US History

A pool of assorted topic questions covering various historical events and themes will be provided

All the essay topics contain at least one sub-question asking you to make connections between the past and present in some way, which is a critical learning objective for this course.

A simple Works Cited page containing all of your sources must be provided at the end of your paper.

Topic 1
What was the general concept of “Manifest Destiny”? What were a few specific events or general developments that adversely impacted Native Americans, Mexicans, and Hispanos (Californios, Tejanos, etc.) during the years 1835 to 1860? Lastly, what are some lingering consequences of the Manifest Destiny era today?

Topic 2
What were the ostensible and genuine reasons or motivations for the Spanish-American War in 1898? In the United States, who endorsed the war and who was against it and why? What were some specific outcomes of the conflict in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and especially the Philippines? Originally designated as U.S. protectorates or territories, what are the statuses of these three countries today?

Topic 3
What was the progressive movement of 1890-1917 and how was it different than the Populist Party despite many common ideas and objectives? Which groups of Americans were the beneficiaries of progressive reforms and which were principally excluded? What were three specific progressive reforms during this era that profoundly altered American society and are still around today?

Requirements

Each Topic is approximately 350 words.

Topic questions are provided at the top of each essay.

Paper is clearly organized into 3 separate essays.

Essay responses must be informative, original, well-written.

Essay response comprehensively address all parts of the multifaceted topic questions.

Specific material relevant to the topic is contained in each essay.

Considerable analysis of class material and research data is evident. Information provided in the responses is accurate.

Responses reveal a considerable understanding of historical themes.

Connections between the past and present were definitely presented.

Substantive and relevant historical information incorporated to supplement responses.

At least 1 external source employed for each topic (minimum of 3 sources total).

Sources are credible and valid for research (not Wikipedia, commercial websites, or amateur blogs).

Research data was summarized entirely into writer’s original wording. Nothing is copied and pasted.

In-text citations are provided in the body of the paper wherever summarized research material is used.

Citations are formatted to MLA guidelines.

A Works Cited page lists all sources used and is formatted to MLA guidelines.

All sources listed were used in the Topics and are matched with in-text citations.