QUESTION: To what extent, if any, was Reconstruction a success? Be sure to consider the goals, successes and failures of Reconstruction in terms of both immediate impact and enduring legacy.
Your essay should have a clear introduction with a thesis statement, a body of paragraphs that support your thesis, and a conclusion that summarizes your argument. You are also encouraged to cite lectures, but do not be overly dependent on them or any single source. You must use both primary and secondary readings.
Please make citations when you borrow ideas or quote directly from readings. Your citations can either be parenthetical or footnotes, but please do not use endnotes; citations can also be in abbreviated form since we are all dealing with common texts. Thus you need only list the author’s last name and page number(s) for each reference (or lecture number). You are also welcome to provide full footnote citations as outlined in the “Guide to Writing Effective History.”
Do not use materials other than assigned class readings and lectures. Using outside materials (including Wikipedia) will result in automatic failure. While quoting sources (especially primary) is encouraged, please avoid excessive quotations and especially block quotes. I am most interested in your original analysis of class materials
