HISTORY 1301 STUDY GUIDE
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updated: 5/16/13
EXAM STUDY GUIDES:
Click here for the Exam 1 Study Guide
Click here for the Exam 2 Study Guide
Click here for the Exam 3 Study Guide
Click
here for the Final Exam Study Guide
BOOK TEST STUDY GUIDES
Click here for the Naked Quaker Study Guide
Click here for the Heartbreak of Aaron Burr Study Guide
Click
here for The Wanderer Study Guide
STUDY GUIDE: EXAM #1
NOTE:
STUDY GUIDES PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXAM. THEY
ARE NOT COMPLETE SOURCES OF INFORMATION. USE THE GUIDES BUT ALSO STUDY
INFORMATION NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED HERE.
REMEMBER,
NO EXAM IN THIS CLASS IS DESIGNED TO TRICK. THERE ARE NO TRICK
QUESTIONS. ANSWERS ARE EITHER RIGHT OR WRONG.
Lecture One:
Europe Before the Discovery of the
This lecture sought to
explain why Europeans were the first to discover the
At minimum, therefore, you
need to know the following:
Lecture Two: The
Europeans often assumed
that the
At minimum, therefore, you
need to know the following:
Lecture Three: Explorers (Written)
This lecture simply
studied some of the explorers who arrived in the
So you need to know the
following:
Lecture Four: The British Arrive
Lectures now turned to the
primary subject of American colonization (at least in
So you need to know the
following:
Lecture Five: Colonial
Lectures now turned to one
of the early British colonies planted in the North. This lecture gave the
history of
So you need to know the
following:
Lecture Six: The Other Colonies (written)
Having detailed the major
colonial efforts in
So you need to know the
following:
Lecture Seven: Colonial Slavery
Lectures now turned to one of the more troubling aspects of colonial society and examined African slavery. This lecture studied the origins and operations of the African slave trade, the people and terminology involved, and it discussed slavery in the North American colonies.
So you need to know the
following:
Lecture Eight: The Colonies in the 1700s
This lecture dealt with cultural, social, and political developments in the British colonies during the 1700s. During this century, the colonies began to emerge from the wilderness. As many European visitors noticed, the colonies started to look more like mature civilizations and less like frontier outposts. The 1700s saw the emergence of colonial cities, colonial newspapers, a postal system, a new interest in luxury, higher education, and manners, and the development of political systems and customs that would have some significance in the coming American Revolution.
So you need to know the
following:
Lecture Nine: Danger in the Colonies and the French and Indian War
This lecture dealt with an
important element of colonial society - the presence of war. It noted
that through the 1600s and into the 1700s, British colonists experienced a
variety of conflicts, including Indian wars and border battles with
So you need to know the
following:
Lectures Ten and Eleven: The Road to Revolution
Simply put, these lectures
traced the road to the American Revolution. They described the chain of
events that led American colonists to declare their independence from
So you need to know the
following:
LECTURE TWELVE: The American Revolution and The Great Awakening/Enlightenment (Written)
The Great Awakening/Enlightenment lecture described two significant intellectual movements in 1700s America.
You'll need to know:
American Revolution.
You need to know the following:
ENTERING
THE NEW REPUBLIC! For the middle part of the class, lectures turned to an
examination of the young
The Social Revolution:
This lecture examined another side of the American Revolution. Most
people associate the Revolution with military conflict -- the the battles that took place between colonists and British
soldiers. This lecture explained how there was more to the Revolution
than just the fighting. It argued that the Revolution, by breaking the
political and social ties between
So you need to know the following:
The Northwest Ordinance: (Written)
This lecture dealt with one of the few achievements of the United States government under the Articles of Confederation.
So you need to know the following:
THE
CONSTITUTION:
This lecture dealt with the evolution of the
So you need to know the following:
The 1790s:
This lecture dealt with the early operation of the new republic. After
the ratification of the Constitution,
So at minimum you need to know this:
1800 and the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson:
Here, lectures turned to the resolution of the social and political conflict
started in the 1790s. Lectures argued that political leaders of the
1790s, capable but inexperienced men faced with slew of difficult issues, drove
the national to the brink of destruction. In 1800, though, when the
people voted Jeffersonian Republicans into office and removed Federalists, the
great conflicts of the 1790s in large part resolved. Through the
"Revolution of 1800s," the people spoke and brought to a conclusion
the bitter battles that had come to dominate politics and society.
