History 1307: American History to 1877
Spring 2008
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT What Accounts for the Success of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s? DUE NOVEMBER 20 Question: Based on your reading of Thomas Borstelmann’s Cold War and the Color Line, Michael J. Klarman’s “How Brown Changed Race Relations,” and your viewing of Ken Burns’s documentary on Jackie Robinson, answer the following question: What accounts for the success of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s? Instructions: Your answer should take the form of a scholarly essay of at least 4 full pages (but no more than 6) that begins with a brief introduction containing a clear thesis statement and then makes a coherent argument. Your audience is another adult learner, like yourself, who is interested in learning more about the Civil Rights Movement, but he or she is not as knowledgeable as you and has asked you to answer his or her question. What the Assignment Requires: 1. The successful essay will have a clear, focused, arguable, and argumentative thesis. Your thesis must answer the question posed above, but it could take any number of forms: an argument about the primary cause, an argument about a combination of causes, or an argument about timing just to name three examples. 2. The assignment requires you to synthesize the reading and documentary viewing that you have done and make connections between them. To do that you will need to, first, very briefly summarize the narratives and arguments of Borstelmann, Klarman, and Burns. Second, you will need to discuss in the body of your essay which argument you find to be more convincing and why. 3. If you choose to argue for a combination of causes, be sure that you explain the relationship and connections between them. “On the one hand …, but on the other hand” arguments are not sufficient. 4. You do NOT need to do any additional research on the Civil Rights Movement—it is sufficient for you to base your analysis solely on Borstelmann, Klarman, and Burns. 5. This is not a long essay, so you will have to be concise; be selective and focus just on what you need to say to make your argument convincing. Sources: No additional research is necessary and no extra credit will be given for doing so. • Thomas Borstelmann, The Cold War and the Color Line: American Race Relations in the Global Arena • Michael J. Klarman, “How Brown Changed Race Relations: The Backlash Thesis” (available at the Moodle site) • Portions of “Inning Six” & “Inning Seven” from Ken Burns, Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns (we will view the film in class on Thursday, Oct. 30) Format: 1 inch margins all around; Times New Roman Font; 12 point type; double space. Give your essay a scholarly title that is descriptive of your thesis. Include your name. Include page numbers please. Citation: When citing from Borstelmann and Klarman use the in-text citation method and include page numbers in parentheses. (Example: In his book Cold War and the Color Line, Borstelmann points out that …(xx).) When citing from Burns you need not worry about the
History 1307
Essay #3
Page 2
accuracy of your citations; paraphrases from your class notes are perfectly acceptable. Do not include a bibliography. Preparation: We will spend some time in class during the next four weeks doing some writing instruction that will touch on items like writing a good thesis statement, proper citation, etc. Grading: Your essay will be graded on a 100 point scale based on the rubric below and is worth 25% of your final class grade. Due Date: In class on Thursday, Nov. 20. Papers will be marked down one-half grade (i.e., 5 percentage points) if turned in late on the day the assignment is due and for each additional day after the due date, including Saturdays and Sundays. Late papers can be turned into the receptionist in the history office (614 Social Sciences). Request that your paper be time stamped. Electronic versions of written assignments will not be accepted.
History 1307
Essay #3
Page 3
Grading Rubric Poor introduction acquainting the reader with the topic under consideration focused argumentative thesis statement logical argument that supports your thesis sources and other evidence that supports your argument quotations smoothly woven into the text anticipation of possible counter-arguments original thinking, not a repetition of previous writers conclusion that addresses the implications of your argument Style • Varied, Effective sentences • audience awareness • lively language • scholarly tone • effective mechanics Citation, in-text style Adequate Good Great