Second Writing Assignment for AMH 2041

Students must write a research paper--using both primary and secondary sources—that
analyzes the following:

The American Civil War has been acknowledged by most historians as the most significant event
in American History. It was the most bloodied American war, costing 600,000 lives (more than
the losses during the Revolutionary War, Mexican War, World War I and II, and the Korean War
combined). Yet, besides the shocking violence and physical destruction caused by this
fratricidal war, the conflict decided several important national concerns: the triumph of the
nation-state over sectionalism; the abolition of slavery; the dominance of industrial capitalism;
and the development of a coherent national identity. The experience of the war and its effects
are well documented. But, here are your questions: was the American Civil War avoidable or
repressible? What political, social, and economic cause(s) led to such regional division and
subsequent conflict?

Make sure you have a thesis (a general argument) and provide examples and details from
credible sources to support your answer.

• The First Draft (for Peer Review in class) is due on Friday, October 29. You must have a
completed hard copy of the writing assignment (not just an outline or a page or two) with
citations and a bibliography. The Final Draft is due on Wednesday, November 3. Before 11:59
pm November 3, you will upload your final draft to turnitin.com (where it will be checked for
plagiarism and graded). Late papers will be penalized by one grade per class session.

• This paper is worth 20% of the course grade.

• The length of the paper should be 6-7 pages (approximately 1700-2000 words not
including citations).

• The paper must be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and double-spaced.

• For background information refer to Chapter 13 in Henretta. You must provide at least
5 outside sources (besides Henretta), one of which must be a primary source.

• All sources must be correctly cited using the Chicago Manual of Style. You must also
provide a separate Bibliography at the end of your paper. You should refer to
www.dianahacker.com/student.html . The Chicago style is clearly explained and a model paper
(with correct citations and bibliography) is provided as well.