HIST 118: Idea Paper 1 Guidelines Directions You will write a 1000 word, double-spaced essay (plus title page, endnotes, and bibliography) based upon your analysis of three (3) primary sources. You should ask a research question that you will attempt to answer. The next step is to develop a clear thesis/argument that you will support in your paper. There is a free history writing guide at Bowdoin that can help you. What do the primary sources tell you? What does Eric Foner say about your topic in Give Me Liberty!? You should develop a research question that leads you to a compelling thesis statement. I am interested in your ideas about the topic i.e. your interpretation. Please refrain from merely stringing together summaries of each document. If you do that, you cannot earn a grade greater than “C.” You cannot use essays available on websites for this paper e.g. Wikipedia, Encyclopedias, Handbooks, etc. Your paper needs a title page, footnotes/endnotes, and a bibliography in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style. The paper is due by the date that appears on the syllabus. The paper is worth 30 percent of your final grade. Possible Topics (You are not limited to the documents listed below but must stick to the historical periods) The Progressive Era, 1900-1916 ● Manuel Gamio on a Mexican- American Family and American Freedom (ca. 1926) ● Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Women and Economics (1898) ● John A. Ryan, A Living Wage (1912) ● The Industrial Workers of the World and the Free Speech Fights (1909) ● Margaret Sanger on "Free Motherhood," from Women and the New Race (1920) ● Carlos Montezuma, "What Indians Must Do" (1914) ● Woodrow Wilson and the New Freedom (1912) ● The Progressive Party Platform (1912) World War I, 1916-1920 ● Woodrow Wilson, A World "Safe for Democracy" (1917) ● A Critique of the Versailles Peace Conference (1919) ● Carrie Chapman Catt, Address to Congress on Women's Suffrage (1917) ● Eugene V. Debs, Speech to the Jury (1918) ● Randolph Bourne, "Trans- National America" (1916) ● W. E. B. Du Bois, "Returning Soldiers" (1919) ● Marcus Garvey on Africa for the Africans (1921) ● John A. Fitch on the Great Steel Strike (1919) The Twenties, 1920-1932 ● André Siegfried on the "New Society," from the Atlantic Monthly (1928) ● The Fight for Civil Liberties (1921) ● Bartolomeo Vanzetti's Last Statement in Court (1927) ● Congress Debates Immigration (1921) ● Meyer v. Nebraska and the Meaning of Liberty (1923)

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Alain Locke, The New Negro (1925) Elsie Hill and Florence Kelley Debate the Equal Rights Amendment (1922)

The New Deal, 1932-1940 ● Letter to Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins (1937) ● John Steinbeck, The Harvest Gypsies (1936) ● Steel Workers Organizing Committee, a New Declaration of Independence (1936) ● Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Greater Security for the Average Man" (1934) ● Herbert Hoover on the New Deal and Liberty (1936) ● Norman Cousins, "Will Women Lose Their Jobs?" (1939) ● Frank H. Hill on the Indian New Deal (1935) ● W. E. B. Du Bois, "A Negro Nation within a Nation" (1935) Additional primary sources American Memory History Matters Chronicling America Digital History (Resources section) Documenting the American South Grading The paper is worth thirty (30) points. You will earn a maximum of twenty points for primary source use (roughly 7 points for each document). You will earn five (5) points for how well you incorporate Give Me Liberty! and other history books or articles. You will earn a maximum of five (5) points for overall grammar and style. If you do not follow the guidelines e.g. you use “I think,” “I believe,” “we,” “you” and other forms of the personal in your essay, then you will receive zero points for grammar and style. Policy on Late Papers I do not accept late papers. If you fail to submit the paper by the due date, then you will receive a paper grade of zero (0). General Guidelines 1. You must use one-inch margins all around. Do not use larger margins. Exaggerated margins give papers an awkward appearance. More importantly they do not compensate for brief or incomplete ideas. 2. You must use a cover sheet that provides the paper title, your name, Montclair State University, and date. Begin typing your paper one-inch from the top of the second page. All tabs should equal a halfinch. The cover sheet does not count as a page of text. 3. You are required to use Times New Roman, size 12. If you are unable to meet the minimum length do not resort to using size 14, 16 or larger fonts. Large fonts give papers a comical appearance. 4. You must write at least 1000 words of narrative text. 5. Make sure you double-space your paper. Single and 1.5 spacing give a crowded appearance. 6. Proofread your work with care. Spelling errors will weaken your grade significantly. Do not rely on spell checkers since they are of limited value. Spell checkers cannot distinguish between homonyms like wood and would.

