Essay Prompt:
Throughout this semester, you have read monographs that elaborate on the African American experience through examining a variety of primary sources, such as Civil War pension records, newspapers, speeches, organizational records, letters, slave narratives, financial records, and court testimony. For your final essay, you will examine 1 of 5 databases containing primary sources (Links to an external site.) related to slavery in the United States. The choices are: Race and Slavery Petitions Project, NC Runaway Slave Advertisements, Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, Slave Deeds of North Carolina, and Slavery Insurance Registries.
Please address the following:
- Which database did you select and why?
- What can you learn from these documents about the slave experience?
- How do these documents add to what you learned from a particular lecture, film, or book this semester (please name the lecture, film or book)
- Did anything you found surprise you?
Word Count: 1000 words, minimum (please include this on your submission). There is no maximum word limit.
Grading:
This essay is worth 50% of your Midterm Exam grade (the other 50% comes from the short-answer portion).
Rubric:
CategoryGoalsPoints PossibleArgument
- Provides a persuasive, crystal clear thesis statement
- Does not merely restate the question and offer a brief response
- Answers the specific central questions asked
2.5Evidence
- References lectures, including (if applicable) video clips
- References readings
- Provides several, specific examples
- Answers all parts of the question as fully as possible
10Analysis
- The essay provides the student’s analysis (does not simply repeat the lectures/ readings)
10Organization
- Maintains focus/avoids being sidetracked by tangents
- Presents all information clearly and concisely and in an organized manner
- Avoids distracting grammar/spelling/etc. problems
2.5Previous
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