Essay Assignment 1 History Essay Research Coursework

In his 1776 essay Common Sense Thomas Paine argued that "the cause of America is in great measure the cause of all mankind" (Give Me Liberty!, 198). He even argued that the new nation would become "an asylum for mankind" (Give Me Liberty!, 201). In your essay, explain why Paine makes this case. Based on your reading of colonial society from your Foner textbook, do you agree with Paine's assertions? What aspects of the colonial cause do you think would support Paine's claim? What aspects would not?
Please address all the questions in this prompt for your essay.
Tips for essays:
The introduction should include a firm opinion on your part, an argument, not just a statement or observation. Do you think that Paine was correct when he described America in the quotes from the prompt? Your point of view should be very clear here. Then comes your evidence: Why or why not? What aspects of colonial society support his claims and what aspects do not? Be specific in your answer to these questions. TIP: this is a short assignment (500 words) so you should jump right into introducing the text (in this case the quotes from Paine--make sure to explain why you think he wrote Paine wrote this!) and answering the prompt questions. Remember to use specific examples from your Foner textbook to provide evidence in the body paragraphs that back up your argument. These should be specific historical examples that you learned about from the textbook (you can also use the lectures, but do not use outside sources). This is another very important part of your assignment. An argument is not convincing without evidence to support it, so remember that you should choose evidence that strengthens what you are saying. Be judicious about your evidence--this is a short essay so make sure to pick strong and specific evidence that helps to answer your questions.
Questions to think about as you look for your evidence in your textbook:
Why did Paine argue that "the cause of America is the cause of all mankind"?
What in colonial America made it seem like an "asylum for mankind" to Paine?
What was the mindset at this time that would support these statements?
How did the colonists' cause support these claims?
For instance, how did the colonists want America to be different from Europe? Why? What sorts of ideals did they value and for whom? Do you think they were successful?
What sorts of things in the colonists' cause did not line up with Paine's assertions?
For instance, how does slavery fit into this? How do Native Americans? How about women or other marginalized groups?
Was the new nation an "asylum" for everybody? Was it the "cause" for all mankind? Why or why not?
TIP: this is a historical essay, so make sure you are focused on the colonial era, not our current era.
Remember that every paragraph should be directly related to what you are arguing and make sure that you are answering each of the questions in the essay prompt. Your conclusion should wrap up and reiterate what you said in the essay, neatly drawing it to a close. Since this is a short assignment, it can only be a couple sentences. As for citations, a good rule of thumb is to cite any time that you are drawing information from a source, including when you use direct quotations but also when you are paraphrasing. That way it is easy for me to see where you are getting your information. If you don't cite when you are quoting, that is plagiarism (which is bad), so please be careful with your citations.
How does the author support his or her claim? Based on the information that you've read in your Foner textbook, do you agree with the author's arguments?
How to write your assignment essays:
Your responses should be approximately 500 words. Strive to make a clear and decisive argument in each essay by dividing it into three parts:
1. Exposition. Your first paragraph should describe the reading, and briefly explain what you have decided about the questions posed.
2. Development. The middle of your essay should explain your answer. It should offer details about the main arguments and content of the reading to support your claims. It should also offer background from Give Me Liberty!
3. Conclusion. Your last paragraph should recapitulate your argument, and add some final point that you think bolsters your perspective.
You can use phases like "in this essay I argue . . . " or "I think that . . . " or "in conclusion, I believe that . . . "
Quote a little from the readings when you find some passage that illustrates your points. Use your Give Me Liberty! textbook to provide background, or to add additional quotes. When you quote, reference your quote at the end of the sentence like this:
(Give Me Liberty!, 375) or, for licensed (legal) online versions: (Give Me Liberty!, Kindle, Chapter 5) or (Give Me Liberty!, PDF, Chapter 5).
But please draw your material primarily from the textbook, and don't over-quote. Use your own words. And don't just copy passages verbatim as if they were your own. That's plagiarism (Links to an external site.).
Your teaching assistants will grade your papers from 100 to zero. Here is the rubric:
High grades (90+) will go to focused papers that emphasize a strong argument backed by clear references and that pay attention to spelling and grammar.
Medium grades (80-89) will go to competent papers that touch on the questions, but with less focus, organization, or reference backing.
IMPORTANT:
Textbook: https://bookshelf(dot)vitalsource(dot)com/books/9780393418545
If you have problem viewing the textbook, please send messages to me.