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7. Avoid using contractions. Instead of writing “don’t” and “won’t” write out the words so that they read “do not” and “will not.” 8. Avoid using “I think,” “I believe,” “we,” “you” and other forms of the personal in your essay. 9. You are also responsible for grammatical errors. Poor grammar weakens your message. Some common errors are subject-verb agreement, incorrect use of irregular verbs, and run-on sentences. You can find more information on this topic in A Pocket Guide to Writing in History by Mary Lynn Rampolla and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. 10. Avoid using slang and profanity in your papers. Unless you are quoting directly profanity does nothing else but turn off the reader. 11. Instead of writing “back in the day” try something like “in the past” or “during the 1920s.” 12. Write in the active and not passive voice. Instead of overusing is, are, and were try to write in a different manner. Here are two examples: a. Instead of “He was always trying to find work and he went to new areas where he could find it” use “Constantly searching for work, he traveled to new areas to find high-paying jobs.” b. Instead of “My first visit to Miami will always be remembered by me” use “I will always remember my first visit to Miami.” 13. Avoid long quotes. Instead of using an entire paragraph incorporate sentence length (or shorter) quotes into the text of your essay. The latter method will facilitate analysis. Make sure you correctly cite the author of the quotes. 14. If you decide to use outside sources you must cite them using accepted footnote models. Please see the Chicago Manual of Style for citation rules. 15. Use clear and precise sentences for your thesis statement and the beginning of each paragraph. This will make it easier for your reader to follow your ideas. 16. Do not plagiarize the work of others. For further details on what constitutes plagiarism see the AHA website at www.historians.org. 17. Prepare a detailed outline. Instead of relying solely on your memory use an outline. Outlines make it easier to organize your ideas.

Writing Your Paper A well-written paper should consist of three main parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Introduction Your thesis statement begins the introduction. A well-written introduction tells your reader what theme you intend to discuss, the main points that you will develop in your body and provides a synopsis of the argument you intend to develop. Remember that an introduction may change as you write your paper because you end up talking about something different. Make sure you go back and modify your introduction to reflect this change.

Body In this section you must develop the ideas brought up in your introduction. Focus on your themes, do not wander aimlessly from sentence to sentence but instead adhere to a coherent structure.

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Conclusion Do not forget to include a conclusion. Often students will write solid essays only to have them fall apart due to the absence of a conclusion. A conclusion should succinctly identify the main points you made in your essay. A conclusion should also contain information absent from other parts of your essay. General Definition of Paper Grades An ‘A’ paper is extremely well organized with a well-defined and supported thesis. It follows the guidelines to the last detail. The paper begins with an introduction, continues with a well defined argument or thesis supported with unequivocally valid evidence. The thesis must be presented with exceptional clarity and logic using an appropriate interpretive approach (chronological, thematic, etc.). The paper must use English well (i.e. correct grammar and usage, and contains no spelling errors). The active tense should dominate. It must reflect exhaustive use of class material and library resources (as appropriate) including use of primary (i.e., sources) materials as available and appropriate. The format of the paper must be correct in (virtually) every detail. A ‘B’ paper is well organized and ideas are presented clearly but the paper needs more depth. It somewhat follows the guidelines. The paper begins with a fairly comprehensive introduction and continues with a major argument or thesis supported by sound evidence. It must have a conclusion that most generally reflects the evidence. The thesis must be presented with clarity and logic using an appropriate interpretive approach (chronological, thematic, etc.) The paper must use English acceptably (i.e., generally correct grammar usage, and few spelling errors). The passive tense should not dominate over the active tense. The paper must reflect extensive use of class materials as well as use of primary materials (oral interviews and letters). The format must be correct in every major way. A ‘C’ paper is somewhat organized and the writer provides a clear thesis supported by appropriate examples. It loosely adheres to the guidelines. The paper begins with a functional introduction, with a major assertion or thesis supported by some kind of evidence, and contains a conclusion that at most tries to reflect the evidence or which merely summarizes the paper. The thesis is generally presented with clarity and logic with the writer attempting to use an appropriate interpretive approach (chronological, thematic, etc.). The English language is used in a barely acceptable manner (i.e. inconsistent grammar and usage, and more than a few spelling mistakes). The passive tense dominates with the active tense appearing only accidentally. The paper must reflect adequate use of class materials. Primary sources might have been consulted (as appropriate). The paper generally follows correct format. A ‘D’ paper is badly organized and the writer lacks imagination. It barely follows the guidelines. The paper lacks or begins with a weak overview and contains an unfocused thesis unsupported by valid evidence. Such a paper would contain a weak or nonexistent conclusion, or one that does not appropriately reflect the evidence. The thesis is poorly presented and there is no clear pattern of logical development. The use of English language is poor (i.e. poor or extremely inconsistent grammar or usage, and many spelling errors). The writer relies on clichés and jargon and uses repetitive sentence structure. The active voice hardly appears, if at all. The paper shows minimal use of class and other material. The paper fails to adhere to the correct format.

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