The Beginning of an American Empire

A primary source reflection asks you to do two things. First, it asks you to give a general summary of the source. Second, it asks you to provide your own thoughts about the source, its ability to communicate about the past, and, most importantly, why you think it’s historically significant. You need to choose one of the primary sources we’ve read so far in the course and write a short 1-2 page essay that contains a summary and reflection component. Please read (or re-read) the How to Write a Primary Source Summary document in the “Course Syllabus and Assignment Guides” module at the top of the course. A tip: You want a balance of summary and reflection. Do not write a full page of summary and then only one or two sentences of reflection. Give yourself the space to really dig into your thoughts and explore. This assignment is graded on a check plus/check/check minus grade system, but the grade will appear as points. A check-plus is a 100 A check is an 80 A check minus is a 50 Generally speaking, the only way to “earn” a check-minus is to not fulfill the basic requirements of the assignment, either by writing less than the minimum or by not choosing a primary source document (The source would be the march of the flag or the white man’s burden)