History: The Reconstruction Period

Discussion One is now open. This assignment counts for up to 200 points or 20% of your final grade. Post your essay answers to the discussion questions by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, September 10. Reply to at least two other students by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 13.
List each of your answers separately. Organize each of your answers as a one-paragraph essay that includes a thesis statement, a body, and a concluding sentence.
Post your essay answers to all three prompts at once. Each of your essay answers must be no less than 150 words in length. Keep in mind that everybody writes differently; some people convey a lot of meaning in a few words while others need to write long essays to express simple ideas. Make sure you feel confident about having rigorously studied the assigned materials and about having done your best effort at rigorously answering the prompts.
Your answers to other students must be no less than 50 words in length. When responding, you can politely agree or disagree in one single sentence. Do not merely restate what you or others already wrote. When responding to others, you must go back to the readings and find additional information to contribute to the discussion.
I will respond to some - but not to all - students in this discussion. If you choose to respond to me, follow the same guidelines as responding to other students. That way it will count as one of your two responses to others.
You will need the following materials for this exam. They are available in D2L.
1) William Tecumseh Sherman, "Special Field Order No. 15."
2) José Ángel Hernández's article, "Mexican Expulsions & Indian Removal during the Early Period of Mass Immigration." World History Bulletin Vol. XXX, No. 2, Fall 2014.
3) The PDF version of Openstax, U.S. History.
Include information from all the sources. You don’t need to include a Works Cited page since we are all using the same references. You will not need to pay for any sources needed to successfully complete this course. The professor does not encourage students to look up additional sources related to the essay prompts. Grading is based on the careful study of the sources required for this assignment.
Use the Sample Discussion in D2L as a reference. Read the handout on writing a paragraph. Use the MLA Citation Guide if you decide to include quotes from the readings. Consult the slideshows on “Reconstruction” and “The West” in D2L. Write in your own words. If you include textual quotes from the sources, those must be no less than 10% of your discussion. All quotes must be within quotation marks and must include a reference. Example:
Hernández argues that “The earliest episodes of ethnic Mexicans experiencing expulsion at the hands of another government takes place in what is now the state of Texas and amid a shifting increase in Euro-American and European immigration.” (31).
Discussion Prompts.
1. During the Period of Reconstruction, Americans struggled to a) restore the Union, b) re-integrate the South into the United States, and c) enforce the rights of formerly enslaved African Americans. Was Reconstruction a success or a failure? This essay prompt is based on your careful study of William Tecumseh Sherman's "Special Field Order No. 15" and chapter 16 of Openstax, U.S. History (pages 451-478). Minimum: 150 words. Maximum: No limit.
2. Discuss the ways in which Western Expansion affected the lives of women, Native Americans (Indians), Latinos (Mexicans, Hispanics), and Chinese Americans. This essay is based on your careful study of José Ángel Hernández’s article “Mexican Expulsions & Indian Removal During the Early Period of Global Mass Immigration” and chapter 17 of Openstax, U.S. History. Minimum: 150 words. Maximum: No limit.
3. Describe the various attempts of workers at organizing into labor unions during the era of industrialization and the rise of big business (1870-1900), from the Molly Maguires to the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor. How were the goals, philosophies, and tactics of these groups similar and how were they different? How did the agendas of these labor organizations represent the concerns and grievances of their members in particular and of workers in general? This essay is based on your careful study of chapter 18 of Openstax, U.S. History. Minimum: 150 words. Maximum: No limit.