So you need to know the following:
The Federal Courts: (Written)
This written lecture dealt with the emergence of the "mystery branch" of the United States government. Of all the three branches, the judiciary was the least-developed in the Constitution. Therefore, shaping its function and powers would fall to the people who worked in the federal courts. This lecture dealt with the laws that created the court system and the actions of the judges - one in particular - who made the courts viable and powerful elements of the US government.
So you need to know the following:
American
Behavior after 1800s, the road to 1812, the War of 1812:
Lectures now considered the behavior of the American people during the
period of the
So you need to know the following:
American
Ambition: Written
This information is from the study guide. Remember that the study
guide provides lectures in written, rather than spoken, form. The Age of
Ambition information covers developments in American history immediately after
the War of 1812. Lectures argued that Americans, confident from their
success in the War of 1812, no longer feared that their republic would
fail. Instead, bolstered by the great victory at
So you need to know the following:
Political Ambition: Lectures
also discussed how, as Americans realized their ambitions in the early 1800s,
they also began to desire more popular control over
national and state politics. Accordingly, by the 1820s most states
extended the vote to record numbers of people and opened new offices to popular
election. Lectures discussed how these changes affected political culture
in the
So you need to know the following:
The
Downside of Ambition: (Written)
At this point,
lectures addressed a rather alarming development in American society.
During the Age of Ambition, just as the
So you need to know the
following:
TSTUDY
GUIDE: FINAL EXAM
Old South:
This lecture dealt with the Old South -- the South as it was before the Civil War. It deconstructed the South, meaning that it dismantled the South into its component parts. This lecture compared the Upper South to the Lower South. It also examined the various classes of southern: the Planter, the Farmer, the Cracker, the Free Black, and the Slave.
So at minimum, you need to
know the following:
The 1830s:
This lecture dealt with
what was termed "the decade of discovery." Here, lectures
argued that the Nullification Crisis and the
So at minimum, you need to
know this:
Reforms: (Written - NOT IN SUMMER
SECTIONS)
In a free society, ambition
may take on a number of forms. Some
people are ambitious to get land or make money.
Some want to invent. And some
want to produce new philosophies, artistic expression, literature
or establish new standards in terms of what is considered right and wrong,
moral and immoral.
So you need to know the following:
· American philosophy – transcendentalism and its proponents
· Brook Farm
·
· Shakers
· Mormons
· Temperance Reform
·
· Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony
· Antislavery reform (also called abolitionism). Study the movement and its evolution.
· William Lloyd Garrison - a major antislavery reformer
The
Here, lectures turned to a
much simpler subject. This lecture dealt with the history and evolution
of the
James
Polk and Expansion in the 1840s:
Written in on-campus classes.
Having established with
the
So you need to know
this: (Don't forget to put ALL your information in the proper
dates. That's true for all of these lectures.)
Road to the Civil War:
Lectures now turned to the
decade from 1850 to 1860, the time period when the
So you need to know the following:
The Civil War:
What's to explain? Lectures covered the Civil War in varying levels of detail, depending on the class.
THE RECONSTRUCTION SECTION: Yes, this class finishes with Reconstruction. Written
Reconstruction: This concerns northern efforts to rebuild the South after the Civil War. It was a long and rather complex process. PLEASE read the following quick analysis of Reconstruction. You should supplement this with the textbook.
What you want to know is this:
CUMULATIVE
SECTION:
Here, the test will cover broad themes from class. Be on the lookout in your notes for subjects, issues, themes that cut across all three of the sections covered in HIST 1301. This class was divided into three periods: Colonial, Early Republic/Age of Ambition/Road to Civil War.
So at minimum you need to
know the following:
Again, these are just SOME of the subjects you need to consider. Find
your own significant subjects in
To do well on the Naked Quaker test, be sure to study the following:
The author - who wrote the book; what are her credentials.
The book - how it is organized, sources employed.
The research involved - where did the author find the information from this book? What records were examined?
In terms of content, you want to have a pretty good grasp of the following:
You also need to be familiar with these subjects, specifically.
Smuttynose Island
The story of Faith Black
Blaze Vinton
The case of the Naked Quaker
Henry Dunster
The story of Silvanus Warro
The Case of Mrs. Elizabeth Godman
STUDY GUIDE: HEARTBREAK OF AARON BURR
To
do well on this test, please be familiar with the following:
A
fair amount of attention needs to be focused on the author and the
research. Brands is
an outstanding historian, but examine the sources he made use of for this monograph. Also take a look at what’s not included in
the chapters: Are there footnotes? Endnotes? Are his quotes cited?
