What are the experiences of the Thomas-Rapier family in the Americas as a whole and what do their experiences demonstrate about the connections between the U.S. and the rest of the Americas during the antebellum and Civil War era?Discuss

Secondary Source Analysis

John Hope Franklin & Loren Schweninger, In Search of the Promised Land: A Slave Family in the Old South

Assignment Criteria:

Your analysis must specifically address each of the following questions: How do the experiences and actions of the Thomas-Rapier family complicate definitions of black and white, along with slavery and freedom? How are the boundaries between slavery and freedom enforced, both harsh at times and flexible in others? In what ways do political tensions and sectional antagonisms between North and South impact members of the Thomas-Rapier family? What are the experiences of the Thomas-Rapier family in the non-slave states of the North compared to the slave states of the South? What are the experiences of the Thomas-Rapier family in the Americas as a whole and what do their experiences demonstrate about the connections between the U.S. and the rest of the Americas during the antebellum and Civil War era?

Your paper should have an introduction, which ends with a thesis statement that coherently and succinctly covers your answers to the above questions that you will later elaborate on in your body paragraphs.

Your answers to the above questions in your body paragraphs must include examples from the story. You are welcome to make broad statements (e.g., “Race was very complicated in the antebellum U.S….”), but you must cite specific examples from the book to support your arguments. You are encouraged to include information from class lectures when it intersects with events of the time or experiences of the Thomas-Rapier family. You are required to pick ONE of our readings since the Mid-term and connect it to an aspect of In Search of the Promised Land. Finally, write a conclusion paragraph that coherently reiterates your argument and brings your analysis full circle.

Do not use or consult any sources other than the book, class lectures, and the assigned readings

Length & Formatting:

750-1000 words, list your word count at the bottom of the essay. Double-spaced, 12 point font with your name, date and class time at the top of the first page. Late papers – turned in after the beginning of class – will be docked one letter grade each day late.



Citations:

Citations for previous readings should be used for direct quotes and the author’s large ideas/arguments. Citations for In Search of the Promised Land should only be for direct quotes. Class lectures do not need citations.

1) Previousassignedreadings

Parenthetical citations that include the author’s last name followed by a comma and then the page number before the period of each sentence where a citation is needed.

Example: (Helper, 418).

2) In Search of the Promised Land

Parenthetical citations that include the page number of the direct quote.

Example: James Thomas was among blacks who “were quick to point out [Jackson’s] duplicity

when it came to slavery” (58).

Submission:

Grading Rubric

10 points – Introduction & thesis statement

50 points – Body (answering required questions with evidence) 10 points – Grammar & clarity

5 points – Conclusion

Total of 75 points possible

Essay Checklist

o Is my name on the paper?

o Is my class time on the paper?

o Is the date on my essay?

o Have I doubled spaced my essay?

o Have I included a thesis statement in my essay?

o Have I used citations correctly and when needed?

o Have I proofread my essay for grammatical errors & clarity?

1) No first or second person writing like “I think Southerners…” or “when you read the book…” 2) No contractions like “didn’t” 3) No writing conversationally

o Have I turned a copy of my essay into Blackboard?

o Have I included a word count at the bottom of my essay?

Please follow the details of the paper and the citation method. The reading is Johnson, Walter. River of Dark Dreams: Slavery and Empire in the Cotton Kingdom (pg 1-17 + images).

2024 Copyright ©, onlineessaywritinghelp.com ® All rights reserved