History 476

Devine

Fall 2007

Essay #1 (Option A)

 

Your first essay is due Sunday March 18th by 11:59 pm.  If you do not wish to do this paper, you can wait for the next essay assignment (Option B) which will be due on 9 April.  You may email your essay to me as an attachment (the preferred method), turn it in to the History Department office (Sierra Tower 610), or hand it to me in person.

 

If you complete this essay and do not do well, you may then turn in the Option B essay. I will count only the better of the two grades.

 

DIRECTIONS

 

·         Essays must be 1500 words. If you use MS Word and you want to see how many words your essay is, pull down the “File” menu and choose “Properties,” then click on the “Statistics” tab.

 

·         Essays should be typed and double-spaced with one inch margins all around. To set the margins with MS Word, pull down the “File” menu and choose “Page Setup…”

 

·         Essays should have page numbers and an appropriate title. To insert page numbers with MS Word, pull down the “Insert” menu, choose “Page Numbers,” and click “OK.”

 

·         Make sure you are citing properly. If you are quoting directly from a source (in other words, using the author’s exact words), cite the author and page number in parentheses within the body of the text, i.e. (Nasaw, 47). All direct quotes MUST be in quotation marks and must be cited. Paraphrases or summaries of ideas drawn from the readings MUST also be cited, even if you are not quoting directly, i.e. (Nasaw, 28-32]

 

·         Don’t forget to put your name at the top of page 1 of the essay before you email it. (People actually forget to do this.)

 

·         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 via email or in person.

 

THE ASSIGNMENT

 

Choose ONE (1) of the following questions:

 

  1. Why did children and adolescents come into conflict with Progressive reformers during the early part of the twentieth century? 

 

[In answering this question, draw on what you read in Children of the City as well as the readings on “wayward girls,” and the new commercial amusements.]

 

  1. Why did the “generation gap” become particularly wide during the 1920s? To what extent was the generation gap real or simply a matter of misperception on the part of adults?

 

[Though you will likely discuss changes in sexual mores as part of your answer, a thorough response will examine other issues such as the effect of World War I on young people, the emergence of peer culture, advances in technology, and the rise of a more commercialized popular culture.]

 

3.     How did money – having it, not having it, working for it, spending it – shape youth culture during the period of history we have examined thus far in the course?

 

[A thorough answer will cover the whole period, paying particular attention to the young male consumers targeted by advertisers, the street kids described in Children of the City; the “peer-driven” youth culture that emerged during the prosperous 1920s; and the effects of the Great Depression on young people such as Russell Baker.  You might also consider how money affected boys’ and girls’ lives differently.]