PAPER TOPIC OPTIONS: HISTORY 350     back to syllabus

This handout describes several choices for the short paper requirement for History 350. Please look over the general instructions and the options described below soon and begin to consider which topic you wish to choose. 

General Instructions

1. Papers are due by class time Wednesday, March 4 at class time.  Submitting your paper early is always acceptable.  Late papers will be accepted if submitted by Friday, March 13, but they will be penalized in grading, the size of the penalty depending on how late they are. Papers will not be accepted after 5 p.m. March 13. 

2. Papers should be about 4 to 7 pages, typed double-spaced with normal margins. The 4-7 page length is not a rigid requirement, but if you find yourself going far over or under this range, you may be having a problem organizing the material or understanding the assignment.

3. You must cite your sources. If you are writing an essay on a book, be sure to give author, title, place of publication, publisher and date of publication. You must have a reference for all direct quotes and paraphrases. (Page numbers in parentheses following the quotes will be adequate--e.g. (Styron, p.38) or (Lemisch and Alexander, p.16). In these assignments, you aren't required to follow conventional footnoting form, but be sure the information is available to your reader.  For web-based assignments, give the URL for any quote or paraphrase.)

4. Regrettably, I need to remind everyone that plagiarism is absolutely unacceptable.  The work you submit must be your own.  For information on the University's policy, see Student Academic Integrity policy and guidelines on line at http://studentlife.uoregon.edu/programs/student_judi_affairs/index.htm. Then go to the link on the left side of the page: "About Cheating."

5. Some of the options involve reading another book and comparing it with reading assigned in the course.  I've given advice below on how to obtain the book you select.  Inability to get a book will not be a valid excuse for a late paper, so I strongly advise you to read through this handout soon and decide which you want to do.

Option One: "History from the Bottom Up"

Much of the most interesting  historical research involves groups (the poor and powerless, the illiterate, minorities, women) who have been neglected or slighted in many history books. It can be hard to learn about actions and ideas of these groups, but the results can be rewarding.  A generation ago, historians of the American Revolutionary era debated the significance of one group of workers in early Philadelphia known as the "White Oaks."  An article by James Hutson, "An Investigation of the Inarticulate: Philadelphia's White Oaks," in the William and Mary Quarterly, third series, volume  28, number 1 (January 1971), pp.3-25, provoked an angry reply by two other scholars, Jesse Lemisch and John Alexander, in "The White Oaks, Jack Tar and the Concept of the 'Inarticulate,'"  William and Mary Quarterly, third series, volume 29, number 1 (January 1972), pp.109-142.  After the reply there is a rebuttal by Hutson and a short note by another historian, Simeon Crowther. (Incidentally, the William and Mary Quarterly is the leading scholarly journal for the history of early America.)

These articles are available through Janus, the University Library's on-line catalogue. 
The URL for Hutson, “An Investigation of the Inarticulate...” is http://0-www.jstor.org.janus.uoregon.edu/stable/1925117.

The URL for Lemisch and Alexander’s reply, Crowther’s note, and Hutson’s rebuttal is http://0-www.jstor.org.janus.uoregon.edu/stable/1921330.

For this option, read the material (Hutson's article, Lemisch and Alexander's reply, Crowther’s note and Hutson’s rebuttal) and write an essay analyzing the clash of viewpoints, the nature and quality of the evidence, and the reasoning on both sides, and the implications you see in the debate for broader issues. What do you think accounts for the intensity of the controversy? Be sure to indicate which side, in your judgment, has the more persuasive position in the controversy.

Note that for this assignment you are not expected to do other research on pre-Revolutionary Philadelphia, early American labor history, etc. A careful reading of the articles should yield insight into the issues and the information you need to write a judicious paper.

Option Two: Paine and The Rights of Man

In the early years of the French Revolution, Tom Paine was a leading defender of and enthusiast for its principles and policies. His famous work, The Rights of Man (1791-2) responded to the British conservative Edmund Burke, who had criticized the French Revolution in Reflections on the Revolution in France. For this option, read Part Two of Paine’s The Rights of Man. This is mostly devoted to an expression of Paine’s political philosophy and includes substantial passages on the American Revolution as well as the French. Write an essay that analyzes the political doctrines that Paine expresses here and compares them with the views he states in Common Sense sixteen years earlier. You aren’t expected to be familiar with the history of the French Revolution here or with Burke’s attack on it. Look instead for ways in which Paine expands on or amends ideas found in Common Sense and for ideas about government and society that he introduces in The Rights of Man that are not to be found in Common Sense.

