A Traveler Describes Life Along the Erie Canal, 1829

A Traveler Describes Life Along the Erie Canal, 1829

Roughly half of your  Discussion grade (40 points) comes from making an original thread post of at least 300-words. This post should feature your answer to the question(s). It should include at least a thesis statement, and two or three relevant pieces of evidence from the primary source documents to support to support your argument.

 

You should also cite the documents in your discussion posts (simple in-text citations are fine). I recommend using quotes from the documents as evidecen to help support your point/argument.

For this discussion you need to read: “A Traveler Describes Life Along the Erie Canal, 1829” and  “James Madison Asks Congress to Support Internal Improvements, 1815” in the  American Yawp Reader. Then in your main post you should analyze the two primary source documents by connecting the description of life along the Erie Canal with James Madison’s call for internal improvements. Be sure to discuss how these two documents help you understand how the real the lived experience of historical people during the 1820s related to political policies and technological developments. You will likely want to refer to other topics you have read about in class — such as the Industrial, Market, and Transportation Revolutions as well as debates over the commercial and agricultural futures of America. Finally, it may be worthwhile to contemplate what other primary sources or information you think would help you better understand this period of U.S. history.

David Gutiérrez, “The ‘New Normal’?

ARTICLE: David Gutiérrez, “The ‘New Normal’? Reflecting on the Shifting Politics of the Immigration Debate,” International Labor and Working-Class History, Fall 2010

In this article Gutiérrez writes about what policy makers in Washington fail to see (most likely because they are blinded in their discussions about things like family reunification, what to do about “illegal” immigration, DACA, and things of that nature). The real issue, writes Gutiérrez, is “the ongoing destructive trend of the hyper-exploitation of all workers in an increasingly integrated global economy, regardless of citizenship of specific workers – and therefore, also, the erosion of the institution of citizenship as a source of political power and guarantor of rights” (121).

On the first page of the article, Gutiérrez writes that discussions about things like expulsion of “illegal” immigrants and who gets to be a citizen (“paths to citizenship”) obscures the underlying issue of “capitalist economic development.”  He expands on his argument about capitalist economic development when he writes that “the driving dynamic in today’s political economy is the constant pressure on American employers to find sources of labor from which they can wring profits at a rate comparable to foreign employers”(120). Which foreign employers does he mean? And what does he mean in his last sentence in the paragraph — “In this world a worker is a worker however you dress her up.” – and what is the only logical conclusion?

How Trump Radicalized ICE

ARTICLE: Franklin Foer, “How Trump Radicalized ICE,” The Atlantic, September 2018

Remember, these are reading/discussion questions. I am not asking you to answer each question as though it is a quiz. Rather, I want to see evidence that you have not only READ this article before class, but thought about the article and its implications.

This article is about ICE during the Trump administration. Recall the New Yorker Radio Hour podcast that we listened to several weeks ago. The reporter said that dismantling Trump’s immigration policies at the border will not be easy. What did the judge say to the mother who fled Honduras with her daughters (after her husband had been murdered and her eldest daughter had been raped by local authorities in Honduras). We know from reading Rosas (Monday) that the CPB is responsible for enforcing immigration laws at the border; while ICE is responsible for enforcing laws in the interior of the country. Even though some cities are Sanctuary Cities, ICE operatives are still roaming the streets spreading fear among the immigrant residents.

Foer writes about a Mauritanian refugee community in Ohio. How did the people who created this community end up in Ohio? How does Foer describe them and their community? Why didn’t they become citizens? What changed for them after 2016?

In 2016 Trump railed against the “deep state” when he was campaigning for president. What is the deep state and how was it relevant to his deportation policies?

Why did ICE, a segment of the deep state, support Trump in 2016?

ICE relies heavily on private contractors. What, according to Foer, is the problem with this?

Foer describes ICE as a “shot-gun marriage” between two branches of immigration services that don’t get along with each other. What are those two branches and why don’t they get along?

Foer follows an undocumented immigrant named Ismael into his regularly scheduled appointment with ICE. What does he discover? What does Ismael’s experience tell us about the culture of ICE?

Remember, these are reading/discussion questions. I am not asking you to answer each question as though it is a quiz. Rather, I want to see evidence that you have not only READ this article before class, but thought about the article and its implications.

