The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti Mexican Violence in Texas.

Here you will submit your first draft of Essay 1. Your final draft of this paper will be submitted at a later date. The paper should be 800-1000 words (3 to 4  pages), double spaced, and 12 Pt. Font Times New Roman. Please include a title of your paper, name, and date.

This paper is based primarily on:

• Monica Munoz Martinez, The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti Mexican Violence in Texas. Introduction pp. 1-29; 293-300. (In Module Week 3)
  • William D. Carrigan and Clive Webb, “When Americans Lynched Mexicans.” The New York Times, Feb 20, 2015. (In Module Week 3)
  • Maurice Berger, “Lynchings in the West, Erased from History and Photos.” New York Times, Dec. 6, 2012. (In Module Week 3).

Do not use outside online sources or texts!

Topic Prompt

According to Dr. Monica Munoz Martinez, “The larger tragedy of Florencio Garcia’s death, and the attempts by the state police to disavow his murder, lies in its utter ordinariness.”(Martinez, The Injustice, pg.6)  What is Martinez’s primary argument? What do you think she hopes her book will help people to understand about US/Mexican and Mexican -American relations on the borderlands? Referring to both the Martinez chapter and the New York Times articles, describe the reasons whi Garcia’s murder can be described as “ordinary?” Why does she describe Garcia’s murder as “ordinary”?  Who were the Texas Rangers and why were they founded? What role did vigilantism play in border areas during the mid nineteenth to early twentieth centuries? What sources (evidence) does Martinez use to support her argument?  Give an example of one of her sources and the way she uses the argument. Do you believe Martinez’s argument is convincing? Why or Why not?

Guidelines

• Consider the question. Read the assigned readings  carefully. Take notes as you read.
• Make sure that you answer fully each question in the essay prompt.
• Your opening paragraph introduce the main idea that you would like the reader to understand after having read your paper. The introduction also should introduce the reader to what you will cover in the essay. Think of the introduction as a road map for the reader.
• Many effective opening paragraphs include a thesis statement.

A thesis statement

• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
• makes a claim that others might dispute.
• is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

For help on writing a thesis statement, see:

• Indiana University’s Writing Guides (Links to an external site.)
• The Writing Center at University of North Carolina (Links to an external site.)

Gordon Rule Writing Course Guidelines:

AMH 2042 is a Gordon Rule Writing Course. Students demonstrate “college-level writing skills.” At FIU, college-level writing is defined as that which exhibits the following characteristics:

• It has clear purpose and thesis or controlling idea.
• The thesis is supported with adequate reasons and evidence.
• It shows sustained analysis and critical thought.
• It is organized clearly and logically.
• It shows knowledge of conventions of standard written English.
• It shows awareness of disciplinary conventions in regard to content, style, form, and delivery method.

Please Note: For the purposes of writing papers, the use of Wikipedia, answers.com, and other non-scholarly websites is prohibited. Papers should be based primarily on the reading assignments. You may also refer to scholarly books and articles secured via the online databases JSTOR and Project Muse.

Documenting Your Sources

Please use the Chicago Manual Style Guide’s (Links to an external site.) “notes and bibliography” system to cite your work.

Footnote:

1. James A. Henretta et. al., America’s History Vol 2. Since 1865. 8th(Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2012), 458
2. Henretta ed., America’s History, 459.

Bibliography

Roark, James L. et. al. The American Promise: A History of the United States 5th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2012.

How do I insert a footnote? (Links to an external site.)

Add a footnote

1. Click where you want to add the footnote.
2. Click References > Insert Footnote.

Word inserts a reference mark in the text and adds the footnote mark at the bottom of the page.

1. Type the footnote text.

 Tip: To return to your place in your document, double-click the footnote mark.

• eBook: Henretta et.al. America’s History, Chapter 15: Conquering a Continent, 1854-1890
• William D. Carrigan and Clive Webb, “When Americans Lynched Mexicans.” The New York Times, Feb 20, 2015 (Links to an external site.)
• Maurice Berger, “Lynchings in the West, Erased from History and Photos.” New York Times, Dec. 6, 2012 (Links to an external site.)
• Monica Munoz Martinez. Introduction. The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas (Cambridge: Harvard University Press 2018), 1-29. 
  • Introduction (.pdf)
  • Epilogue (.pdf)
  • Notes (.pdf)