable and/or unfavorable to a candidate and/or office holder. Handbills may also contain information about a person’s voting record and their public policy concerns.

As you can imagine, creating a favorable handbill that fully articulates the strength of the candidate’s character, public policy concerns, and endorsements takes a bit of research and finesse. In this assignment, you are going to give this kind of work a try.

Following are some suggested resources for creating your handbill:

Directions: Select a recent candidate or officeholder at the federal level that you considered supporting with your vote. Craft a handbill that advocates your person’s candidacy. Include the following:

  • The Individual
    • Does this person’s moral and professional capacity make this individual capable of serving “we the people” ethically and well?
  • Political Party
    • Does the person align well with the political party?
    • Does the person have a political party endorsement?
  • Public Policy
    • Select two specific examples of public policy that your person advocates from the following fields:
      • Economic policy – for example, U.S. budget deficit spending.
      • Education policy – for example, the implementation of charter schools.
      • Environmental policy – for example, the Clean Air Act.
      • Foreign policy – for example, the interplay between civil liberties and the Patriot Act.
      • Healthcare policy – for example, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
      • Welfare policy – for example, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
    • Why are these public policies important to this person and the potential voters?
  • Endorsements
  • Individuals?
  • Interest Groups? Note: PAC donations illustrate support.
  • News Media?
  • Others?
  • Support your analysis with information from the text and at least two additional academic sources.

What are the social practices and discourses associated with those institutions that framed race and class identity for Conley?

What are the social practices and discourses associated with those institutions that framed race and class identity for Conley?

Topic: In this paper you are to analyze the process by which Conley learned the dynamics of race and class through social institutions such as family and school. What are the social practices and discourses associated with those institutions that framed race and class identity for Conley? How did these institutional processes and the cultural knowledge they conveyed shape Conley’s understandings of race and class? How did those institutions shape Conley’s identity and social status? Be sure to support your assertions with evidence from the book (examples and quotations).

Analysis. To address this question adequately, you will need to spend some time on analysis and organization before you begin to write. You will need to identify the structures, institutions, and practices you will focus on; examine the part each played throughout the book; and relate them to Conley’s adult life.

Format: Typed, double-spaced, in minimum 12-pitch font, 4-7 pages.

Analyze and discuss how women, blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans, were impacted by the Depression and New Deal.

Roosevelt called his program to reform the nation’s economy during the Great Depression the New Deal. Not only did it bring about major reforms, and introduce tougher regulation of big business, it also set a precedent for greatly expanded federal government involvement in the economy and society. Some of the programs that were initiated had a lasting impact while others were struck down by the Supreme Court. Just as the depression impacted people differently, so did the reforms that were passed during the New Deal.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In order to prepare you must complete the following readings:

  • Review and identify relevant sections of Chapters 23, 24, and 25.
  • Transcript of Roosevelt’s 1936 radio address discussing the New Deal
  • Utilize at least one of the linked sources provided in this assignment to support your discussion.
  • Identify and incorporate at least one additional outside source to support your discussion. In addition to the textbook, you may use any material outside of the textbook that is recommended in the Additional Reading section at the end of each chapter. You are also encouraged to do your own research and identify relevant sources. Please keep in mind that WIKIPEDIA is not an acceptable reference.

Additional Sources

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 question:

Analyze and discuss how women, blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans, were impacted by the Depression and New Deal. As part of your analysis and discussion, you must address the long-term legacies of the New Deal and major historical assessments that have been made of it, and if you agree or disagree with these assessments.

Reminders

  • Use Microsoft WORD to write the essays. The acceptable submission file types are .doc, .docx, and .rtf.
  • Prepare the assignment as a Word Document, double-spaced, and using a standard font of 12 points.
  • Paragraphs in an essay are not numbered. Any questions that are associated with an assigned reading are there to serve as a guide for your discussion.
  • Your discussion should incorporate all of the information from the documents and or textbook, and outside sources as one essay.
  • Students are required to research and incorporate into their discussions additional sources that relate to the content. Recommendations can be found at the end of the textbook chapter in Additional Reading.
  • All statements must be supported and all sources must be identified and cited, and included in your reference list. This also applies to the textbook. Failure to do so constitutes Plagiarism, and the college has strict policies and penalties for failure to comply. Under the Resources, you will find links to sites that review how to format a paper or essay. I recommend that students use APA or Chicago Style to format their essay. Students should ask their instructor which format style they prefer you to use.
  • Proofread your work. Make sure that you have looked for all of the spelling and grammatical errors and corrected them, and that you have organized your work into coherent paragraphs.
  • Submit via the Dropbox as an ATTACHMENT. Any work that is submitted directly into the box will be graded as a 0.

