Writer’s choice

Posted: December 10th, 2013

1. Find TWO primary sources dealing with some aspect of US history from 1776 to 1861 (Civil War excluded). A primary source is something written or spoken in the time you are studying. Make sure the two sources are related to each other in some way.

One of the sources MUST come from the University library. It can be published and located in the regular stacks (e.g. a selection from the papers of Andrew Jackson), or on microfilm in the newspaper room (we have a couple of newspapers reels from before 1877), or in the University Archives and Special Collections (located on the lower floor of the library), or anywhere else you can find them. It may NOT come from an online database or any other computer source – it MUST be hard-copy. ( I already found the first source from the university library, but you need to find the second source which it could be related to the first in some way). ( The book is “The Revolution Remembered” Eyewitness Accounts of the War for Independence. Edited by John C. Dann). Please use exactly this first source, because it’s required.

The other source can come from anywhere, including the internet and course readings. The two sources should come from two different places or books (i.e. two letters from the same collection counts as one source, not two).

A “source” or “document” can be a letter or two or a few entries in a diary or a couple of newspaper articles. You don’t need more than that for each source.

Print or photocopy both sources (up to one page of photocopying each).

2. You will probably need a secondary source to give you the background you need. The textbook or an internet source is usually good enough, though I might be more impressed if you find a relevant scholarly book in the library (as in assignment #1).

3. When thinking of topics, you might want to peruse a textbook or the documents collection on BB or test questions for ideas. Don’t get too specific at the beginning, as you might not be able to find primary sources that are directly applicable. Let the search for sources be your guide, and narrow your focus as you find the sources.

4. What to write (word-processed or typed, of course):

first, provide the full citation of each source (including the URL if its an internet source). If you find, say, letters published in a collection, cite in your paper the specific letters (with dates and who wrote to whom) and then the larger collection. Under each citation, identify the source briefly (“this is a letter A. Jackson wrote to John Calhoun in 1831 about the nullification controversy.” or something along those lines).

Then write an essay, up to three pages long (900 or so words), that relates the two sources in some way. What you do, how you use your sources, is up to you, but make sure you have some point to make (a “thesis”).

The essay should set out the context for the sources you found; that is, you need to explain to the reader what events, relevant to your sources, were taking place at that time and place. Use your background source or sources (from #2, above); don’t forget to cite those sources of information a note in parentheses will suffice)

Here are a set of questions to help you in constructing your essays:

a. When were these documents written?  Who were the authors and who were the intended audience?

b. Why were the documents written — what did each author want to accomplish by writing (or speaking) this document? What kind of a mindset (unspoken “cultural assumptions”) did the author bring to his/her subject?

c. What do the document reveal about what was happening in the society in which it was produced? What events were taking place to which the document refers, either directly or indirectly? (that’s “context” again)

This set of questions indicates that your purpose is not so much to provide information about a topic as to analyze sources. Focus your essay on your sources! What do they say about the topics they address?

USE DIRECT QUOTATIONS FROM YOUR SOURCES. The best essays will closely analyze the specifics of the sources. Most of your essay should explain and analyze the sources; use only a paragraph or two for background and context.

For grading purposes, I will look for creativity in source selection, deep analysis, understanding of historical context, and good writing.