Who
is H.W. Brands himself? Be sure you’re familiar with the author.
How is the book presented? How is it organized? Is this a true biography or Aaron Burr? Does it cover his life, or does this book have a different purpose?
The
test will cover the story that unfolds in Heartbreak, so be sure you
have a pretty good sense of what happens.
The storyline here is important.
Dates
are always important as well, so do your best to figure out when events are
happening. This isn’t the easiest book
for figuring out dates, but it can be done with a little patience.
Examine
the title – what is the heartbreak of Aaron Burr? What is the author talking about? Could it be more than one thing?
Aaron
Burr himself is important, of course.
Study the man, his family, his education, intelligence, opinions about
women, about slavery, his training, career, actions, fate. What political offices did he hold? Where did he end up? How did he rank among the founders at the
height of his political career? Why do
you suppose he’s not remembered as much as his colleagues? What did his contemporaries say about
him? What do you think about him?
Have
a look at the relationship between Burr and his daughter. What was that like? What clues do we have about what they thought
about each other?
Pay
close attention to the two big turning points in Burr’s life prior to the end
of the book – the killing of Hamilton and the whole western expedition
episode. Pay close attention to
both of those affairs. The whole trial
for treason needs to be studied thoroughly.
Take a look at the arguments made by the prosecution and the defense. The witnesses and their
testimony. What John Marshall
ruled about treason.
The outcome of the trial itself.
And
you might wonder: what in the world was
Burr doing out in the west, do you think?
Aaron
Burr is complicated, and historians have different interpretations of him. What is Brands’ take on this individual? In other words, what do you think Brands
thinks about Aaron Burr?
How
does this book end? When?
As
far as individual people in the book, you should have a sense of the importance
of these individuals/things:
Alexander
Hamilton
Thomas
Jefferson – how does he come across in this book?
Jonathan
Edwards
Richmond
Hill
Theodosia
Burr (mother and daughter)
Joseph
Alston
James
Wilkinson
James
Eaton, Thomas Truxton, Peter Taylor – know these
prosecution witnesses and what they testified about.
John
Marshall
Here’s
a book about as different from The Naked Quaker and The Heartbreak of Aaron
Burr as you can get.
This
is why it pays off to learn about the author and the author’s background when
reading.
The
Naked Quaker and Heartbreak were written by
subject experts. The Naked Quaker
had to do with lawsuits and was written by a lawyer with a background in
history. Heartbreak was written
by a professional historian.
Who
wrote The Wanderer? What is the
author’s background and training? Now
take a look at how the book is organized, the events that are included. What might the author’s background have
influenced how he put this book together?
How might it have influenced what he chose to include? How is a journalist going to be different
from a historian in working with this information?
You
want to think about what happens when a journalist writes. Journalists and historians both place an
extremely high premium on accuracy. But
what is different about them? What do
journalists want their writing to do that historians don’t particularly care
about?
So,
check out the author, his research, his sources. The journalists are often meticulous
researchers. Check it out.
Now,
to get the full effect of this book, you also need to get into the title. This book is about a slave ship “and the
conspiracy that set it sails.” What
conspiracy is the author talking about and is there more than one?
There
are actually a couple of conspiracies at work here.
Obviously,
there’s the undercover plot to get Wanderer
turned into a slave vessel and to get African slaves to the United States. On the surface, that’s what the author is
talking about when he says “conspiracy,” right?
Right.
That’s the conspiracy that takes up the first part of the book.
But
look deeper. There’s another conspiracy
at work as well. As you read The
Wanderer, you’ll find
it often sidetracks into southerners and the South itself. You’ll find it mentions people called “fire
eaters.”
Your
primary villain in this book – Charles Lamar – was a southern Fire Eater before
the Civil War, meaning he was one of a small number of men who REALLY wanted
the South to break from the North and become a new nation. Guys like Lamar weren’t afraid of the North
or afraid of what might happen if they broke up the United States. On the contrary, they WANTED to break it
up.
There
weren’t a lot of Fire Eaters in the South before the Civil War, so we sometimes
overlook them in history surveys. I
mean, they’re kind of a fringe group.
