Civil war

Choose ONE of the assignment options

below:

OPTION 1:  NEWSPAPER ANALYSIS.

Select a notable, specific event in American history between 1840 and 1877. Read and analyze newspaper coverage of that event.  Many newspapers of the era are available in the “Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922” database accessible via the Mardigian Library website.  Additional newspapers are available in other databases at the Mardigian website or elsewhere. For this option, you must read either a sustained run of at least two papers

(usually at least several weeks or months) or, if you select individual articles from multiple papers, at least ten articles. Write a paper in which you:

1. Explain the event you selected as objectivelyas possible, including significant themes, questions, or controversies associated with it.  (Do NOT rely on Wikipedia for this aspect of your paper.  Read reliable, scholarly sources.)

2. Analyze how the newspapers you read presented the event.  How accurate were they?  Did they seem to try to be accurate?  If so, what limited their ability to be accurate?  Did they have any apparent biases?  Where did they get their information?  etc. The focus of your paper should be primarily on your analysis of the newspapers’ coverage.