Category: American history

This is my final paper for last semester’s intro class. I had a death in the family and took an incomplete, and now I just can’t seem to get it done. All I need is something deliverable and to get it off my plate. Thanks in advance.

I have to use sources from the semester’s assigned readings, so I have attached links to the relevant chapters/articles I’ve chosen below.

Prompt:

Option 2: What is American Studies?

(Recommended for MA students)

As weve discussed this semester, American Studies, like the nation it studies, is sprawling, complicated, and messy.

Looking back at the readings weve done for this class, how would you characterize American Studies as a scholarly discipline? Using multiple readings from the class (approximately 4-6), define what you see as important questions or methods in the field. In this paper, you can discuss how the discipline has changed over time. Or, you could approach it by identifying key threads or themes that you see as operative to the field and that you find particularly compelling.

An A paper will do the following

• Reference specific authors and readings from the semester
• Make an argument about American Studies as a scholarly discipline following from those readings
• Use and analyze quotes from the texts to support your assertions
• Uses parenthetical citations for all material from class. E.g Gone with the Wind is racist. (CLR James, On Gone with the Wind, p. #) or, As CLR James argues, Gone with the Wind is racist. (On Gone with the Wind, p. #)

I have written an introduction and thesis as follows:

As a field of study, American Studies is best concisely summarized as interdisciplinary. One could interpret that to mean scholars are given the space to study subjects in as broad a range as from nineteenth century American landscape paintings to mid-twentieth century sports leagues as a phenomenological site for integration, for example. Interdisciplinary, however, also means that scholars may approach their studies from a variety of background practices, such as anthropology, music theory analysis, or conceptual cybernetics, to name a few. With such a definition as sprawling as one might gather from the above, the question of What is American Studies? has still not been answered, and it is through an exploration of a variety of sources from the Introduction to American Studies course that I will attempt to characterize the field in a reasonably categorized and concise manner.

The discipline is focused not only on content, but also on the application of methodology, theory, and historiography. In this essay, I will use the books Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature by Janice Radway, Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, by Nicole R. Fleetwood, and Time Passages: Collective Memory and American Popular Culture by George Lipsitz, as well as essays by Benjamin Wiggins and by Theodor Adorno and Maxwell Horkheimer, You Talkin Revolution, Sweetback? and Concept of Cultural Hegemony, respectively. The works by Radway, Fleetwood, and Wiggins will function as the site of investigation for methodology and content analysis, while in pitting Lipsitz opposite Adorno and Horkheimer, I will frame the boundaries of the scope of the field. In doing so, I posit that the contrasting ideologies of Lipsitz (that all aspects of cultural expression are inherently resistant) and Adorno and Horkheimer (that cultural expression is informed by and contained within dominant hegemonic systems) ultimately support one another in the added nuance that there may not be one definitive answer.

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For structure, you could explicate the ideas of Lipsitz and Adorno/Horkheimer to begin. Then compare each of the Radway, Fleetwood, and Wiggins pieces with the perspectives of Lipsitz and Adorno/Horkheimer, or even argue why one falls into the other better. Personally, I tend to align more with Lipsitz’s view, but Adorno and Horkheimer provide an important counter argument. You could also spend time with methodology (Radway surveying women readers, Wiggins textual analysis of film and distribution/reception, Fleetwood production circumstances of art)

For quotes I can recommend a few examples for each source, and you don’t have to use all of them:

Lipsitz:

• “Popular culture has no fixed foms: the historical circumstances of reception and appropriation determine whether novels or motion pictures or videos belong to a sphere called popular culture.” (p. 13)
• “Cultural forms create conditions of possibility, they expand the present by informing it with memories of the past and hopes for the future… Politics and culture maintain a paradoxical relationship in which only effective political action can win breathing room for a new culture, but only a revolution in culture can make people capable of political action.” (p. 16)
• “Much of the power of the Mardi Gras Indian ritual stems from its force as a counter-narrative challenging the hegemony of New Orleans’ social elite.” (p. 247) + acknowledgement that degree of challenge is open to dispute (248)

Adorno and Horkheimer:

• “The mentality of the public, which allegedly and actually favors the system of the culture industry, is a part of the system, not an excuse for it.” (p. 96)
• “The peculiarity of the self is a socially conditioned monopoly misrepresented as natural… Mass culture thereby reveals the fictitious quality which has characterized the individual throughout the bourgeois era and is wrong only in priding itself on this murky harmony between universal and particular.” (p. 125)

