Choose one of the following groups to analyze: people of color; immigrants (first generation, second generation etc.) women;

Midterm Paper

Topic. In a 4-5 page paper, Times Roman – 12point-double spaces,

Choose one of the following groups to analyze:

• people of color;
• immigrants (first generation, second generation etc.)
• women;
• the working class;
• ethnic minorities;
• Native Americans; or
• another group of your choosing.

Content and Expectations. Describe their experience in the U.S. from the late 19^th century through the 1950s. Your opening paragraph should summarize the essay and have a strong underlined one sentence thesis. The opening paragraph should provide a road map of what you are arguing and how you will prove it. Students will be graded on how well they explain the course text and videos’ thesis, argue their point of view, and use college level writing (grammar, spelling, style, word diversity, etc).

Your essay should have SIX of the following eras. You should dedicate one paragraph to each of those six eras:

• Reconstruction
• Gilded Age
• Progressive era
• WWI era
• 1920s/Great Depression era
• New Deal Era
• World War II era
• 1950s

For each of the eras you choose, note the ways in which the U.S. through specific policy, rhetoric, and actions has treated, dismissed, empowered, and or marginalized these communities AND the ways in which people from these communities have engaged in action and activism. 

Citations and Sources. You are only allowed to use the sources assigned in the course thus far (Any other sources will result in an automatic 0 on the assignment). In your response, make sure to cite assigned at least two course videos twice each (that is four citations total minimum) and the course text (Give Me Liberty) at least 6 times (for a total of 10 citations minimum in the essay). Students who do not have in-text citations, not a reference list – there is a difference – will receive a Zero. You can use Chicago or APA formats only.

Formatting: In college there is a very specific to write an essay. Anything short of these basic expectations will not be considered an essay. They include:

• An opening Paragraph.
  • Your opening paragraph should summarize the essay and have a strong underlined one sentence thesis.
  • The opening paragraph should provide a road map of what you are arguing and how you will prove it.
• Body paragraphs.
  • Topic sentences that tie your evidence to the thesis
  • Make sure the language of each topic sentence is taken directly from the thesis
  • The topic sentence explains how the evidence supports a part of the thesis, thus, the topic sentence should never be something that is or can be cited.
• Conclusion
  • Summarizes main arguments of the essay

COMMON NOTES I MAKE TO STUDENTS:

1. PLEASE UNDERLINE YOUR STRONG THESIS!
2. Have a thesis – it must argue something (vague langue and value judgment will receive 0 credit – make an argument)
3. A strong UNDERLINED thesis (a thesis is one sentence).
4. 12 point times roman font double spaced
5. Cite the required content in text
6. Topic sentences that tie your evidence to the thesis (Make sure the language of each topic sentence is taken directly from the thesis!)
7. Do not use contractions (Can’t, couldn’t etc)
8. Only capitalize a word if necessary
9. Do not give a book report, it is an essay
10. No quotes or citations in a topic sentence
11. Do not include cited material in the opening paragraph
12. Take a stand, no weak thesis or topic sentences
13. Use synonyms to diversify the words in the essay
14. Use the proper tense.
15. Include direct quotes that are less than two lines long that support your answer.
16. Write a sentence or two to explain each quote.
17. Conclusion paragraph should explain how the evidence and findings support your thesis.