In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson declared that “You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: Now you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please. . . . We seek . . . not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result.” (Give Me Liberty!, 1001). Seventeen years later, President Ronald Reagan offered a very different vision of equality and freedom. Drawing from your textbook, explain the differences between these two Presidents.
Your responses should be approximately 500 words. Strive to make a clear and decisive argument in each essay by dividing it into three parts:
- Exposition. Your first paragraph should describe the reading, and briefly explain what you have decided about the questions posed. History homework help.
- Development. The middle of your essay should explain your answer. It should offer details about the main arguments and content of the reading to support your claims. It should also offer background from Give Me Liberty!
- Conclusion. Your last paragraph should recapitulate your argument, and add some final point that you think bolsters your perspective.
You can use phases like “in this essay I argue . . . ” or “I think that . . . ” or “in conclusion, I believe that . . . ”
Quote a little from the readings when you find some passage that illustrates your points. Use your Give Me Liberty! textbook to provide background, or to add additional quotes. When you quote, reference your quote at the end of the sentence like this:
(Give Me Liberty!, 375) or, for licensed (legal) online versions: (Give Me Liberty!, Kindle, Chapter 5) or (Give Me Liberty!, PDF, Chapter 5).
If you want to quote my lectures, just put the title in parenthesis, eg (Lasar, “Slavery and Freedom, Part II”). If you want to quote from elsewhere (not Wikipedia or similar), more or less the same, eg (The Bible, New International Version, Genesis 5:12) and then place the full reference at the end of your essay.
But please draw your material primarily from the textbook. And don’t over-quote. Use your own words. And don’t just copy passages verbatim as if they were your own. That’s plagiarism (Links to an external site.).
Your teaching assistants will grade your papers from 100 to zero. Here is the rubric:
High grades (90+) will go to focused papers that emphasize a strong argument backed by clear references and that pay attention to spelling and grammar.
Medium grades (80-89) will go to competent papers that touch on the questions, but with less focus, organization, or reference backing. History homework help.
