Knowledge of U.S History Discussion
For this assignment, you must analyze the main argument from this week’s lecture or article (NOT the textbook readings). You will then compare that analysis to an ongoing social, political, cultural, or economic issue in the United States today, explaining how events and phenomena from the past influence or shape the present. Whereas the quizzes are designed to test your empirical knowledge of U.S. history, this discussion post is designed to evaluate your ability to make broader, analytical connections from the past to contemporary events. Your discussion post should reflect your critical analysis of the past and present.
Scholarly Article:
Recorded Lecture 2 – (Jeno Kim): Gilded Age and Railroads to the West
Erika Lee – Enforcing the Borders: Chinese Exclusion Along the U.S. Borders with Canada and Mexico, 1882-1924
Directions:
1. Read the scholarly article in its entirety. Watch the lecture in its entirety. Select one of those to write on.
2. Determine what the main argument is. In other words, all scholarly articles and lectures have a key point that is being supported by evidence, which is what we call the argument. Figure out what that key point is.
3. In your discussion post, explain the argument by analyzing the evidence. As you are explaining the argument, you should discuss how that argument is significant for U.S. history. In other words, tell me why this topic is important for U.S. history.
4. Next, make a connection between the topic and any political, social, or cultural issue that we face today in the United States. You should explain how and in what ways the past informs or have shaped the present.
5. Your discussion post should reflect how you interpret the past and connect it to present events.
6. Please, be creative; be bold! There is no right or wrong answer! I will evaluate you based upon the quality of your analysis.