HISTORY 26

WEEKLY PAPER #1

 

 

Your first weekly paper is due at the beginning of class Tuesday, September 12.  It must be typed (double-spaced) and 500-750 words (2-3 pp.) and based entirely on the documents in chapter 19 of Perspectives on the Past.  Do not use Western Civilizations or your class notes for this assignment; this is an exercise in primary source analysis.

 

Because you will be relying only one book for this paper, you do not need footnotes, but you should cite the page number for the information you use in parentheses.  Remember that spelling, grammar, and syntax will be evaluated as part of your grade; refer to The Pocket Writer’s Handbook for a refresher course in writing.

 

 

Choose one of the following topics for your paper:

 

  1. Although most of the documents in chapter 19 paint a grim picture of early industrial society, a few writers defend it.  Describe their arguments and assess the merits of those arguments.

 

  1. Compare and contrast the excerpts from the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” and the “Life and History of Captain Swing” as revolutionary documents.  Which do you find more persuasive as a “call to revolution” and why? 

 

  1. Based on the documents in chapter 19, what are the major ills of early industrialization?

 

  1. Based on Engels, “Condition of the Working Class in England” and the “Address by a Journeyman Cotton Spinner,” describe the “life style” of the new working class.

 

 

Do the best you can, but don’t worry excessively about this first paper.  Remember that the grade I assign will be preliminary; you will have the opportunity to rewrite it if you choose.