David A. Gerber, American Immigration

BOOK: David A. Gerber, American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford U Press, 2011)

CHAPTER 6 TO END ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

 

Gerber begins by discussion a highly-influential book by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington that came out in 2004. What was Huntington’s concern, according to Gerber? What does his concern have to do with assimilation and anxieties about “perceived unwillingness of immigrants to become Americans?” Who is Gerber talking about? Who is anxious?

Huntington’s pessimism, according to Gerber, rests on a mistaken assumption about American history. What is that assumption? Why is it wrong? How does the history that we have studied in this class undermine Huntington’s assumption? Think of the immigrants in the 1840s and the Chinese workers who built the transcontinental railroad; as well as those who were working in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 when it burst into flames? There are many more examples as well. How do these three examples prove Huntington’s thesis wrong? What kinds of contributions have these immigrants made to the growth and wealth of the United States?

If Huntington’s prognosis from the political Right is faulty, what does Gerber say about immigration analysists on the Left? To what extent is their pessimism based on faulty assumptions?

Please write NO MORE THAN ONE PAGE

Jose Antonio Vargas, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen 

Jose Antonio Vargas, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

Book: Jose Antonio Vargas, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen (Harper Collins, 2018)

For Monday, please read at least to page 114.

For the first half, instead of giving you specific reading questions to think – and write – about, I have included some themes that run throughout the narrative. These are themes for you to consider and write about in this Thread. Come up with some questions you want to ask while reading the Vargas book. If you think of additional themes, you should add them.

Homelessness

“Race”

Race and Nation and Ethnicity

Fake

Education/popular culture/perspective

Family

Master Narratives

Historical Research Paper

Historical Research Paper

Instructions

  • Your final historical research paper should include an introduction with a clear thesis statement, at least five paragraphs (probably more) that address topics that support your claims, and a strong conclusion that summarizes your argument. Attach your final bibliography (not annotated) at the end and include a cover page (in all formats) with your name, date, and the title of the paper. The title should be more than the topic and should give the reader a sense of what the paper is about. Some examples:
    • Paul Revere: Statesman and Craftsman
    • The Salem Witch Trials: Fear and Superstition on the Frontier
    • The Frontier: A Meeting of Cultures and Ambitions
  • Make sure each paragraph contains at least one quote or other supporting evidence from your research, and that you use all your sources – primary and secondary (including the scholarly journal article). Primary sources do provide the best evidence, and a variety of sources provide event better evidence than a reliance on one or two sources. Always extrapolate quotations. Follow quotes with your own analysis or comments and explain how that evidence supports your argument.
  • Quotations should be no more than two or three lines long. People tend to skip over longer quotes. All quotes must be cited as appropriate for the format you have selected – in-text citations for APA and MLA, or Notes for Chicago Style. Remember quotations also require a page number if available in all the formats. Even though quotations are important as support, the majority of your paper (roughly 85%) should by your own words of analysis.
  • You may use illustrations or photographs as sources, but these should not be included in the body of the paper. If you decide that you must include these images, they should be attached as appendices and those pages do not count toward your page length or word count.
  • The body of your paper should be 5 – 7 pages in length, double spaced, not including the cover page, or the bibliography. This is roughly 1250 – 1750 words.
  • Incorporate feedback provided by your instructor and peers on your rough draft, thesis statement and outline, bibliography, and research topic proposal. This is all important, and while you are not required to incorporate every bit of feedback provided to you, you need to consider it all and make a conscious determination as to whether to follow the advice or not. Don’t just consider grammatical and mechanic feedback, which are lower order revisions. Incorporate higher order revisions such as idea development and content suggestions as well.