Radway:

• “Not only do the chains make books easier for American women to obtain, but they also set up their stores so that the experience of buying a book in a bookstore seems no more threatening or out-of-the-ordinary than that of picking up a paperback while waiting for groceries to move down the conveyor at the market.” (p. 38)
• “… By participating in a fantasy that they are willing to admit is unrealistic, the Smithton women are permitting themselves the luxury of self-indulgence while simultaneously providing themselves with the opportunity to experience the kind of care and attention they commonly give to others.” (p. 100)

Fleetwood:

• “Carceral aesthetics is the production of art under the conditions of unfreedom; it involves the creative use of penal space, time, and matter… Immobility, invisibility, stigmatization, lack of access, and premature death govern the lives of the imprisoned and their expressive capacities.” (p. 25)
• “Vernacular prison portraits provide an important counterpoint to a long history of photographing imprisoned people as part of carceral indexes… Prison studio photos are crucial modes of self-representation that serve as shadow archives to governmental indexes of criminalized peoples. They wrestle against the public removal and punitive isolation of the state.” (p. 236)

Wiggins:

• “Smooth space stands in contradistinction to striated space. Striated space is the space of capital and order. Striation divides space, parcels it out, measures it, and quantifies it. Smooth space resists all these traits. It is nomadic space… Sweetback uses these smooth passageways to escape the city. He travels through the undefined spaces of the urban environment…” (p. 35).
• “Although Van Peebles flouted the conventions of production, signification, and distribution, he failed to challenge the norms of exhibition. By ignoring this aspect of the cinematic experience, he exposed his film to misunderstanding as well as cooptation.” (p. 43) (Sweetback leads to the rise of Blaxploitation films)

Write a one to three-page essay discussing 4 different things you have learned about oral traditions in Africa. Explain how music, objects, and other arts and crafts communicate information and preserve history and culture. Include specific examples from class (readings, videos, lectures, and listening examples) for each item you choose to discuss.

Here are a few ideas of things you might talk about (choose four of these or any others you can think of):

Mande Kora & Jaliya tradition from Old Mali (King Sundiata & The Legend of the Buffalo Woman)

Shona bira event from Zimbabwe (music, dance, and religious beliefs)

The spoken word in the Limba culture of Sierra Leone: Malimba ma.

Ewe Kente cloth & Ashanti brass objects in Ghana

The written word in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” (Nigeria)

Senufo (Poro and Sande Kulobele) traditional education in Burkina Faso

Below I attached some documents of some of the course readings

Write a one to three-page essay discussing 4 different things you have learned about oral traditions in Africa. Explain how music, objects, and other arts and crafts communicate information and preserve history and culture. Include specific examples from class (readings, videos, lectures, and listening examples) for each item you choose to discuss.

Here are a few ideas of things you might talk about (choose four of these or any others you can think of):

Mande Kora & Jaliya tradition from Old Mali (King Sundiata & The Legend of the Buffalo Woman)

Shona bira event from Zimbabwe (music, dance, and religious beliefs)

The spoken word in the Limba culture of Sierra Leone: Malimba ma.

Ewe Kente cloth & Ashanti brass objects in Ghana

The written word in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” (Nigeria)

Senufo (Poro and Sande Kulobele) traditional education in Burkina Faso

Below I attached some documents of some of the course readings

Write a one to three-page essay discussing 4 different things you have learned about oral traditions in Africa. Explain how music, objects, and other arts and crafts communicate information and preserve history and culture. Include specific examples from class (readings, videos, lectures, and listening examples) for each item you choose to discuss.

Here are a few ideas of things you might talk about (choose four of these or any others you can think of):

Mande Kora & Jaliya tradition from Old Mali (King Sundiata & The Legend of the Buffalo Woman)

Shona bira event from Zimbabwe (music, dance, and religious beliefs)

The spoken word in the Limba culture of Sierra Leone: Malimba ma.

