Essay 1: Civil War and Reconstruction Calvo AMH 2020 Due May 14, 11:59pm 15% of final grade

This essay task prompts students to delve into American memories of the Civil War and Reconstruction. To effectively achieve the objectives of the assignment, students should systematically address the topics in a well-organized writing format, adhering closely to the instructions provided.

As emphasized in the module introduction, prevailing historical narratives often originate from academic literature contributed by historians. In this essay, students will undertake several key tasks.

Firstly, following an introductory paragraph that broadly presents the subject and outlines the essays objectives, students will identify two specific arguments, narratives, beliefs, or perspectives presented by historians about the Civil War and/or Reconstruction. These arguments should be drawn from the readings organized for the module. It is essential to clearly identify the historian and their argument, dedicating one paragraph to each historians viewpoint.

Secondly, students will connect the historians arguments identified in body paragraphs 1 and 2 to a cultural expression such as an image, monument, film, or painting. They must explain how the chosen cultural expression illustrates the argument presented in the historiography. This portion of the assignment should be articulated in body paragraphs 3 and 4, with one paragraph dedicated to discussing each cultural expression and its alignment with the historians argument.

Finally, the essay should conclude with a succinct, formal summary of the findings.

The essay structure could follow this model:

Introduction: Introduce the subject and outline the essays objectives. Body Paragraph 1: Delve into one historians argument in detail. Body Paragraph 2: Explore another historians argument in detail. Body Paragraph 3: Analyze a cultural expression (e.g., monument) that reflects the first historians argument. Body Paragraph 4: Analyze a different cultural expression (e.g., painting) that reflects the second historian`s argument. Conclusion: Summarize the findings. The objective of the essay is to establish connections between academic literature and manifestations of historical memory in popular expressions.

Exercise discernment in selecting both historians` arguments and cultural expressions. Some arguments may not easily align with cultural expressions, and vice versa.

Please refer to the provided URLs to explore cultural expressions of Civil War and Reconstruction monuments.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints presented in the provided websites may offer a specific perspective on Civil War monuments. Be aware of how these perspectives may influence the articles written about Civil War memory. Our course encourages students to recognize history`s diverse perspectives and ongoing debates among historians.

The professor, department, university, administration, etc., do not endorse any specific ideas or arguments associated with the historians or perspectives presented in the provided websites. Use your own judgment.