Point Value: 100

Grading Criteria:

  • Analysis and discussion (60%)
  • Support for discussion (30%)
  • Organization (10%)

Reminder: All written work must comply with standard English rules, such as proper capitalization, grammar, and spelling. The assignment must be submitted by the deadline listed on the calendar.

Explain the history of Civil Rights in the United States.

Part 1:

1. Explain the history of Civil Rights in the United States.

2. Next, explain what the ramifications were of the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown vs Board of Education. How did this expand civil rights in the US

3. Finally, explain the importance of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Use the text and resources below:

Part 2:

[Module Learning Objectives Assessed: 9.1, 9.2, 9.3]

Women’s Rights

  1. Explain how women have gained substantial protection against discrimination through laws and court cases.
  2. Then, using the links below explain why some women believe that there is still significant work to be done in expanding civil rights?

Use the text and resources below:

Once you have posted your response, the other students’ responses will appear. Please read over the other students’ response and then reply to at least one classmate. In your reply identify something you had not previously been aware of or something which challenges you to think differently.

Your response must be at least 300 words. List all web resources and referenced materials that were used. You must use the APA citation style format in listing references used and in parenthetical citations.

Black Reconstruction in America 1860 to 1880

Paper#1

In his great work, Black Reconstruction in America 1860 to 1880, historian W.E.B. Du Bois wrote this: “One reads the truer deeper facts of Reconstruction with a great despair. It is at once so simple and human, and yet so futile. There is no villain, no idiot, no saint. There are just men; men who crave ease and power, men who know want and hunger, men who have crawled.”

Assess the events of Reconstruction from the perspective of the nearly four million newly freed Americans in the South, starting with the death of Lincoln and ending with the Compromise of 1877.  What went right?  What went wrong? What would you have done differently?

Make sure to provide authoritative sources in APA format.

B., D. B. (1962). Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880. World Publishing.

Paper#2

Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most complex figures in our nation’s history. He was also president during a period in which, before radio or TV, political cartoons in newspapers truly flourished. Choose one cartoon of TR and explain its meaning. What is the issue at hand?  Is it a positive portrayal of TR or a negative one and what is your evidence for your opinion?  Finally, what does the cartoon reveal about TR’s character?  Make sure to paste the cartoon you investigate below your response!

Paper#3

Many people do not realize that Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), was a political cartoonist as America entered and fought World War II. His cartoons during this period address many issues, from the dangers of Nazism to racism here at home. (The cartoon below, for example, mocks isolationism and the ‘America First’ movement.)

Choose one cartoon from Dr. Seuss from the 1930’s or 1940’s and explain its larger historical context. Who or what is being addressed and what do you feel Dr. Seuss is “saying” about the subject through the medium of his art?  Do you feel Dr. Seuss has a positive or a negative view toward the characters in the cartoon you select?  Do you agree with Dr. Seuss’ point of view in the cartoon you select?

Make sure to paste the cartoon you investigate below your response!

Make sure to provide authoritative sources in APA format.

Paper#4

From November 1963 to January 1969, Lyndon B. Johnson served as president during some of the nation’s most tumultuous years since the Civil War.

Assess his presidency. What were his accomplishments? What were his failures?  Overall, did Johnson have a positive impact on America or a negative one and what is the historical evidence that supports your view? Make sure to bring in foreign and domestic issues and events to support your views.

Make sure to provide authoritative sources in APA format.

Farewell, David Levine | Ron's View

Paper#5

In a series of speeches in 1967, Dr. King first used the phrase “two Americas” to describe the link between racism and economic inequality. John Edwards, the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, popularized this phrase, using “two Americas” to refer to the increased social stratification between America’s rich and poor. However, in today’s America, the phrase tends to conjure the division between “Red” and “Blue” America.  The causes for this phenomenon are complex, from gerrymandering congressional districts to the rise of echo chamber media. What factors, in your view, are most responsible for creating the division between “Red” and “Blue” America and how do all of us, we the people as a nation, address this stark divide to form a more peaceful purple America?

To help get you started, here is a link to an excellent source of information and data.

the conflicting perspectives on the founding of the American nation during this time period.

the conflicting perspectives on the founding of the American nation during this time period.

For this assignment, you will imagine that it is now 1796; you are a Revolutionary War/War for Independence soldier or a patriot who was unable to fight.

Write a reflection paper that explains the conflicting perspectives on the founding of the American nation during this time period. Discuss events that contributed to the development of the U.S. Constitution during this time period. Are the philosophies that you fought for/advocated for decades ago still represented today, in 1796? What principles and philosophes have changed? What principles and philosophies remain in place?

Your paper must be a minimum of two pages in length.

Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary.