Instructions: Students will follow the process outlined below to guide them in the development of a comparative essay. The essay should be approximately 700-1000 words, and should include footnotes.
➢ Step One: Essay Purpose / Relevance / The Task of a Historian
Purpose: Students should (1) consider why historians disagree about the significance and purpose of Civil War Era memorials/monuments, (2) evaluate the quality of research and ideas presented by leaders / scholars on this topic, (3) identify at least one current controversial monument and the specific challenge, (4) identify potential solutions, (5) offer your researchbased opinion on (a) which authority offered the best position on the controversy, (b) and which solution is most appropriate.
➢ Step Two: Read and Compare the following MANDATORY scholarly viewpoints listed here. All of these sources should be referenced in your essay.
“Convenient & Inconvenient Monuments,” by Gene Dattel in Literary Reference Center (EBSCO)
“Confederate Statues and ‘Our’ History,” by Eric Foner
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/20/opinion/confederate-statues-american-history.html
“AHA Statement on Confederate Monuments” https://www.historians.org/news-and-advocacy/ahaadvocacy/aha-statement-on-confederate-monuments
“Are Museums the Right Home for Confederate Monuments”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/are-museums-right-home-confederate-monuments-180968969/
Formatting and Organization: The essay must be typed and follow college writing standards, e.g. no fragments, use appropriate grammar, develop an introductory statement and provide a conclusion, etc. No title page necessary. Your font should be either 11 or 12 pt. Your spacing should 1.15 or 1.5 and margins should be reasonable. Do not use texting language. Spell out numbers.
Your sources (minimum of six) should be both footnoted and included in a works cited section at the end of your essay. A footnote should exist at the end of a sentence ONLY when a quote has been included in the sentence, otherwise, the footnote should exist at the end of the paragraph. Any acronyms or data that need to be further clarified may also be included in the footnote. See the screenshots and tips file for more assistance.
Sources should be provided in Chicago Style format. Purdue is a useful online site to assist with formatting citations.
• Purdue Citation Resource:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_manual_of_style_17th_edition.htm