Notice in the book the powerful moment on page 183 when a Fire Eater – Leonidas Spratt – is interrupted in a speech about disunion
by Henry Foote of Mississippi. Foote’s
screaming “TREASON!” at Spratt, showing disgust at the Fire Eaters’ ideas about
breaking up the USA. Very few
southerners before the Civil War were true Fire Eaters.
Which didn’t please the men who were. They wanted disunion, darnit!
So they did things to try and push
southerners into the extremist way of thinking.
Spratt’s speech is one of those things.
Your book also goes into how the Fire Eaters helped break up the Democratic Party in 1860, which made it that much easier for
the USA to slide into Civil War.
But
the most dramatic thing the Fire Eaters did is the second conspiracy in this
book. They tried to use the African
slave trade to increase the level of hatred between North and South. The Conspiracy that set Wanderer’s sails wasn’t just the conspiracy to trade African
slaves. It was also the conspiracy to
bring African slave trading into the newspapers, to force northerners to
condemn it, then to laugh in the face of northern outrage, to be as obnoxious
as possible, and thus build northern the anger more and more.
The
idea was to use slave trading to make the North so angry, northerners would say
or do something that would offend even the calmest southerners and turn them
into Fire Eaters. Plus, slave trading
would also remind the North how different it was from the South.
So,
the second conspiracy was nothing less than an undercover attempt to raise
tensions to the breaking point between North and South. Remember, Fire Eaters WANTED tension, wanted
anger, wanted the nation to break up.
What better way to drive a wedge between North and South than to do
something really controversial with slavery?
And
if you REALLY wanted to tick off the North, what better way than to trade
slaves under the flag of the New York Yacht Club?
OK,
so that’s a brief history lesson. The
point is, be familiar with both conspiracies – how
they played out, who was involved in them.
Know the primary players involved in the conspiracy to trade African
slaves on Wanderer. Know the primary players involved in the
conspiracy to use that African slave trade to destroy the United States. Charles Lamar is involved in both, of
course. He’s largely the mastermind of
both, though he doesn’t appear much in the actually slave trading part. He couldn’t be directly involved with sailing
Wanderer. Northerners knew who he was, what he
wanted. They were looking for his name
on ships.
Now then . . .
There’s
a TON of information in this book, I know.
So here are some basics you should know:
Start
with context. What time period are we
talking about for this book? When do the
Wanderer conspiracies happen? What’s the situation in the USA at the time?
The
major players:
Charles
Lamar. He’s huge. Know his family, his history, his
personality, his attempts to start the African slave trade (Wanderer was not his first ship), his
bullying behavior, his fate (don’t forget that). He comes across almost like he’s
unbalanced. What might account for his
extreme behavior – so extreme that his own father sort of condemns or disowns
Charles’ behavior.
Gazaway
Lamar
The major slave traders themselves –
the men who sailed Wanderer to
Africa.
Corrie, Farnum, etc.
Wanderer’s original owner.
Joseph Ganahl
and his role fighting the slave traders. Don’t forget to consider the fates of all the
major players.
Andrew McGrath and his role in
protecting the slave traders.
The
Fire Eaters themselves. Take a look at
their arguments against the North.
Leonidas
Spratt and his speech – which is a strong statement of the Fire Eater position. Know the content, location, date of the
speech. Take a look at Spratt as well.
Wanderer itself. This ship has a length and complex
history. I’m not going to be testing on every
little thing that happened with this vessel, but you do need to know why it was
originally built, its original status as a racing vessel, its elegance. Take a look at how it was transformed into a
slaver and the various things that happened to it after Lamar used it to
transport Africans. You do not have to
know the name of every individual who ever owned or used this vessel.
Ward
Lee and what happened to his family.
Here, the author has done a magnificent job of tracing his family up to
the modern day. His work on Lee’s
descendents is one of the best parts of the book.
ALSO:
Take
a look at the African Slave Trade in the 1850s.
When this book gets into the mechanics of the trade, it makes some of
its finest contributions to history.
Take a look at how the trade was managed in the 1850s, who was involved,
how Africans were taken into captivity, how nations tried to stop the trade in
human beings, etc.
Where
were African slave trading offices located in the USA in the 1850s? Why?
Where were these businesses sending African slaves?
Pages
192-194 go into the legal history of the African slave trade in the US. This is worth knowing.
What
happened to the slave traders and conspirators?
Did any of them go to jail for breaking US law? Did anyone serve time or pay a huge
fine?
What
kind of criticisms can you make about this book? Is it organized well? Is it clear?
