Essay Exam 3 Instructions
Important
- Do not use Artificial Intelligence, including Grammarly. This will result in a failing grade for this assignment and potentially a failing grade for the class along with academic probation through the Vice President of Instruction’s Office.
- Only use sources assigned by me (Video Lectures, textbook, various articles, and primary documents). Using outside sources will result in a failing grade.
Instructions
The Essay Exams are designed to get you to think analytically and critically about the material and present your assessment in an organized and coherent manner. It is also important to incorporate information from as many of the assigned reading assignments and video lectures as possible so as to exhibit a depth and breadth of knowledge on the topic.
Click HERELinks to an external site. to watch a useful video on how to organize your essay before you get started.
Below are two questions. Prepare essays for each question and upload them into Canvas as a Microsoft Word or PDF document. Only one of your essays will be chosen and assigned a grade. Because you do not know in advance which essay will be chosen, it is important to prepare high quality essays for both questions.
Please submit both essays as one document.
Questions
- What were the fundamental differences between southern society and northern society in the decades leading up to the Civil War? (See textbook for contextual information, any relevant assigned primary documents, the Antebellum South Video Lecture and the Northern Society Video Lecture).
- What were the main arguments pro-slavery southerners used to defend the institution of slavery against accusations that slavery was barbaric and backward? What were the limits of these arguments (in other words, how were these arguments less than convincing)? (See the textbook for contextual information, Three Pro-Slavery Arguments primary documents, and the Pro-Slavery Arguments Video Lecture).
Expectations
You will find ample information to address these questions in video lectures, the textbook and primary documents. Essay responses should show a thorough understanding of the readings and be college level (clear, organized, without typographical errors, logical, etc.)
Your essay should have an introduction with a clear argument, a well-developed body with ample supporting evidence, a conclusion that provides some final analysis, and be between five and seven paragraphs (paragraphs should be at least five sentences in length but often longer). Your argument is your brief answer to the question while the body of the essay is used to provide detailed historical examples to support your argument. Although analysis of the material should be woven into the body of your essay, the conclusion is where you will be able to show that you have thought about the material in a critical and analytical way (rather than simply regurgitating information). Also, remember that any information included in your essay should be pertinent to answering the question asked of you.
Citations
For the purposes of this essay, you can use parenthetical citation. Please only use information from within the confines of this class, such as video lectures, the textbook, primary documents, and any other assigned readings.
- Example for Video Lecture citation: (Chesapeake 2 Video Lect.) or (Slave Trade Video Lect.).
- Example for Textbook citation: (Foner, 45).
- Example for Primary Document citation: (Frethorne, 2).
Important Tips
- Remember, only one of your essays will be chosen and assigned a grade. Because you do not know in advance which essay will be chosen, it is important to prepare high quality essays for both questions.
- Because you have the questions in advance, your essays should not have any grammatical errors or typos, should be written in fluid prose and indicate a clear command of the material.
- Turnitin, a plagiarism detection software, is used for this assignment. Please see the Course Syllabus for details regarding academic dishonesty.
- If you have any questions, please contact me through CANVAS.