Instructions for Primary Source Analysis Papers
PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS PAPER
You must write on ONE (1) of the following projects for a maximum of 50 points.
The essay should be approximately 1000-1500 words. Please use one-inch margins and double-space or space and a half. Make sure the title of your essay clearly refers to the specific question you’re addressing. In writing the essay make sure you have a clear introduction, main body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Make sure that you support all main points with brief quotes taken from the primary source evidence and that you cite your sources. Citations should be in the form of a parenthetical note after the quote indicating the author and date of publication (unless otherwise noted below). You should have a bibliography at the end of your paper with all the source documents you used.
You should look at the General Guidelines for Papers to ensure that you’re writing the best essay possible.
Please submit ONE of the following assignments by the due date indicated on the schedule.
1/ Two New Englanders
In the attached document are some excerpts which show the philosophical views of two famous New Englanders, one who was a key figure in the foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century and one who was born in this colony in the 18th century. Indicate at least three ways in which their philosophy and outlook differs, and in general what this might suggest about how colonial society had changed between these two centuries. Some categories you might consider include overall cultural attitudes and what they perceive as the proper economic and political order. Your essay should be based upon the documents provided and your assertions should be clearly supported with brief quotes taken from the documents. Make sure you properly cite the source of the quotes and include a bibliography of the sources used.
2/ Revolution and Constitution
Read through the attached documents: Declarations and Resolves of the First Continental Congress and the Constitution of the United States of America. I don’t expect you to read every part of the Constitution, but you should have a general idea of how it distributes power, etc.
In a short paper indicate four major grievances that the Colonists expressed in the Declarations and Resolves against the actions of the British government and the extent to which the Constitution and the Bill of Rights addresses these concerns (in other words, does the Constitution and the Bill of Right have specific safeguards against the type of abuses that the colonists suffered at the hands of the British?) Your assertions should be supported with BRIEF quotes taken from the primary source documents. Please refer only to the original Constitution and the first ten amendments (the Bill of Rights), not the amendments that followed. Similarly, confine yourself to the specific grievances addressed in the Declarations and Resolves. The purpose of this exercise is to have you analyze the primary source documents, not do research on the internet.
For citing the Constitution, please indicate the Article and Section number or the Amendment number you are quoting from. For the Declarations and Resolves just use the title and the date — for example: (“Declarations and Resolves,” 1774)
3/The Debate over Indian Removal
Read the following documents which discuss the removal of Native-Americans from the region east of the Mississippi. Compare and contrast the key legal and moral arguments for and against this policy. Your essay should be based upon the documents provided and your assertions should be clearly supported with brief quotes taken from the documents. Make sure you properly cite the source of the quotes and include a bibliography of the sources used.
General Guidelines for Papers
I will have written assignments graded within one to two weeks of the due date. I provide feedback on the midterm essay and the primary source analysis paper, however, I’m not able to make comments on the final essay since I have to turn around the course grade very quickly. If you wish me to give you feedback on your final essay after the course if over, please e-mail me.
Essays will be graded on the following criteria:
I. Organization (how well you structure your argument)
- You should have an introductory paragraph that briefly summarizes your answer to the question.
- The body of the essay should be logically organized to support your argument. Usually a topical organization is best. For instance, if the question asks you to talk about economics, politics, and social structure, a logical form of organization would be to have a paragraph on economics, a paragraph on politics, etc.
- Each paragraph in the body should begin with a clear topic sentence. A topic sentence indicates the main point you’re making in that paragraph. As a general rule of thumb, never start a paragraph with a statement of fact or a quote. Your paragraph should stay focused on proving that central point. For instance, if you indicate in your topic sentence that you will be making an argument about politics, don’t wander off into talking about economics.\
- Your essay should have a clear conclusion that summarizes the main points of your argument (your answer to the question)
II. Use of Evidence (how well you support your argument with historical facts)
- Key assertions should be supported by specific historical facts rather than generalizations.
- Evidence should be integrated into the argument. Just throwing out facts is not enough – you need to explain HOW the facts help prove your argument.
- Facts should be CORRECT and RELEVANT. The first point is obvious. In the second case, students often dump a large quantity of facts into a paper without any regard to whether they relate to answering the question. This indicates that the student doesn’t really understand the significance of the evidence.
III. Overall Effectiveness of the Argument (Does your answer make historical sense)
- The essay should actually make an analytical argument, not just provide a narration of events. In history we look at not just WHAT happened in the past, but WHY it happened and WHY it’s significant.
- All elements of the question should be addressed. If the question has two components and you only address one, that’s not a complete answer.
- Overall, the essay should reflect a good understanding of the historical material being discussed