Is anyone missing? Do we know
anything about the nameless Africans who were stuck on Wanderer? Are you OK with
not knowing about them or do they deserve a bigger place in this book?
Obviously,
in a book this size, there will be things that come up on the test that may not
be covered here. There will not be
anything extreme, however. I’m not
intending to ask what date the trial of Charles Lamar began or the order of
witnesses or the exact date that Wanderer
arrived in the Congo River.
No
writing on this test.
To do well on the Sultana test, be sure to study the following: (This book and the preparations required for the exam are pretty straightforward.)
THE AUTHOR - who wrote the book; what are his credentials?
THE BOOK - how is it organized? Any pictures?
THE BACKSTORY:
What trip was the ship making at the time of the disaster? Where did it start? Where, exactly, was the explosion?
Who were the passengers? How many people were on board at the time of the disaster?
Know the context of the disaster - what was happening in the US when this occurred? The soldiers on board were fresh from what experience?
Why were so many people loaded onto "Sultana" and where were they headed? Where were they loaded?
What military department was in charge of overseeing the process?
How badly overloaded was the ship? Did anyone notice?
What was the process involved in loading the ship - who decided to put the men on board, who decided "Sultana" would be the means of transport? Why weren't other ships involved?
THE SHIP AND THE DISASTER:
Who owned and operated "Sultana?" Who was the captain? Why did he allow his ship to be so overloaded?
What kind if ship was "Sultana"? Were there any problems associated with this type of vessel?
Was anything wrong with the ship when it departed Vicksburg?
What day/hour was the disaster?
What caused the explosion and fire?
What happened? (How did the disaster unfold?)
Did the ship sink?
How many died? Have a look at the rolls at the end of the book to learn the fates of many of the crew and captain, the civilians, and the soldiers.
Was this the worst disaster of its type in US history?
THE AFTERMATH:
Study the investigation of the Washburn Commission.
What did most of the participants in the disaster accuse each other of doing?
What was the Washburn Commission's conclusion about the cause of the disaster?
What was the military commission's conclusion about who was responsible for the disaster?
The fates of Frederic Speed and Reuben Hatch. Were they tried? Convicted? What happened to them in subsequent years?
Did anyone serve time for the "Sultana"accident?
In subsequent years, did the government do anything to reward the survivors or the widows of those lost? Was a national monument erected? What did survivors end up doing for themselves?
You also need to be familiar with these subjects, specifically:
Sultana - the ship itself
The Sultana Disaster
Andersonville
Cahaba Prison
Captain Frederic Speed
Lt. Col. Reuben Hatch
The experience of Ann Annis
Captain Kerns' testimony before the military commission's investigation of the disaster.
The various theories about what caused the boat to explode.
First, remember that the paragraph is the
fundamental means of communication in English. Thesis papers, presentations, proposals,
arguments -- all these things are just collections of paragraphs.
And the simplest fact of writing is this: If your paragraphs are no good, nothing you write will be any good either. Writing lives and dies on the paragraph. Crappy paragraphs = crappy ideas = crappy presentations = crappy proposals.
If you do NOTHING ELSE in college, learn to write good paragraphs. If you forget the CIVIL WAR, remember how to write good paragraphs.
So how do you write a good paragraph? You need three things:
Organization
Good information
PERFECT ENGLISH.
And it's not that hard to get all three.
Start with organization. EVERY paragraph should start with what's called a TOPIC SENTENCE. The topic sentence tells the reader (who is clueless) what the paragraph is going to be about.
This is make-or-break. Most people have NO IDEA how weird readers can be. If your topic sentence doesn't get them oriented correctly, you lose. REMEMBER: Most readers are orbiting Pluto most of the time. You have to bring them back and get them focused. That's what your topic sentence is for.
THE TOPIC SENTENCE:
Let's say you're writing a paragraph ID of BLAZE VINTON - a subject from The Naked Quaker. The topic sentence is responsible for clearly introducing the subject to the reader - for CLEARLY telling the reader that you're not writing about a fire, a banker, a type of motorcycle, a horse, a brand of barbeque sauce. You NEVER know with readers. A lot of readers will see BLAZE VINTON and think "VEGAS, baby!"
So, you've got to come up with an opening sentence that forces the reader to perceive EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT HIM/HER TO PERCEIVE. You've got to write something that gets all the other, weird, interpretations out of his/her head. Writing is a fight. YOU want your reader to picture what you're describing. YOUR READER, on the other hand, wants to think about doughnuts or catnip or that big bird that was by the road this morning. You have to fight to get him/her focused.
