US History

This will be a reflection about current events and how what you have learned about American history informs them. Pandemic, economic collapse, political polarization: these are big challenges. History gives us the tools to put them into perspective and ponder good responses. Please take 2-3 double-spaced pages to discuss how history is helping you think through current events.

Please do the following:

• Use the textbook (paraphrase, quote if helpful, and always cite the page number)
• Refer to two primary sources that have been assigned in class (review your classmates’ presentations, think about which voices from the past resonate with you, quote from them as useful)
  • One of these may be the one you presented. It doesn’t have to be. You can be informal in your citation here – just reference the author of the source, or title if there is no author)
• Double space your essay
• Proof read and edit it so that it is nicely organized and thoroughly explained
• You are working here on CONTEXT. How does this event compare to other catastrophes? How have people in the past reacted to catastrophes (whether similar to this one or different)? We can try to put our current events into context by reminding ourselves of past ones that are perhaps similar, perhaps different.
  • This is not a compare/contrast essay. This is you reflecting on US history and putting current events into perspective through contextualization.
  • The bulk of this essay should be a discussion of history (rather than details about today). You will of course discuss current events, but be sure to be writing a history paper 🙂