Ewe Kente cloth & Ashanti brass objects in Ghana

The written word in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” (Nigeria)

Senufo (Poro and Sande Kulobele) traditional education in Burkina Faso

Below I attached some documents of some of the course readings

Answer each in 35 sentences, using specific examples from the lesson. Divine Right vs. Equality: How does Locke refute Robert Filmers argument that kings inherit Adams paternal authority? Why is this concept essential for the American Declaration of Independence? State of Nature vs. State of War: What is the specific trigger that turns the State of Nature into a State of War? How does Locke use this distinction to justify self-defense (and controversially, slavery)? Property and Labor: According to Locke, how does a person turn “nature” into “property”? How does the invention of money change the limits on how much property one can own? Right to Revolution: Define Locke’s “long train of abuses” standard. Why did the American colonists need this specific standard to justify the events of 1776? Type your answers directly into the Canvas text box. Uploads will not be accepted. Grading emphasizes accuracy, use of evidence from the lesson, clarity, and completeness. https://jupyter.historynetmedia.net/ushistory1/01Prequel/locke.html

Calvo

AMH 2020

Due January 23, 11:59pm

20% of final grade

This essays asks students to consider manifestations of American memories of the Civil War and Reconstruction. To complete the assignments objectives it is important for students to address the topics in a systematic, well-organized writing format. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully.

As noted in the module introduction, often times the narratives and beliefs that laymen and laywomen construct about historical events are rooted in the academic literature surrounding that event. That is, the professional scholarship that historians have contributed to the discourse often times trickle down into the popular historical imagination.

Prompt:

For this essay, students will complete a couple different tasks.

First, after an introductory paragraph that presents the subject more broadly and what the essay will attempt to do, students will identify two specific arguments/narratives/beliefs/perspectives presented by historians about the Civil War and/or Reconstruction. The arguments, narratives, etc., can be found in the readings organized for the module. Its important to clearly identify who the historian is and what their argument is. Students should spend one individual paragraph

discussing in full the historians argument. The discussion of two historians argument should fill body paragraphs 1 and 2. One paragraph for each historian (argument/narrative).

Second, students will match the two historians arguments identified in body paragraphs 1 and 2 to an image/monument/film/painting/engraving (some sort of cultural expression) and explain in full exactly how the image, monument, etc. illustrates the argument presented in the historiography. The second part of the assignment should fill body paragraphs 3 and 4. One paragraph discussing each work of art and how that work of art expresses the argument.

Finally, a short, formal conclusion that summarizes your findings.

Structure of Essay

For example (use this an organizational model):

Introduction: presentation of subject and description of what your essay intends to dotry to incorporate some details to give your reader a clue of what to expect in the body paragraphs.

Body Paragraph 1: Lets say you find the Lost Cause narrative interesting. Explain the idea in full.

Body Paragraph 2: Lets say you find the Second Revolution narrative interesting. Explain the idea in full.

Body Paragraph 3: You have discovered a clear illustration of the Lost Cause narrative in a monument located somewhere in the South. Explain the message of the monument, the belief system that the monument is attempting to convey, details about the monument, and most important, how the monument reflects the Lost Cause narrative. Connecting the narrative expressed in the art, monument, film, etc. to the argument embedded in the Lost Cause narrative is the most important part of the paragraph.

Body Paragraph 4: You have discovered a clear illustration of the Second Revolution narrative/argument in a painting found in a museum. Explain the message of the painting, the belief system that the painting is attempting to convey, details about the painting, and most important, how the painting reflects the Second Revolution narrative. Connecting the narrative expressed in the art, monument, film, etc. to the argument embedded in the Second Revolution narrative is the most important part of the paragraph.

Conclusion: summarize your findings.

6 paragraphs total.

The point of the essay is to connect the academic literature to manifestations of historical

memory in popular expressions. The “academic literature” are the articles written by or about Pressley, Foner, Dunning, Du Bois, McConnell, Eldridge, Budiansky and Blight. You must incorporate these authors and their articles posted to the module into your paper. Do not reference the author’s books, only the article posted to the module. You need regular references and citations to these authors in your paper.

Be practical about your selections, for both categories. Some historians arguments are complex and not easily matched to a monument or painting. Some works of art are not easily matched to the scholarship.

Use the below urls to learn about cultural expressions of Civil War and Reconstruction

monuments. But the arguments and narratives are found in the scholarly literature posted in the module. You need to use the articles posted in the module (listed above).

