To complete this assignment students are required to write a brief essay based on ONE of the questions below. Your papers must consist of at least THREE full paragraphs, AT LEAST 250 WORDS IN LENGTH (1 type written page, 12-point type, double spaced, Word format) and must be submitted by Sunday, October 13, 11:59 pm. No assignments submitted after this date will be accepted. The sources must consist only from the textbook and lecture notes and not include information from any outside sources including the internet. Any student using an online source will receive a zero for the assignment. Also, AT LEAST 250 WORDS means that most papers that exceed 250 word minimum will receive higher grades than those that fall short or just meet the minimum.
Unlike your discussion board posts these assignments are to be considered to be more formal essays. Students should attempt to organize their essays with an introductory paragraph, the body paragraph and concluding paragraph. The introductory paragraph should include a sentence that directly answers the question or offers a direct opinion regarding the question; The body should provide evidence from the text and lectures that support your answer and broaden the discussion to include the some of the “things to take into account” listed in the outlines below the questions; and the conclusion should expand on your discussion of “things to take into account” and not simply repeat your direct answer to the question in paragraph one. Included below the questions is highlighted readings from the textbook and lectures that will provide evidence and the questions listed in “things to take into account” should help you organize your answers, offer a direction for the your discussion and provide a more detailed focus for your essay.
Consider the following statement: “In 1492, the most important event in history took place: Columbus discovered America!”
For background read Chapter 1, (1-22) and review Lecture 1, “The New World: Three Great Civilizations”
Things to take into account: Did Columbus “discover” America? Why or why not is Columbus’ voyage an important event in world history? Be sure to discuss the significance of the “Columbian Exchange.”
Consider the following statement: “Native Americans were not advanced civilizations due to their lack of advanced technology, large population centers and the inability to reshape their natural environment.”
For background to answer this question review notes from Lecture 1 “The New World: Three Great Civilizations” and Chapter 1 (1-22; 24-28; 42-44).
Things to take into account: Is the above statement true or false? Organize your answer around examples that support the idea that the statement is true or false.
If you had to live in the Chesapeake (coast of current day Virginia and North Carolina) between 1607 and 1625, would you rather live in Jamestown or in a Native American settlement like Secoton?
For background to answer this question review notes from Lecture 2 “The English in the New World” and Chapter 1 (7-15) and Chapter 2 (54-61).
Things to take into account: how would your treatment differ if you if you were black or white, male or female? What was life in Jamestown like compared to Secoton?
How did Virginia resolve the economic and social issues plaguing the colony in the decades after Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)?
For background to answer review notes from Lecture 2, “The English in the New World” and Chapters 2 (46-64) and 3 (98-107).
Things to take into account: What was the class conflict that resulted in Bacon’s Rebellion? How was that class conflict resolved? How did Bacon’s rebellion accelerate Virginia’s transition from indentured servitude to chattel slavery?