The factors that led to the rise of big business in the years after the Civil War

U.S. History 1870 – Present

First Essay Assignment

You are to write a four to five page essay in which you discuss in detail one of the topics listed below. This essay should be double-spaced and follow MLA or APA guidelines. You MUST cite sources following these guidelines.  You are also to have a works cited list at the end of the essay.

Topic I: Reconstruction.

Write an essay in which you describe the Reconstruction process from Lincoln’s 10% Plan though to the end of Congressional Reconstruction. In this essay you are to evaluate the various plans, explain why they succeeded or failed, and tell me which plan you think was the best. Finally, you need to discuss whether or not you believe Reconstruction on the whole was a success or failure. You must back up your opinion by a well-crafted argument using specific facts from your sources.

Topic II

Write an essay in which you discuss one of the two sub-topics,

1. The factors that led to the rise of big business in the years after the Civil War. You must deal in this essay with issues such as the types of large businesses that emerged, how these businesses consolidated their power, what steps were taken to deal with their monopoly power and why these efforts were unsuccessful.
2. The factors that led to the rise of labor unions. You must discuss the emergence of labor unions, why they were viewed as un-American, what steps they took to try and secure benefits for their members and whether or not on the whole was the labor movement of the post Civil War period successful.

Topic III

Write an essay in which you discuss one of the factors that led to the settlement of the West in the years after the Civil War. You may choose from the following sub-topics,

1. The significance of the railroads in the settlement of the west.
2. The difficulties faced by farmers out on the Great Plains and how they overcame those difficulties.
3. The importance of the rise of both the cattle and mining industries in settling the west.
4. The tensions that existed between Native Americans and the U.S. Government during this period and what policies the government used in its dealings with Native Americans.

Required Sources:

You must consult at least three sources,

-Two must be a book (eBook or physical book).

-One must be an Internet source (NO WIKIPEDIA!!!!!)

*You may substitute a journal article from a database such as JSTOR for one of the books.

*Deadline. The essay is due on October 3rd, 2014 by midnight. The essay MUST be uploaded to the course website on Blackboard.

Grading: The essay is worth 100 points. You will be graded on

1. The accuracy of the content,
2. The structure of your presentation (i.e. whether the essay follows proper MLA or APA format for formal essays. Whether or not the essay has a clear thesis and does the rest of the essay clearly support that thesis),
3. The mechanics of the essay (i.e. correct spelling, proper margins
   

*Contact the writing center on campus for additional help.