I’m working on a history writing question and need a sample draft to help me understand better.
Please answer in complete sentences. Please remember to include specific examples from the class in your responses.
I expect that short answer responses should be approximately one-to-two paragraphs each. The essay response likely should be completed in at minimum of four-to-five paragraphs.
Please answer the questions as written. You do not need to include a formal introduction or conclusion in your essay response.
Short answer
1. Why did Martin Luther King, Jr. oppose the Vietnam War? In his 1967 speech, how does he outline the relationship between the fight for racial justice and the war in Vietnam? In your response, please describe at least two examples from his speech that identify why he opposes the war on racial justice grounds.
2. Please answer EITHER question C or question D.
C. How did US foreign policy shift from the 1970s to the 1980s: what are the main principles that defined foreign policy in the 1970s and how was the Reagan Doctrine different? In your response, please provide at minimum of one example of each approach to foreign policy in action and explain how it exemplifies this approach.
D. How did US foreign policy change after 9/11? In your response, please (1) describe what happened on September 11, 2001; (2) address how President Bush responded to the attacks in his September 20 speech to the nation; (3) define the Bush doctrine.
3. Please answer EITHER question E or question F.
E. Please compare/contrast the Watergate scandal to one other impeachment case (Clinton’s impeachment, Trump’s first impeachment, or Trump’s second impeachment). In your response, please compare/contrast the allegations made against the president and the outcome of the impeachment investigation. In so doing, please also address who you think committed the greater offense and whether the penalty fit the alleged crimes.
F. What were the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s? In your response, please (1) define the culture wars; (2) provide one explanation for why they happened; and (3) explain one example of a culture war battle.
Essay response
Please answer EITHER question I or question Il.
l. Many people view US history as a progress narrative: over time, the US has become more equal, more just, safer, and more prosperous. In this essay, please craft an argument about the accuracy of viewing US history as a progress narrative. You may agree or disagree with this claim or argue for a middle ground approach.
Specifically, in answering this question, please choose one theme/topic (including but not limited to: racial difference, gender roles, immigration, political participation, foreign policy, individual liberty) and determine whether the history of these themes/topics would lead someone to embrace a progress narrative of US history. In your essay, please explain and discuss at minimum of two examples of the theme/topic to illustrate your point and please explain how they support your argument. *One of your examples must be from the first part of the quarter, and one must be from the second half of the quarter.*
Il. American author Mark Twain said something to the effect of “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” By this he meant that though the same exact thing will not happen twice across historical time, we can see resonances or affinities between events from different historical periods.
Do you agree? In this essay, please discuss whether or if we can see historical “rhymes” between events that happened in the first half of the 20th century and the second half of the 20th century (though students are welcome to extend the timeline into the 21st century). In your response, please identify specific events or phenomena (social, political, cultural, economic, military, intellectual, media) and discuss how they do or do not “rhyme” with one another. Please contrast at minimum of two events/phenomena.