So, for an opening sentence, you need something short and precise. Something like this:
In December, 1676, Blaze Vinton was part of a bandit group that terrorized the settlers of Salem, Massachusetts.
Or this:
Blaze Vinton lived in Massachusetts in December , 1676.
GOTCHA! See how there's no place for the reader to go? There's nothing left to interpretation. You've got your reader in the 1600s, in Massachusetts, thinking about a man named Blaze Vinton. There's no escape. There's no way the reader can picture anything else.
NEVER open a paragraph with anything imprecise or gray. NEVER write something like this:
Blaze Vinton was a colonist who was picked up for a crime.
WONDERFUL. Just think what your reader is going to do with that. A colonist could mean someone in outer space. Or maybe New Zealand! Or perhaps an ANT colony! And "a crime?" In the hands of a reader, that could be ANY CRIME. ANY. CRIME.
OK, now that you've got your reader locked in place with your opening paragraph, all you need now are three-seven sentences with fact. Let's continue on with BLAZE VINTON. What do we know about this guy?
Out of this, get three-seven sentences with good facts. What are GOOD facts? Again, things that leave NOTHING to interpretation by the reader. FIGHT TO CONTROL THE READER. Make your information precise and specific.
ORGANIZE your facts. Don't kill your subject on the second sentence, then describe his career, his birth, and then toss in something about the biggest moment of his life at the very end. Bounce all over the place like that and your reader will simply put down the paragraph and walk away. And if THAT paragraph is the ONE PARAGRAPH they HAVE TO KNOW to buy their house or understand their lawsuit or something, then you're in TROUBLE.
Finish the whole affair with ONE, SIMPLE, conclusion. Don't go nuts. Readers hate nuts. The conclusion sentence really just tells the reader "THIS PARAGRAPH IS NOW OVER. STOP READING THIS PARAGRAPH."
In the end, you should have something like this:
In December 1676, Blaze Vinton was part of a bandit group that terrorized the settlers of Salem, Massachusetts. (Topic sentence). For three days, this group harassed people on the King's Highway in Salem, stealing one man's hat, issuing challenges, and vandalizing fishing gear. In the evening of December 9, they attempted to rob three travelers near Darling's Tavern, forcing the men to stop, grabbing one and severely beating him. Though he was present and part of the bandit group, Blaze Vinton did not participate in the attack; instead, he actually intervened to stop the beating, saving the victim's life. Vinton was captured and stood trial with the other bandits. During the proceedings, several victims came forward to point out that Vinton never harmed them, that he seemed to stay back as they were harassed. The court recognized that Vinton was not as violent as the other bandits and gave him a light punishment. In March, 1677, a judge ordered Vinton to post bond for good behavior, and then lifted the bond in June, 1677. He never got in trouble again. (Wimpy conclusion on my part.)
OK, that's not the greatest paragraph in the history of the world, but if you read it, you won't have any room for reader weirdness. This paragraph describes Vinton in as precise a fashion as possible. It puts the reader in an exact time, an exact place, gives him exact actions to perform, assesses his personality, and assigns him a precise fate. There's nothing for the reader to interpret. It's also organized chronologically. The reader can follow the story. It's not jumping all over the place.
The only thing missing is a sense of what Vinton looked like, his age, his education, his job, his marriage, family, death. That's good information to have in a paragraph that's describing a person. However, that information is not in the source. If the author had included any personal information, that would be in this paragraph as well.
What's NOT in the paragraph is something like this:
Blaze Vinton was a colonist who committed some crimes. He was arrested and taken to jail. At his trial, some men said that he wasn't violent and that he saved their lives by stopping a beating. Vinton was let off, though his friends got branded. He then left the colony.
WHOOOOSH! There went the reader. There are ALL KINDS of problems in this one. Problems like this:
FACTUAL FLAWS: Vinton wasn't taken to jail or if he was the source doesn't say that. Don't put words into the source.
He only saved one life - one man was being beaten, not several.
We don't know that he left the colony.
His friends weren't branded.
IMPRECISION: He was in a colony. That's great! What colony? The one on Jupiter?
He committed some crimes? Like what? Arson? Dress code violation? Mail fraud? Theft of services? Carjacking? I know! He was a ponzi scammer! Yeah! Or maybe a tagger! I bet that's it!
