Department of History | Sam Houston State University Fall 2020 | Instructor: Maggie Elmore
Analytical Essay #1
ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT
For this assignment your job is to answer a broad question about US history. In so doing, you are tasked with writing a 725-word essay answering the prompt below. The analytical essay is worth 100 points.
DETAILS
The analytical essay asks you to answer a historical question using the sum total of material (learning
modules, readings, textbook, film clips, etc.) you’ve learned in the course up to the date of the essay. You will not need to cite or use everything you’ve learned or read during the course. Instead, you should see these materials as a toolbox that you can use to answer a broad question about US history.
Except for the power point lessons, assigned videos, American Yawp/Give Me Liberty!, and the weekly readings, students may not use external sources for this assignment (including other internet sources). Rather the goal is to demonstrate an ability to draw an historical argument from materials provided.
THE PROMPT
The first half of the 20th century saw the expansion of the US federal government. During the New Deal, the federal government became more centralized and played a more direct role in the lives of ordinary Americans than ever before. The federal government expanded further during World War II. As the US prepared to enter the war, the federal government attempted to balance the twin goals of national security and wartime unity. But prosperity and security were not experienced evenly by all Americans.
In a well-developed essay, consider the following question: To what extent did the US federal government promote the inclusion or exclusion of different groups of people living in the United States from the 1920s through the New Deal? Your essay should focus on the different policies, programs, and legislative initiatives developed during this time period.
Make sure to focus on the experiences of at least two-three different groupings of people (immigrants, African Americans, people of Mexican descent, Asian Americans, labor, men, women, the poor, children, soldiers, etc.). Be sure to tell us about these groupings of people. What issues were important to them? What ideas did they embrace? What challenges/successes did they encounter?You will also want to make sure that you clearly identify different periods in US history (for example the New Deal Era, the Great Depression, etc.). You should pull in at least 3 of your assigned weekly readings. Your essay should span the 1920s through the New Deal. Be sure to include specific dates and events.