American History

My thesis proposal, which was accepted, was about George Washington and his life as a member of the Masonic Order. There are many resources which characterize Washington as a devout Mason, but I have discovered a few that may suggest otherwise. For example, Washington was considered by some historians to be an atheist. The main requirement to become a Freemason is to believe in God.(At least during colonial times) It was also my thought that Washington’s membership was a strategy to infiltrate the British. Many know GW was a capable tactician, coupled with his spy rings, it’s a plausible notion but still remains my own conjecture. The resources for my topic may not be abundant so additional research on Masonic influence on colonial America can supplement my thesis. I am including an annotated bibliography and two papers written about Washington and the Freemasons. Feel free to use the sources in the annotated bibliography. Double spaced, Times new roman,

The following videos are from a debate on whether it is time to end Affirmative Action. Watch both videos and discuss whether you believe Affirmative Action should continue, be eliminated, or modified in some way. Be sure to incorporate information from class and/or your textbook. If you quote or paraphrase be sure to cite your sources. **You do not have to answer each of the following questions specifically, however these questions may help guide your discussion. Do you support Affirmative Action? Why or why not? Is Affirmative Action a form of reverse discrimination? Do you believe Affirmative Action has helped correct the wrongs of past discrimination? How? Does the government have an obligation to correct the wrongs of past discrimination and to provide fair and equal treatment of minority groups? Give examples. If not Affirmative Action programs, what, if anything, should be done to provide more fair and equal treatment of minority groups? Joseph Phillips in favor of ENDING Affirmative Action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY4fKqOAUZw&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uH0vpGZJCo&feature=youtu.be

Nixon’s personality may have played a part in his demise. He believed the United States faced grave dangers from the radicals and dissidents who were challenging his policies, and he came to view any challenge as a “threat to national security.” As a result, he created a climate in which he and those who served him could justify almost any tactics to stifle dissent and undermine the opposition. He has been described as being a devious, secretive, and embittered man whose White House became a series of covert activities. Reagan, on the other hand, has been described as having had a very engaging personality. So much so that even people who disagreed with his policies, found themselves drawn to his attractive and carefully honed public image. Surrounded by tough, energetic administrators who insulated him from many of the pressures of the office, he seemed to offer general guidance but not make specific decisions. His presidency was also mired in a series of scandals, but the most damaging was the Iran-contra scandal. After a series of investigations and congressional hearings, the White House conceded that it had sold weapons to the revolutionary government in Iran, and used some of the money to illegally aid the Contras in Nicaragua. This was in direct violation of the Boland Amendment. Compare the Iran-contra scandal to Watergate. In your opinion, which one posed the greater threat to constitutional principles, Watergate or Irangate? Explain.

InstructionsTask one – For your research project, select a moment of crisis in United States History between 1800-1877.As you are selecting your topic, consider what triggered this crisis and who was most impacted?In moments of crisis people often demonstrate resilience and create change.Within your topic where do you see this? Preliminary Research Once you have chosen your topic, you will need to learn a little more about it. Preliminary research is not meant as a final destination and many of the sources you use at this stage will not be acceptable as you progress. Sources for this stage might include secondary sources like your textbook, reputable websites, and yes, even Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica. Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica should never end up in your proposal. Because the goal of preliminary research is to familiarize you with a topic, by the end of this step you should understand the breadth of your topic and be ready to go into greater depth. This step can enhance the quality of your research question and keyword searches, in addition to improving the creativity of the online archives you find. Task two: Write a proposal. The proposal should come after you have selected a topic and done the preliminary research to familiarize yourself with the topic. Your proposal will contain the following:? Your topic? An analytical research question informed by preliminary research? The *sources* you will use to both contextualize your research and provideevidence for your argument. Please provide citations of sources in a bibliography for the proposal (you will use footnotes in the research essay*Sources* should include the following:1. At least 2 scholarly articles: https://www.jstor.org/2. At least 2 primary sources from archives. Archives house the original primarysources of history. Our own CSM library has an archive and a guide to using archives: http://libguides.collegeofsanmateo.edu/history/archives Writing your essay: Write a 3-5 page research essay informed by your sources. In a traditional research essay, students use secondary sources, like scholarly articles and monographs, to build background and context. Primary sources, like letters, newspapers, paintings, photographs, etc., used during the research phase to answer your question, then provide evidence of your argument. Analysis bindsthe paper together, explaining to the reader how the evidence you provide supports the argument you are making. ? Introduction and background: in an essay, this is where you introduce your argument and provide the reader with context. ? Evidence and analysis: in an essay, these are the “supporting” paragraphs. Most of the sources used here will be primary. ? Conclusion: as in a traditional essay, bring your ideas together in this final passage and link to a wider understanding of your topic. ? Citations: use footnote citations, not parenthetical citations, as outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style The rest of your paper will be graded for grammar, spelling, and quality of sources.

Write about 1 ½pages on what historical facts you learned about the invasion, and/or the impact on the men who fought there.

Utopian visions and reform movements of early U.S. history: Have you ever considered what your utopia would be? In this discussion, we’ll try something different. Imagine it is 1840, and you and your followers want to start a new community. Please design your own utopia following these instructions: 1. Write the name and give the location of your utopia. Please make sure that it’s within the U.S. boundaries of 1840 (California, Texas, Hawai’i and Alaska would be excluded). 2. How do you make your living? 3. What is your policy on children? 4. What is your policy on marriage? 5. How will you defend yourselves? 6. What form of governance will you have? 7. What are your religious beliefs, if any? Remember, it’s 1840! No electricity. No cars, etc

Using PowerPoint, prepare an annotated timeline of the events that resulted in the Civil War. The timeline should be encompassed in 8-10 slides, with images and a 1-2 paragraph description for each entry. Sources you may consult are the textbook and the GMC library. Cite all sources in APA format in text and on a reference slide. When using images from the internet, you may use a free image site such as Wikimedia Commons. Do not copy timeline events from the internet- your explanations should be written in your own words with cited references when applicable Library : www. Galileo .com password : G30rg1@M1l1t@ry

FINAL ESSAY EXAM

Create a 500-750-word essay depicting the evolution of democracy from the time of President Jefferson to President Jackson. Be sure to include the following: How was the form of the American Republic different under Jackson than it was under Jefferson? What caused these changes? Why were these changes significant to the future development of the American Republic? Use a minimum of three of the sources provided to support your assignment and be sure to cite the sources. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned about the Mexican Revolution? What do you think the main point the movie wanted you to understand is? Is there something you’re hoping another student can clear up for you that was confusing? Minimum requirements: One complete paragraph of 100 words or more and thoughtfully reply to at least one other student’s post with 50 words or more. Your responses to others should be at least a couple of sentences and further the discussion, provide insight to the author or other participants, or ask a question that would positively challenge the author. You may choose to appropriately respond to as many discussion threads as possible. Your input and ideas to your peers would be helpful and appreciated.