Disclaimer: As many of you know, the controversy related to Civil War monuments was central in the American political discourse not that long ago. Some of the websites below offer a particular perspective on the subject. Some students might want to explore other websites on the subject that are not listed here. Be aware of what that perspective is and how it might influence

the articles written about Civil War memory. Our course is designed, and the readings associated with the first module are intended to encourage students to recognize that history is filled with many perspectives and that historians

are always debating these perspectives. The professor/department/university/administration/etc. does not endorse any of the ideas or arguments associated with any of the historians you will read for this module (or any of the

modules), or any of the perspectives presented in the below websites. Use your own judgment.

Use these resources to find cultural artifacts. But do not use these resources to find the “academic arguments.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-will-happen-stone-mountain-americas-largest-

confederate-memorial-180964588/

https://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/learning-and-research/projects-initiatives/confederate-

monument-interpretation-guide/

Standards

The essay will be 3-4 pages long

Standard margins.

12 point times new roman font.

In-text parenthetical citations. For example: (Foner, 3), or (Johnson, 25).

The essay needs to reference/cite at least 3 sources from the list of required resources

(readings/videos). If the essay does not reference at least 3 sources, the grade will be penalized.

References to the images do not count. Each of the body paragraphs should contain at least 1 in-text parenthetical citations, or endnote/footnote citation.

All essays need to be submitted to turn-it-in,through canvas. I will not grade the essay if its not

submitted to turn-it-in.

Proofread the essay. If I cant understand the writing, the grade will be penalized.

The rubric is posted on the course portal.

Every essay needs a formal works cited page.Remember to cite each individual source. MLA

format for works cited page. Reference the University of Purdue page posted to the announcement page.

There is no need to consult outside sources. All of the information needed to complete this essay

is found in the module. Draw the author’s arguments from the articles posted to the module.

If the essay fails to meet the above requirements the grade will be penalized.

After completing these tasks and objectives, students will be able to:

Course Objective 1 (CO1). Assess key events, central themes, and questions pertaining to

recent United States history.

Gain experience reading and analyzing written arguments by engaging with a variety of

types of sources.

Learn and apply the techniques of writing an argumentative, thesis-driven and evidence-

based paper

Students will construct an evidence-based argument demonstrating how local, regional,

national, and global events shaped the interactions of two or more groups in the United

States. (Global Awareness)

Students will construct an evidence-based argument that integrates multiple perspectives on

an issue in Modern US History. (Global Perspective)

Students will consider different perspectives on a problem or controversy related to Modern

US History and attempt to reach a resolution about it. (Global Engagement)

Be aware of landmark Supreme Court cases, legislation, and executive actions, and historical

