Guidelines for Second Interpretive Essay
History 174, Fall 2011
Paper Due Date
Wednesday, 11/30/2011.
Format
5-6 pages
Times, 12
One-inch margins on all sides
One-sided
Double-spaced
Specify a title for the paper
Detailed Description
You have read three secondary sources on the colonists’ movement towards rebellion:
Minutemen and Their World (1976)
Forced Founders, published (1999)
Hanging of Thomas Jeremiah (2009)
Gross explains the motivations of the farmers who took up arms in the agrarian
community of Concord. By situating Virginia’s founders as speculators and debtors,
Holton explains the paradox of the gentleman revolutionary. Harris explains why South
Carolinians became ready to join the rebellion by exploring the paranoia of a slave
society through the intertwined biographies of three slave-owners: Campbell, Jeremiah,
and Laurens.
Each of these texts challenges the commonsense understanding of the revolution in
important ways. The dominant narrative constructs the colonists as a “distinct” libertyloving people who courageously challenged British tyranny to create the world anew.
Your paper will examine the meaning of liberty (or freedom) in each region. You will
explain the tensions and aspirations of each society and the resolution of these tensions
through rebellion.
We will discuss the paper more in the coming weeks and I will add our collective
remarks to this description. Check the website for the most specific guidelines.
Citing Sources
After the sentence that incorporates the source, note the author’s last name and page
number in parentheses (e.g., Holton, 25). Since the paper is based only on the three
class texts, you do not have to include footnotes or endnotes.
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Do not use multi-sentence quotes from any source. As much as possible, use your own
words and quote phrases which would otherwise be hard to paraphrase. As a general
rule, cite directly from each source just once and no more than twice in your essay.
Rough Drafts
I am happy to read multiple rough drafts. You must submit them to me in hardcopy a
week before the paper is due. I can email you comments or meet you in person.
Late Paper Policy
There is a “flat” 10% penalty for late paper submissions.
Final Grade
I expect the paper to have no typos or grammatical errors. In addition, the sequence of
paragraphs should be logical, coherent, and persuasive. Each paragraph should have a
topic sentence which prepares the reader for the argument to follow. Your introduction
should set up your argument and your conclusion should clinch it. The conclusion should
not repeat the points made in the introduction but provide the reader with new
insights.
You will be graded on the clarity and depth of your argument as well as your careful use
of the three primary sources to build your paper. Make sure you introduce each source
(provide the full name, the date, and the setting for the source) and use it in the proper
context.
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