Choose an event or person from the years 1877 to 2000. Why was your event or person significant in the history of the United States?

Visions of America

This assignment will give you practice in analyzing primary documents, forming a thesis statement, supporting an argument with specific evidence, and properly formatting and utilizing footnotes for citation of evidence.

In a 2000-word essay, answer the following question: Choose an event or person from the years 1877 to 2000. Why was your event or person significant in the history of the United States?

A topic proposal and working bibliography (initial list of sources) is due by October 26. Dr. Bloom will not read/grade a final draft until the topic and working bibliography are approved.

Please use research from primary documents, scholarly books, and journal articles and information from the textbook to support your thesis; avoid internet sources other than Library databases that provide full-text access to journal articles (such as Academic Search Complete and JSTOR) or collections of primary sources (such as The American West and Historical American Newspapers). If you have questions on a source, ask Dr. Bloom.

Your essay should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman with 1” margins on all sides, double-spaced, and have your name and the instructor’s name in the upper right hand corner. Essays will be evaluated based on thesis statement, organization, content, analysis of information, and the use of standard written English. Refer to grading rubric from the course syllabus. Do not use first-person or second-person pronouns (I, we, you, y’all etc.) in your essay. Do not use excessive direct quotations; learn to paraphrase.

Essays lacking footnotes and/or a bibliography will not be accepted, and the student will be charged with Academic Dishonesty. However, the student will be allowed to resubmit the research paper—deemed late—with proper references.

If you need assistance in writing this essay, contact Dr. Bloom during office hours or via e-mail or take advantage of the services of the Writing Center.