“Creating Lives” Signature Assignment Project

1.You will prepare a six-part (1500-word minimum) biographical essay on a fictional character who turned 18 years old in 1760 and lived until 1805 or who turned 18 years old in 1820 and lived until 1865.
2.You may choose your character’s place of birth within the United States (or perhaps as a young immigrant to the United States), gender, ethnicity, race, religion, class, occupation, and overall personality traits.
3.Your character may not die prematurely.
4.Your character cannot alter the course of history in any fundamental way.
5.Your assignment will consist of the following parts:

Part I (200 words minimum): Utilizing your course readings and materials, introduce your character in two or three paragraphs. Provide historically- accurate and meaningful details regarding your character’s name, date and place of birth, current place of residence, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, class, and other relevant personal detail and information.

Part II (500 words minimum): Analyze one of the major historic conflicts taking place in the time-period your character is living through (such as the Civil Rights movement, Vietnam War, Cold War, etc.) and is having a direct impact on the life of your character.

Part III (200 words minimum): Find and analyze one primary source document directly related to the historical event or conflict you described in Part II.

Part IV (200 words minimum): Identify one major historically relevant ethical dilemma or moral choice that your character is struggling with in regards to this historical conflict.

art V (200 words minimum): Explain how your character has decided to respond to the ethical dilemma at hand and why he or she responded in the way you identified.

Part VI (200 words minimum): Last, explain how your character’s understanding of self and his or her related personal values influenced their response to the ethical dilemma faced and/or was altered by the historical events of the era he or she experienced.