History 271

Devine

Spring 2009

 

Essay Assignment #2 (Option A)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Your second essay is due Sunday, April 26 by 11:59 pm. [Note that this paper was originally due Friday; the deadline has been extended until Sunday.] If you do not wish to do this paper, you can wait for the next essay assignment (Option B) which will be due on 5 May.  If I do not receive your paper by 11:59 pm on April 24, I will assume you are doing Option B.  You may email your essay to me as an attachment, turn it in to the History Department office (Sierra Tower 610) during business hours, or hand it to me in person. I am willing to read and go over drafts with you.

 

I prefer you email me the paper since this is the best way to ensure that your paper does not get lost.  When emailing, send a copy to yourself on the “cc” line. If you receive the email, it’s likely I did as well. I will send you a confirmation email when I receive your paper, however, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY (and not the email server’s) that I get it. (“But I sent it to you – didn’t you get it?” will not be a legitimate excuse for a late paper.) 

 

How Long? 

Papers MUST be 1500 words. If you use MS Word, you can check number of words by pulling down the FILE menu, selecting PROPERTIES, and then clicking on the STATISTICS tab.

 

Format?

• Typed, double-spaced, 12-point font with one-inch margins all around.  Margins can be set by using the FILE menu in MS Word and choosing “Page set up.”

 

• Please number your pages (use the INSERT menu on MS Word and choose “Page numbers…”)

 

• Give your essay a title that reflects what the paper is about. (Something more revealing than “Essay #2” or “Anne Moody Paper”) Clever titles will be duly noted.

 

How to cite?

If you are quoting directly from the book, cite the author and page number in parentheses within the body of the text, i.e. (Moody, 47). All direct quotes from the book MUST be in quotation marks and must be cited. Paraphrases of ideas drawn from the book MUST also be cited. You do not need to, nor should you, use outside sources in writing your paper.

 

If you have any questions or are in any way unsure about what you are being asked to do, be sure to speak with me or the teaching assistant via email or in person.

 

How will I be graded?

You will be graded on focus (do you have a thesis statement and does it answer the question asked), evidence (do you back up your argument with specific information from the reading), coherence (is your argument consistent and understandable throughout the piece), and scope (does your paper deal with the question in appropriate depth and breadth). 

 

 

THE ASSIGNMENT

 

Answer ONE of the following three questions:

 

 

  1. Why were some African-Americans more willing than others to support the Civil Rights Movement?

 

[In answering, you should indicate in the essay’s first paragraph why African-Americans responded to the Movement in different ways.  You should also indicate the factors that could determine whether a particular person supported, avoided, feared, or opposed the Movement.  Then, spend the rest of the essay supporting the statements you have made in your first paragraph.  Draw on Moody’s memoir to demonstrate that what you’ve said in the essay’s first paragraph is true.  Among the many issues you might consider are: age, life experiences, extent of family responsibilities, level of fear, religious devotion, intelligence and/or amount of education, economic position, where someone lived (isolated rural locale vs. city), and individual personality traits.  Your conclusion should tie together the various issues you’ve examined and make an overall statement regarding the variety of African-American responses to the Movement.]

 

  1. What were the most significant barriers and challenges that Movement workers like Anne Moody encountered in their struggle for Civil Rights?  In other words, what made achieving success so difficult?

 

[Remember that impediments to success came from various sources – the southern white power structure, the cautious “go slow” approach of the national government, economic and political realities in the South, the complicated federal structure of the US government, fear among African-Americans themselves, and even disputes regarding tactics and strategies within the Movement itself. Draw on specific evidence from Moody’s memoir to show how such factors worked against the Movement’s success.]

 

  1. Why was Anne Moody different than many of the other African-Americans who lived in Mississippi?  What personal qualities made her exceptional?  How did these qualities both sustain her through difficult times in the Movement and yet also contribute to frustration and even despair?

 

[In answering, you will need to focus on (1) how Anne’s personality distinguished her from others around her; and (2) how her personality influenced her decision to join the Movement and her behavior while she worked in the Movement.  In the first paragraph, you should state briefly which of Anne’s character traits your essay will examine and how these traits helped (and hindered) Anne as she struggled to advance the cause of Civil Rights.  Then, spend the rest of the essay supporting the statements you have made in your first paragraph.]