The American Civil War Era: Assignment 2 – Historical Figures Essays
Final Essay Prompt
The Civil War was a struggle between two massive entities — the Confederacy and the Union. However, each side had key individuals who massively impacted the course of both the war, and the subsequent development of the United States. For this assignment, write a 2000 to 3000-word essay based on one of the prompts below.
1. President Lincoln was assassinated before his plans for reconstruction were realized. Considering his goals for reconstruction, do you think he would have considered the Reconstruction Period a success or a failure? Speculate on how Lincoln might have planned and carried out the reconstruction differently from how it actually happened.
2. It is believed that Abraham Lincoln referred to Harriet Beecher Stowe as ‘the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.’ Consider Lincoln’s assessment of Harriet Beecher Stowe and analyze the effect of Uncle Tom’s Cabin on the events that led to the war. Defend or criticize Lincoln’s statement and support your position.
3. Compare the backgrounds, political experiences, and leadership styles of President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Evaluate their styles for strengths and weaknesses, and explain how those styles contributed to each man’s successes and failures during their respective presidencies.
Formatting & Sources
Please write your paper in the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) format. As part of your research, you may refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but you must also use at least five credible, outside sources and cite them using CMS format as well. Please include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least one source from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in CMS (including the lesson title and instructor’s name).
• Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, company documents, statements, and press releases published by the company in question.
• Secondary sources come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Management. You may use like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and Social Science Research Network to find articles from these journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.)
Grading Rubric
Your essay will be graded based on the following rubric:
Category Unacceptable (0-1) Needs Improvement (2-3) Good (4) Excellent (5) Points
Purpose and Evidence (x4) Evidence is nonexistent or irrelevant to overall purpose; fewer than three sources are cited or all citations are from non-reputable sources Evidence from three cited sources is present, but does not tie directly to main arguments and purpose of the essay Evidence from at least three cited sources clearly supports and relates to overall purpose and the essay’s arguments Evidence from at least three cited sources is well-integrated and enhances the essay; main points are thorough and well-developed, connecting clearly to overall purpose 20
Structure and Organization (x3) Disorganized and illogical structure hinders understanding Somewhat disorganized, but structure does not detract from understanding of main points Structure is logical; main points are supported by organization; introduction and conclusion are included Organization is logical; structure enhances clarity and delivery of main ideas; introduction and conclusion are connected well to supporting content 15
Clarity (x2) Vague or unclear writing; reader is left with several unanswered questions Writing is ambiguous in a few areas; overall content is either not fully explained, or is too wordy for the content included Phrasing and word choice are mostly effective; explanations and descriptions are thorough without being wordy Syntax is very clear and concise. All supporting explanations and descriptions are precise, thorough, and efficient 10
Mechanics (x1) Incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and use of standard English grammar hinders understanding Several instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar Few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar No or very few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar 5
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