Primary document analysis (supported by secondary sources for context and historical narrative). You may choose primary sources from Yawp’s primary sources or any other primary source or sources.Using primary sources from Yawp or a particular chapter or theme from any primary source reader, what can we learn about the United States during a particular historical era (1500-1877)? Write a 5-8 page paper analyzing what the primary sources reveal about important issues or events that significantly shaped the nation. Your paper must contain a central, guiding thesis stating your viewpoint or interpretation of the documents and related historical events. Be creative, marshal your evidence (you must use Yawp or a textbook as one of your secondary sources and at least one other credible academic secondary source in addition to the primary source reader), and defend your views. Effective historical writing contains a clearly articulated thesis, convincing evidence, and insightful analysis.Based on your reading or research, address the following: 1) What possible conclusions can you make about the nature of American society, culture, and politics during the time? 2) What concerns seem to be uppermost in the public mind? 3) What do your sources reveal the existence of particular tensions and anxieties peculiar to the period? 4) What attitudes do the writer(s) exhibit toward any of the following (depending on your topic and thesis): politics, international and military events, economics, religion, territorial and urban growth, ideologies, agriculture and industry, transportation and communication, reform movements, social issues, gender, race, immigration, slavery, class, crises, imperialism, war, technology, sexuality, racism, leisure, the family, etc…?
