The American Dream

Fall 2020 – History 2010 – Survey of US History I
Final Essay Assignment
Due Thursday, Nov. 10

The Question
Write a 3-4-page essay on the following topic: READ IT ALL CAREFULLY.

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First, read the following quote from the first person to write about the American dream in 1931:

“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (It is not) “… a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” —James Truslow Adams, defining the American Dream in Epic of America (1931).

As I discussed in my recent video, the American dream consists of American exceptionalism, the idea of the self-made man, the dream of upward mobility, and equal opportunity and the freedom to pursue one’s dreams of success. While the American Revolution ensured freedom for whites and many free blacks, the continued existence and subsequent growth of American slavery cast a shadow over the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Moreover, the expansion westward held both the promise of the American dream and the problem of slavery expanding into western territories. Many historians argue that the Civil War was the final part to the American Revolution because it ended slavery, ensuring on paper, at least, that all Americans were free to pursue the American dream.

Write an essay discussing the ways in which the existence of slavery, westward expansion, with its idea of manifest destiny, and the Civil War and Radical Reconstruction all contributed to the American dream. You must use many primary sources from RAP, evidence from TAP, Ken Burns’ documentary, The West, and the movie 12 Years a Slave in your paper.

Your paper MUST have a thesis statement in the introduction paragraph. The paragraphs in the body of your paper MUST relate to your thesis statement. I suggest writing an outline before beginning the paper. Also, I suggest collecting appropriate quotes that you can use and writing these down in your outline. Please consult Essay Guidelines Handout and the videos I posted for more instructions on how to write a good history paper.

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Formatting and Submission Guidelines
The paper is due at 11:59 PM on Thursday, Nov. 10. Since I must submit final grades to the university by the end of the weekend, I cannot accept late final essays. Be sure to turn in your work on time in order to receive credit.
The essay should be in 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced and with 0 point space before or after paragraphs, with 1” margins on all sides. Number all pages, with your last name next to the page number in the footer. Do not include a cover sheet—simply put the following information in the top left- hand corner of the first page, single-spaced:

Name
Date
Hist 2010
Final Essay Assignment

Before the deadline, you must submit an electronic copy of the paper in a .doc or .docx file to Dropbox on the course D2L page. You can find the link to Dropbox on the menu bar at the top of the course homepage. I will deduct points from papers that do not follow all of these submission guidelines. Ask if you’re not sure how to do one of these things, and I’ll provide specific instructions.
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Writing and Citation Guidelines
Specific instructions on how to write a successful paper in this class can be found in the “Essay Guidelines” handout. Please read this document carefully before you start the paper assignment.
Successful answers will utilize significant material from the course readings in responding to the question. Be sure to cite all evidence taken from a source—whether it is a quotation, a summary of an author’s point, or even a simple fact. For non-textbook readings, use parenthetical references with the author’s last name and page number (if page numbers are available), i.e.: Author Elizabeth Kolbert writes, “Columbus reasoned that the world was shaped like a ball with a breastlike protuberance” (Kolbert). Or, if it’s not a quote: Contrary to popular memory, Christopher Columbus did not believe that the world was entirely spherical (Kolbert). If an author wrote more than one outside reading, please include the title of the article in quotation marks. For the textbook and the reader, use “TAP” or “RAP” instead of the author’s last name, i.e.: Columbus writes, “For it is true that any little thing given to them, as well as our coming, they considered great marvels; and they believed that we had come from the heavens” (RAP, 16). Or, if it’s not a quote: Columbus claimed that the people he encountered at Hispaniola believed that he and his crew were gods (RAP, 16). There’s no need to include a “Works Cited” page. All work on this assignment must be your own, and the use of sources from outside of the course is not permitted.

I expect that your second paper will demonstrate improvement in the areas critiqued in my comments on your first paper. Be sure to read these comments carefully and let me know if you have any questions.

All work on this paper must be your own, completed without unauthorized aid. Plagiarism—or presenting the work of another person as your own—is an unfortunate reality on college campuses today. If a plagiarized paper is submitted to me, I will report the case immediately to the MTSU Office of Academic Affairs. If Academic Affairs finds that the paper has been plagiarized, the penalty is an F for the course. The university may levy additional penalties, including suspension and even expulsion. On D2L, your work will be subjected to TurnItIn software designed to detect instances of plagiarism. Most plagiarized work—generally stolen from Internet sources—is easy to identify and of very low quality. You are much better off making use of your own creative mind to analyze the material than submitting poor work done by a stranger in response to an unrelated set of questions. Of course, if you are unsure if something constitutes plagiarism, I would be glad to clarify citation requirements and discuss how to avoid unintentional forms of plagiarism in your work. Do not be afraid to ask if you have questions!
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Writing Center Extra-Credit Opportunity
For three bonus points toward the paper grade, you may visit the MTSU Writing Center with a draft of your paper. At the end of your appointment with the writing tutor, request that they send you the Writing Center’s report on your meeting by email. Forward that email to me, and I will add the three bonus points to my gradesheet.

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