HHS 125 Essays

HHS 125 Essays, Fall 2015
Professor Russell

1. Digital Histories of Slavery: Online project analysis and critique.

In this assignment you will explore and critique one of the growing number of digital history projects available on the Web. The best digital history projects combine a collection of primary sources with some sort of analysis by a historian, museum professional, or librarian. For this assignment you should analyze and critique a digital history project that deals with any aspect of American slavery before 1865.

You should begin by browsing the American Library Association's Guide to Using Primary Sources on the Web . Then, take a look at this collection of digital history projects:

Atlantic Slave Trade: A Visual Record
http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/index.php

Trans-Atlantic Slave Database
http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/index.faces

In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience
http://www.inmotionaame.org/

Data on Slave Movement in 18th and 19th Centuries
http://www.disc.wisc.edu/slavedata/index.html

Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sthtml/sthome.html

Digital Library on American Slavery
http://library.uncg.edu/slavery/

Texas Slavery Project
http://www.texasslaveryproject.org/

African Americans and the End of Slavery in Massachusetts
http://www.masshist.org/endofslavery/index.php

Geography of Slavery in Virginia
http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/gos/index.html

Additional resources/links on slavery in America (via American Historical Association)
http://blog.historians.org/resources/887/slavery-in-america--online-resources

After browsing these digital history projects, pick a project to examine it in a systematic and comprehensive way. Be sure to keep notes on what parts of it are successful and what are not. You might also consult outside resources to check the accuracy of historical statements or to learn more about the broader historical context.

You should then write a 3-page essay that summarizes your experience. Your essay should address the following questions: what was the topic of the online project? What primary sources did the project use? Was it successful? What were the strengths and weaknesses, and how could it be improved? What are the most important aspects of the project that students in HHS 126 should know? Is there any aspect of the project that we can or should use in class? If so, how can we integrate it into classroom discussions or assignments?

Notes:
- For more examples of Digital History projects see The Digital History Project.
- As you write your review essay you should examine other digital history review essays, such as the archive of History Website Reviews from the Journal of American History or the Project Reviews at the UNL Digital History site.

Your essay is due at the beginning of class on September 24. Keep two additional things in mind:

1. You should use MLA style citations, which means you should cite your sources in the text in a way that corresponds to your Works Cited list. (Make sure you understand the different components of a citation, particularly for a website.)
2. Consult Prof. Russell's list of things to consider when writing papers for HHS 125.

2. The Debate over Manufactures in the Early Republic, 1785-1820

For this essay you will compare and contrast a variety of primary sources that deal with American attitudes toward manufacturing in the late 18th and early 19th century.

Start by reading the collection of primary sources posted on Canvas, under the title "Debate over Manufactures in the Early Republic." Then, write a 3-4 page essay with a clear argument that draws on and integrates the primary sources you have been given. Remember, a good historical explanation (a) explains change over time, and (b) uses evidence to support a particular interpretation or argument.

Your essay is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday November 17. Again, please keep two additional things in mind:

1. You should use MLA style citations, which means you should cite your sources in the text in a way that corresponds to your Works Cited list.
2. Consult Prof. Russell's list of things to consider when writing papers for HHS 125.

3. Expansion, War, and Crisis: 1844-1860

For this essay you will compare and synthesize a variety of primary sources that describe the cultural and political dimensions of American expansion in the 1840s and 1850s. Start by reading the collection of primary sources posted on Canvas, under the title "Expansion, War, and Crisis: 1844-1860."

You will see on the first page of the file a table of contents with the letters A through D on the left margin. Your essay should draw on at least one source from each section (marked A, B, C, and D). As you read through these sources, you will find plenty of evidence to address the following questions: what were the major forces that drove cultural and political change in antebellum America? How did these forces also generate conflict and violence? How did American seek to resolve conflicts that arose? What worked, what didn't, and what kinds of leaders did different groups of Americans turn to?

You don't necessarily need to answer all (or any!) of these questions in your essay. However, as usual, your essay should begin with a crisp introduction and clear thesis statement that states your interpretation clearly. Your essay should be 3-4 pages that draws primarily on the sources you have been given in the document on Canvas.

Remember, a good historical explanation (a) explains change over time, and (b) uses evidence to support a particular interpretation or argument.

Your essay is due to me via email no later than noon on Tuesday December 22. Again, please keep two additional things in mind: