American History Semester 1 Research Project Help

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American History Part 1 Graded Research Paper

Research Paper—Life of African Americans from the colonial period to Reconstruction

Your goal for this research project is to understand the transition in the lives of African Americans from slaves under the early colonists before American independence to free individuals in the aftermath of the Civil War in the Reconstruction era. You’ll analyze this transition in four (4) different “snapshots” of time: slavery in the colonies, slavery under the new nation, the Civil War, and the Reconstruction. The focus is to see how the fight for freedom over nearly a century was a series of small steps forward that, even in the end, still left African Americans in almost the same position despite slavery being abolished.  

Starter Resources:

           Source 1:  

Your two-to-three-page research project should address the following key topics:

  1. Introduction—Provide a broad overview of life for African Americans in the beginning during the colonial period and then later, during the Reconstruction era. State a key change between these two periods in addition to an example of something that might stay somewhat the same that you’ll expand upon later. While it’s important to write about the commonly acknowledged aspects of life for African Americans in the beginning, challenge yourself to find lesser-known details, such as the role of western African nations in the Atlantic slave trade.
  • Life During the colonial period and Under the New America—Describe life during both of these periods. Was life identical for slaves before and after America won its independence? What changed, and what stayed the same? What role did African Americans play during the American Revolution in both the North and the South? Create an argument for whether you think their role in the American Revolution did anything to change their position in American society in the years to follow.
  • Life During the Civil War and Reconstruction—Describe life during both of these periods, putting more focus on the Reconstruction Era. What role did African Americans, both slaves and freemen, play in the Civil War for the North and the South? Who were some of the leading African American figures? Compare their role in this war versus the American Revolution. Analyze the specific changes to the legal and civil freedoms of African Americans after the abolishment of slavery. Discuss the challenges faced by African Americans during the Reconstruction period.

Citing Your Sources During Research:

Whenever you use information from research on the internet, in books, or from documentaries, you must cite (record) your sources. There are different formats that researchers use to document important things such as where the information came from, who wrote the original information, and the date of the information. 

This website contains information about how to make a reference page at the end of your paper that accurately records your sources. Most of your sources should be web pages, following this format for each source:

Example 1:

Author, A. A. (2000). Title of work. Retrieved month day, year, from source.

Example 2:

Wendland, K. (1999). Navigating the Internet. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from         http://www.uwm.edu/~wendland/internet.htm

NOTE: Sometimes, you won’t be able to find the author or the date that the page was created or last updated. In that case, at least provide a title, the date retrieved, and the URL. Alphabetize by the first word in your reference.

You should include a reference page by itself at the end of your paper listing each resource. To attain maximum credit, you should use three or four different sources; this can include the two sources provided.

Formatting: 

Your paper should have 1-inch margins, be in 12 pt font—Times New Roman—and be double-spaced. 

Research Project Rubric

  Score 
Description235
      Proofreading      The paper contains incomplete sentences and many grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors (more than 10).    The paper contains grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors (5–10).  The paper contains almost no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. 
      Citing Sources  No sources are cited.   Some information appears in the paper without a cited source. One or two sources are used.   Sources are properly cited at the end of the paper.  Three or four sources are used.  
        Introduction and Common Knowledge    The paper doesn’t include introductory information regarding the beginning (colonial period) or end point (Reconstruction) of the paper’s focus. The paper doesn’t include areas of common knowledge or lesserknown details.   The paper includes limited introductory information regarding the beginning (colonial period) and end point (Reconstruction) of the paper’s focus. The paper does include limited information regarding common knowledge areas and lesser-known details.  The paper includes detailed introductory information regarding the beginning (colonial period) and end point (Reconstruction) of the paper’s focus. Common knowledge areas and lesser-known facts are detailed.
        Life During the Colonial Period and Under the New America      The paper doesn’t include information regarding life for African Americans during either the colonial period or post-American Revolution. The writer doesn’t create an argument regarding whether the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution did anything to change their position in society in the years to follow.  The paper includes limited information regarding life for African Americans during the colonial period and post-American Revolution. The writer creates a weak argument regarding whether the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution did anything to change their position in society in the years to follow.    The paper includes detailed information regarding  life for African Americans during both the colonial period and post-American Revolution. The writer creates a strong argument regarding whether the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution did anything to change their position in society in the years to follow.   
      Life During the Civil War and Reconstruction    The paper doesn’t include information regarding life for African Americans during either the Civil War or Reconstruction. The writer fails to compare the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution and the Civil War.  The paper includes limited information regarding life for African Americans during both the Civil War and Reconstruction. The writer weakly compares the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution and  the Civil War.   The paper includes detailed information regarding life for African Americans during both the Civil War and Reconstruction. The writer creates a strong comparison between the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution and the Civil War.  
  TOTAL    ____ /25 = _____%   Maximum score: 100%  
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