(ATTACHED IS FILES FROM PREVIOUS GRADED ASSIGNMENTS WITH FEEDBACK FROM THE TEACHER – **MUST BE REVIEWED, LOOKED AT, AND FOLLOWED)

Freedom and Reconstruction

2.  Freedom and Reconstruction

In Unit I, we read about and discussed many antebellum (pre-civil war) stories, essays, and documents, primarily focused on slavery and the struggle to abolish slavery and free all African Americans. And, in 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation abolished slavery. With Unit II, we have begun to look at the stories, essays, and documents of post slavery and reconstruction after the Civil War. Then, in 1865 The Thirteenth Amendment proclaimed that “(n)either slavery nor involuntary servitude…shall exist within the United States….” In 1868, The Fourteenth Amendment proclaimed that “(a)ll persons born or naturalized in in the United States…are citizens of the United States…” and that “(n)o State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall nay State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”  In 1870, The Fifteenth Amendment proclaimed that “(t)he right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” And so ended the slavery and inequality of the previous 200 years, right? Not so, according to the many selections written from 1865 to 1919.

In at least 300-350 words, discuss what was seen as the continuing need to address abolition, even after abolition of slavery and emancipation had been made law. Name at least 3 issues that led many people to declare that slavery was not ended. Make well-developed, cited reference to at least 3 different authors. Also, what extraordinary struggle faced black women?

Remember that each time you make reference to ideas in the text, you must identify the author and the page on which that idea is stated. Also, when making reference be sure to present complete thoughts and ideas from the texts and to make clear links between what you’re saying and what the text is saying.

Learning & Art, the Meaning to & Impact on Daily Life

1.  Learning & Art, the Meaning to & Impact on Daily Life:

Summarize (in at least 300-350 words) the two or three most striking things you have learned in Weeks 1 through 5 regarding the definition of art and its impact on black thought and culture and the human spirit, grounding your discussion of your new awareness in ideas learned from the course text. Also, address how each new awareness about art, black thought and culture, and the human spirit has affected your daily life. Be specific.

In your report, make specific reference (along with MLA in-text citations that include both the last name of the author and the number of the page) to at least 3 different authors spanning the time frame covered in our first two units of study (so far from the 1700s until 1919). In determining the author of individual pieces collected in this anthology, keep in mind that Mullane is not the author of these selections of literature that she (as the editor) collected into the anthology that is our text book. If the author is not named, “anon.” would be noted as author. If you cite a specific reference from one of the general descriptions of the time periods, placed before the selections of literature that follow, then Mullane is the author.

The Art of Stories

DBQ 5.2 Forum: The Art of Stories:

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DBQ 5.2:  The Art of Stories:

Consider how self-understanding assists (or doesn’t assist) in self-transformation. For instance, how does authoring and/or voicing your own stories about who you are impact your presence and your experience in your community?

Also, consider the role of community not only in such self-understanding but in community-understanding? For instance, for people going into “helping professions” such as teaching, social work, or counseling, listening openly and compassionately to other people’s stories is important work. Paying thoughtful attention not only to how people narrate their lives but also to what individual experiences they have had will enable you to challenge your assumptions about people different from yourself. When considering that even professions not deemed “helping professions” involve working with others, is such ability also helpful to people working in most other professions?

Choose two or more of the pieces from this week’s reading in the text and discuss how you might use the insights the authors convey to you. What can you learn from listening to how someone tells her or his story? How might this help you in your later work helping others? Can this help even in professions not generally thought of as so-called “helping professions,” such as financial planning, accounting, advertising, media? What assumptions did you discover you needed to challenge when you read each author? How was each author challenging?

Finally, how might this benefit both individuals and communities?

The stories being referred to are from page 428 to page 467 from Deirdre Mullane’s anthology book entitled “Crossing The Danger Water: Three Hundred Years of African American Writing

origins of the Civil War

origins of the Civil War

Read chapters 15-16 ONLY USE BOOK FOR SOURCE!!!

Answer the following using only the sources provided!!!!

1) Describe the origins of the Civil War.  What were the primary causes of the war?  What were the key social and economic differences between northern and southern states?

2) How did the Civil War affect African-Americans.  How did it affect women?  How might those experiences have differed depending on whether they were in the North or the South?  What might be some similarities?

3) Why were the Union victories at Gettysburg, PA (July 1-3), and Vicksburg, MS (surrendered on July 4), in 1863 important to the Union’s war effort?

4) What major factors led to the Union’s victory over the Confederacy?

5) What happened in the immediate aftermath of the war?

6) Describe Reconstruction.  What was it?  Who was for it?  Who was against it?  Did it work?

7) Are we still dealing with the aftermath of the Civil War today?  How so?