(Why Part II and not Part I? Because Part I is devoted more to debating Burke and to specific political developments of the time he was writing. Part II is more focused on Paine’s political philosophy.)

The Rights of Man is available in many printed versions and is also online in several places. One convenient source is http://classicliberal.tripod.com/paine/. Scroll down through links to Paine’s earlier writings until you get to The Rights of Man. Book Two (= Part II) has separate links to the Preface and Introduction, five Chapters, and an Appendix.

Option Three: History and Fiction--Nat Turner

Nat Turner's slave revolt of 1831 inspired the 1967 novel The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron. The novel, in turn, provoked heated controversy about the real nature of slave revolts, Styron's views on race, and the political significance of historical fiction. For this option, read Styron's novel The Confessions of Nat Turner and write an essay comparing the novel with the picture of Turner and his rebellion that you got from Stephen Oates' The Fires of Jubilee. You may also want to make some more general observations about the role of fiction in understanding (or misunderstanding) history, about the political implications of Styron's novel, etc. Don't, however, make such general comments the main focus of your paper; concentrate on the comparison between Styron's portrayal and Oates's version.  Which of these books do you feel provides greater insight into Turner and the rebellion?

I’ve ordered copies of the novel at the UO Bookstore but at last report they hadn’t arrived. There are many used copies of Styron's novel available on line at www.amazon.com  or other used book sites such as half.ebay.com.  Used copies are likely to be available locally as well.

Option Four: Different Perspectives on Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Vivian Gornick's book on Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Solitude of Self, is a personal statement as well as a biographical essay.  For this option, read either Cady Stanton's own autobiography, a recent conventional biography of her, or a collection of writings by her and her co-worker for women's rights, Susan B. Anthony.  Write an essay comparing the portrayal of Stanton's life, character and ideas in Solitude of Self with the portrayal you find in any one of the following books.  Look for both similarities and differences.
    Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eighty Years and More--her autobiography, first published in 1898.  Several modern reprint editions are available on line and perhaps locally.
    Lois Banner, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Radical for Women's Rights--I've assigned this book in past years.  Used copies should be available at local bookstores as well as on line.
Elisabeth Griffith, In Her Own Right: The Life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton--many used copies are available on line and perhaps locally.
    Ellen Carol Dubois, ed., The Elizabeth Cady Stanton-Susan B. Anthony Reader--again, widely available used on line and maybe in Eugene.

Option Five: Fiction and History--Haymarket

Martin Duberman's novel, Haymarket, draws heavily on historical studies of the people and events surrounding the bombing and shootings at Haymarket Square, Chicago in 1886.  Nevertheless, it is a work of fiction.  Most of the dialogue is Duberman's prose.  For this option, read a conventional historical account of Haymarket and compare it with Duberman's fictional treatment.  Alternatively, read a collection of documents, illustrations, later commentaries, etc. about Haymarket (The Haymarket Scrapbook, listed below).   Look for both similarities and differences, including differences of tone and emphasis.  You may want to make some more general observations about the role of fiction in understanding (or misunderstanding) history.  Don't, however, make such general comments the main focus of your paper; concentrate on the comparison between Duberman's portrayal and the historian's version or the collection of documents.  Which of these books do you feel provides greater insight?  Choose any of the following books:
    Paul Avrich, The Haymarket Tragedy--published in the 1980s by a leading historian of American anarchism.  There may be copies locally and there are several available for purchase on line.
James Green, Death in the Haymarket--the most recent study of Haymarket, by an important labor historian.
Bruce C. Nelson, Beyond the Martyrs--less about the Haymarket incident itself but more on the context of radical labor in Chicago.
    Dave Roediger and Franklin Rosemont, The Haymarket Scrapbook--An ingenious collection, with some used copies available on line.

A note about this option: Duberman's novel is the last major assigned reading for the term.  If you choose this option, be sure to read ahead so that you've finished it by the time you write your paper.

History 350
Winter 2009