Midterm Exam
Mexican American History II: Midterm Essay Exam
Based on all relevant assigned readings, class lectures, and class discussions, write a well-organized and well-supported essay on the following topic. By “well-supported” I mean you should support the points you are making in the essay with specific, relevant evidence or examples from assigned readings, PowerPoints, class discussions and videos show in class.
Topic: One of the themes of the first part of the course has been the interactions between the Spanish and the Native peoples. These two branches formed the roots for most present-day Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Latinos, and Latin Americans. The relationship between the Spanish and the Indians was characterized by conflict, by cooperation, and eventually by the merging together of the two peoples.
Your task is to discuss this relationship during the colonial Spanish period of New Spain and its Northern Borderlands focusing the themes of conflict, cooperation and mestizaje.
You must use at least four primary sources to support your argument in the essay. You can find these in the “Readings” sections of the individual class folders from the Weekly Modules folders. For instance, you might use the source entitled, “The Battles of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco,” located in the Class 3 folder, and/or “The Story of the Virgin of Guadalupe,” from the Class 7 folder. As noted above, you must use four primary sources to complete the assignment.
You may also use secondary sources, such as other assigned Readings, PowerPoints, and videos from the course, but make sure to cite them. You may also use your previous work including Writing Assignment #1, quizzes, activities, and Discussion Posts- but cite them if you use them.
In previous assignments I have asked you to write in the voice of someone living during an earlier time period, but this essay is different. You should write your assignment using your own voice- as a student in 2024.
Your essay should begin with an introductory paragraph, which introduces your paper, contains your thesis statement (which explains your central argument), and provides an outline for your essay. The body of your essay should include a discussion of at least some of the questions listed above. You should end your essay with a concluding paragraph which restates your position. You must use the primary sources to support your argument.
Papers should be 3-4 pages double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font, with appropriate citations, and page numbers. Your paper should have MS Word standard default margins (1 inch top and bottom with one inch sides). Short papers and papers deviating from these standards will be penalized. You should not do research or copy from Internet sources, but if you do consult sources there, you must cite all sources using the Chicago/Turabian system or
the MLA format with footnotes, endnotes or in-text citations. Proofread your essay before turning it in.
Consult the Handouts about plagiarism. Paraphrasing or changing a couple of words in a sentence without attribution is still plagiarism. Any student caught plagiarizing will receive a zero and will be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students. You will be submitting your essay through the “Safe Assign” system on Blackboard.