Overview:
For this paper assignment, you’ll need to choose one of the primary source documents from one of the collections listed below. They are organized by category and some are also searchable, so spend some time looking around to find your document. You can use any source as long as it deals with American history and was written prior to 1900. Be sure to select one that is both interesting to you and that you can write enough about. If you have trouble finding one that you want to write about, let me know and I might be able to help you narrow it down.
Special Note: You will also need to use at least two additional scholarly books (not your textbook) or academic journal articles (from JSTOR or Academic Search Premiere) to provide context for your source.
Questions to Consider:
- What events were happening during the time your source was created?
- Is it a part of some larger trend?
- Did it lead to some important changes in Western society?
Primary Source Collections:
- Library of Congress: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
- DocsTeach: https://www.docsteach.org/documents
- Fordham University’s Internet History Sourcebook: http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.asp
- Yale University’s Avalon Project: http://avalon.law.yale.edu
Citations:
Please use Chicago style for your footnotes. Please refer to the Purdue Owl quick guide (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/1/) for examples of how to format citations for books, articles, and websites (i.e. for your document).
Annotated Bibliography/Citation Practice:
In preparation for the primary source paper, you will be required to submit an annotated bibliography including a brief description and full citation for each of your sources (your primary source plus the two secondary sources). For each source, you should include its bibliographical citation as well as a footnote citation for your description of your source. Your sources should be second line indented and listed in alphabetical order (see the sample bibliography on D2L).
Format:
- Your paper should be 4-5 full pages of double-spaced text (3.5 pages is not 4 pages) in size twelve font, Times New Roman.
- Your margins should be 1” at the top and bottom, and 1” on the left and right (these are the defaults in Microsoft Word, as long as you don’t mess with them yours should be fine).
- The heading for your paper should be aligned to the upper left hand corner of your paper and be formatted like:
{Title}
{First & Last Name}
HIS 201
{Date}
For example:
Primary Source Paper
Veronica McConnell
HIS 201
07/18/2022
It should be in the same font and size as the rest of your text, and should not include any unnecessary spaces or more than one space between the end of your heading and the beginning of your paper.
What Your Paper Should Do:
Introduction and Thesis Statement
You should start off with a clear introductory paragraph that briefly explains what your document is, where it took place, who wrote it, when it was written or recorded, and any other identifying information that will help set up your analysis of it. You should end your first paragraph with a thesis statement that lays out your argument for the rest of your paper (Your thesis should be underlined and should say what your document tells us and why it’s important).
Main Body – Build an Argument
In the main body of your paper, you should build an argument about how your document can be used to tell us about life during the era in which your document was created. As much as possible, you should center this on tying your document to major themes we’ve discussed in class: race, class, and gender relations, working conditions, cultural, religious, or political changes, etc. Keep this in mind when selecting a document, you want one that will give you enough to write at least a few of pages, so be sure to pick a good one!
Paragraph on Source Limitations
Your paper should also include a paragraph or two on any problems or shortcomings with your source. What else would you need to know to use your source well? What other perspectives might be missing from it? Are there any questions about its authenticity or the production of it that make you cautious of it? In what ways is your source limited?
Conclusion
Finally, you should end your paper with a clear conclusion that summarizes your argument (without repeating it verbatim) and suggests why your document, and your interpretations of it, are important for understanding this period in history.
What I’ll Be Looking for in Terms of Grading:
- Following directions!
- A clear argument
- Creatively using evidence to support your argument
- Logical organization
- Spelling, grammar, and style
