Gender Paper
The purpose of this paper is to think about the role that gender has played in American history. It will pass through Turnitin; evidence of plagiarism will result in automatic failure. This assignment will be worth 200 points, or 20 percent of your grade.
Assignment. This course focuses on everyday people and how they navigated their rapidly changing worlds. Men and women’s roles transformed during the 19th century. People strove to achieve certain gender ideals, which shaped their actions and how they related to the people around them. For many men and women, moreover, gender norms became oppressive barriers.
For this 1,000-to-1,500 word paper, you will explain how gender shaped American history, and you will trace changing ideas about gender.
You have two options for this paper. Choose one (1) of the following questions to answer:
Option 1:
• Between 1800 and 1850, how did definitions of womanhood change and shape women’s experiences and actions in the United States? You must use at least three (3) specific examples to answer this question.
Things to consider: the changing “woman’s sphere”; the relationship between womanhood and manhood; the influence of class and race on definitions of womanhood; regional differences in the United States.
Option 2:
• Between 1800 and 1860, how did manhood shape men’s actions in the United States and abroad?
You must use at least three (3) specific examples to answer this question.
Things to consider: definitions of manhood; the relationship between manhood and womanhood; the
influence of race and class on definitions of manhood; regional differences in the United States.
This is an argument-driven essay. You must state a clear argument at the beginning of the paper and use the body of your essay to back up your argument. Be as specific as possible about who you are writing about and the time period and places you are describing.
You may only use materials from class to build your argument, and you must use at least three (3) different types of sources (i.e., lecture, primary document, eBook). Take your time with this assignment. Please keep your paper focused, clear, and concise.
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Citations: The main source base for this paper will be lecture material; however, any course material can be used for this assignment, including images from my PowerPoint slides, which are on Blackboard. Throughout your paper, you must indicate the source of your evidence. You may cite your sources with the following parenthetical citations at the end of a sentence. If you include information from:
Lecture: (lecture).
U.S.: A Narrative History: (U.S.: A Narrative History, 40).
Primary document: author’s last name and a shortened version of the document’s title:
i.e., (Stanton, “Declaration of Sentiments”).
PowerPoint image: shortened version of the image title or your own descriptive title:
i.e., (“Mother of the Tigers”).