Essay 2: American Populism review essay Calvo AMH 2020 Due February 6, 11:59pm 10% of final grade This assignment asks students to not only convey their understanding of a particular political episode in American history, but also transmit the central arguments of a scholarly article. One of the objectives of the course curriculum is to ensure that students are able to comprehend academic researchessentially understand information that is professionally researched, peer reviewed, and intended for the academic discourse. For this essay, students will illustrate their capacity for comprehension and then express that comprehension in a short, explanatory piece of writing. The essay will focus on Turners article, “Understanding the Populists. Turners article is found in the course module. As Turner explains, for decades historians have debated the significance of the Populist Movement. When historians write books/articles they are usually in response to other historians books/articles. Historians either argue against each other, add to the cumulative knowledge of the conventional wisdom surrounding the historical topic, or on rare occasions offer breakthrough, novel interpretations. Turner reviews the different scholarly perspectives on Populism. Your task is to effectively transmit the contents of the Turner article, but also indicate a clear understanding of Turners argument and speak to the pieces of historical evidence that Tuner raises to prove his argument. Here are some ideas/questions that should help you complete the assignment: Identify the author, title, and year of publication. Remember the Turner article is your focus. Situate the topic in its historical context, based on what you know from the textbook and other sources in this class. Take some time to illustrate your understanding of populism. Identify and summarize the author’s thesis in YOUR OWN WORDS. Demonstrate your ability to read and comprehend a published article and effectively summarizing the main idea(s) of the author in a concise summary. This is the main point of the assignment. State and explain the author’s supporting ideas and evidence. Explain the underlying meaning or goal of the article, not simply the superficial details. Do not confuse James Turner, who wrote the article for this assignment, and FJ Turner, the historian associated with the “Frontier Thesis.” To be sure, your paper should address the following items: Illustrate an understanding of Populism in American political history. Transmit Turners argument. Use your understanding of the topic to identify one Populist measure that you would have supported (explain why) and one Populist measure that you would have opposed (explain why). Populist reforms are outlined in the Omaha Platform listed below. According to your understanding of the Populists, should historians classify them as conservative or liberal? And do you think the US would benefit from the implementation of more or less Populist oriented measures (either in the late nineteenth century or in the twenty first century). The entire paper should be about 4 pages. Resources: These resources can be incorporated into your essay to meet the reference/source requirement for the assignment. Turner’s article “Understanding the Populists” and Brinkley’s review of Hofstadter, “Richard Hofstadter’s The Age of Reform: A Reconsideration” are the main readings for the assignment. Secondary Sources: -The American Yawp offers a section on Populism in Chapter 16. This should help with context. -Northern Illinois University offers a solid introduction article, have a look. -And PBS has an interactive site on Populism: -As a primer to Turner, read Brinkleys review of Hofstatders Age of Reform. This will help you better understand the broader literature surrounding turn-of-the-century reform movements. Brinkleys review is posted to the course module. You must incorporate Brinkleys review into your discussion of Turners article. Primary Sources: Mattie Oblinger Describes Life on a Nebraska Range, Johnson, Reading the American Past, Document 17-3. Mary Elizabeth Lease Reports on Women in the Farmers Alliance, Johnson, Reading the American Past, Document 20-1. The Omaha Platform of the Peoples Party, (1892), found in the Primary Source section in the American Yawp, Chapter 16. Dispatch from a Mississippi Colored Farmers Alliance (1889), found in the Primary Source section in the American Yawp, Chapter 16. Writing Standards The essay will about 4 pages long. Standard margins. 12 point times new roman font. In-text parenthetical citations. For example: (Johnson, 25). The essay needs to reference/cite the Turner and Brinkley articles. The essay also needs to reference at least two of the sources from the module 2. So, the essay must reference four sources. Each body paragraph should have at least one citation. All essays need to be submitted to turn-it-in, through canvas. I will not grade the essay if its not submitted to turn-it-in. Proofread the essay. If I cant understand the writing, the grade will be penalized. The rubric is posted on the course portal. Every essay needs a formal works cited page. Remember to cite each individual source. MLA format for works cited page. There is no need to consult outside sources. All of the information needed to complete this essay is found in the module. If you do consult outside sources, understand that populism gets some people very excited and many have drawn connections to more contemporary American politics. In other words, some of the writing on populism is politically charged. After completing these tasks and objectives, students will be able to: Course Objective 1 (CO1). Assess key events, central themes, and questions pertaining to recent United States history. Gain experience reading and analyzing written arguments by engaging with a variety of types of sources. Learn and apply the techniques of writing an argumentative, thesis-driven and evidence-based paper Students will construct an evidence-based argument demonstrating how local, regional, national, and global events shaped the interactions of two or more groups in the United States. (Global Awareness) Students will construct an evidence-based argument that integrates multiple perspectives on an issue in Modern US History. (Global Perspective) Students will consider different perspectives on a problem or controversy related to Modern US History and attempt to reach a resolution about it. (Global Engagement)

DO NOT USE ANY FORM OF AI INCLUDING GRAMMARLY. Please just follow the instructions. MLA format. Not to fancy wording and provide just a general understanding of the first amendment. Nothing that overcomplicates the paper. Please only use the source given in the photo instructions.

Word Count, Word Choice & Depth

Did this Deep Dive meet word count range requirement?

1,000 – 1,500 Words

4 points

Research Quality

Did this Deep Dive use thorough and appropriate research?

1 Source

4 points

Formatting

Did this Deep Dive use appropriate formatting?

APA Style

4 points

Grammar & Mechanics

Did this Deep Dive use effective grammar with minimal errors?

No Details

4 points

Flow & Structure

Did this Deep Dive flow logically and use expected structural elements?

4 points

Choose one of the books on the list and write a book report about it and make sure to follow the rubric

What might be some mitigating factors that might (or might not) warrant leniency for Officer Amber Guyger? (See module 1 media assignment for back ground.) If you were a juror, would you be inclined to show mercy or be as punitive as the law permits? Justify your answer. You will NOT automatically earn 20 points for merely submitting the posting. The question posed must be satisfactorily answered, based on a thorough understanding of course content. All class rules apply to this assignment (e.g., citation, grammar, syntax, plagiarism, LLM usage). Word Limit: 150 Words Media assignment: