HIST 17B Essay

Write an essay that addresses one of the following prompts. Your essay should draw primarily from assigned course reading (you must cite and analyze at least three different assigned readings). You may also use lecture material. Essay Prompts:

1. The United States has long been called the land of opportunity, where anyone can get ahead with hard work or a good idea. This pull yourself up by the bootstraps ethos was especially popular during the 19th century. To what extent were social mobility and economic advancement possible or not for Americans living during this time? What factors shaped those possibilities?

This prompt asks you to explore the lives and experiences of Americans. The best answers will consider different themes, constituencies, and identities – and the way they interacted. For instance, you might examine consumer culture, labor practices, living conditions, racial ideologies, social practices etc. You could discuss farmers, immigrants, enslaved and/or freed people, Native Americans, industrial workers (e.g., in mills, factories, mines, or railroads), and managers. Remember also that gender and location (urban vs. rural) shaped peoples experience. (You could investigate some of these categories, NOT ALL.)

1. One historian identifies borders of belonging as the barriers that prevented Americans from being fully included in society. Among these borders are race, gender, class, ethnicity, age, and ability. Using at least three of these categories, write an essay that discusses how the definition of an American changed during the period 1830-1920, and analyzes how and why these changes occurred. (Remember: citizenship is one basis for inclusion, but you may wish to consider others.)

Paper Requirements:

• Essays should be 5-7 pages
• Use at least three different primary sources (i.e., from three different authors) from assigned reading
• Cite lectures by giving its number and title.
• Do not use outside sources; this is not a research paper.
• Use Chicago Style citations (footnotes or endnotes), but do not include a cover page or bibliography.
• Double space, 1-inch margins, reasonable font (e.g., Times New Roman or similar)