Some men said he wasn't violent? What men? Just random people off the street? Cab drivers? Farmers? Gamers? Professional skiers?
He left the colony? What colony? Huh?
PERFECT ENGLISH. How do you get this? By editing. Most writers think it's over when they finish writing. WRONG. It's just started when you finish writing. Writing it ONCE is nothing. You've barely begun on the project. After you writing it once, you have to sweep it FOUR TIMES. FOUR TIMES.
Go like this:
Sweep once for awkward moments and grammar. Make sure nothing seems a little weird. Nothing seems a little awkward. Make sure the tenses are all the same.
Sweep twice for punctuation. Sweep once looking only at commas. Don't read. Just find all the commas and check them. Make sure no comma is between two sentences.
Sweep again for punctuation, looking at everything BUT commas.
Sweep one more time and read everything this time. How does it sound? Is your information precise enough? Do your sentences make sense? Is the organization good? The sentences aren't awkward, are they?
NOW you're done.
MORE TIPS ABOUT CONTENT:
Space
and time limitations make paragraph identifications rather precise
exercises. Keep them simple with a
standard WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, WHERE, SIGNIFICANCE approach. That means a good ID of a person will have
information about the following (when you can get it):
·
Appearance
– a pretty basic part of a paragraph that identifies a person. You might have to use the pictures/portraits
in the book for information.
·
Education
·
Background
– where’s the person from?
·
Actions
– what did this person do that was significant?
·
Character
– you don’t want to overlook this if your person is particularly kind or
particularly nasty.
·
Age
– again, pretty basic.
·
Job
– a rather important part of an identification.
·
Fate
– don’t leave the person in one year.
Consider what happened to him/her.
·
Significance
·
DATES
– this is a history exercise, after all.
Now,
you’ll have to tailor your ID around what the book provides. If it does not provide education information
but instead focuses on the subject’s character, then go with that. If there’s no information
on background, well then. Be sure
to mine the book pretty thoroughly.
Information may be scattered about.
IDs
of things are different. They are
typically a little more descriptive.
Remember, you want your reader to grasp readily what you are writing
about. So you might want to include
information about:
What
was it?
Where
was it used?
Who was involved?
Size, appearance, function?
Significance?
DATES
– it is history, after all.
When
it was used?
Major
figures/battles/events associated with the subject
For
a story, you’ll need to write a careful paragraph that tells what happened
succinctly. Don’t forget dates, specific
pieces of data. Paragraph IDs of stories
demand that the writing tell the tale, from beginning to end, efficiently.
The biggest mistakes students make on paragraph IDs are these:
1. Writing paragraphs that provide very little identification information.
Students
often choose to write on a person.
Often, though, the ID becomes nothing more than a paragraph about what
he/she DID on a specific occasion. Don’t
do that.
Generally,
a paragraph on a person should always include as much as much information about
age, appearance, character, education, job, background, past, actions, and fate
as you can find. (And NOT necessarily in that order, either.)
Occasionally, one or two of these will not be available or relevant.
Gather as much as you can.
What you DO NOT want is a paragraph ID that mentions the subject ONCE and then departs on a discussion of, say, the Revolutionary War or Paul Revere’s ride, or the events of April 19, 1775. Nor do you want an ID that focuses EXCLUSIVELY on one aspect of the subject, such as actions or behavior. If you choose to write on a person, write a FULL portrait.
2. Writing paragraphs that lack any reference to date and time.
This particular oversight is very noticeable in history. Don't use "later," "then," "around this time." If you're going to talk about events that unfold over time and if you're going to write about a specific event, you must have at least ONE specific date. Nothing stands out more obviously in history than writing that is vague on dates.
3. Writing paragraphs that have great information, but less-than-satisfactory grammar and punctuation.
This is just a reminder. Good content alone will not make a good ID. Don't forget as you start preparing for your paragraphs that grammar and punctuation are AS MUCH a part of the grade as content. Don't prepare for this exam just by memorizing and polishing up excellent data. Practice grammar and punctuation as well. Write out some paragraphs and have them edited for presentation. Make sure your sentences are correct, accurate, well-written, punctuated properly, and grammatically solid.
Common grammar/punctuation mistakes:
Comma
splices (separating two sentences with a
comma). This is a MAJOR problem that is guaranteed to stand out.
Tenses that switch. If the paragraph starts in
the past, leave it there. General Gage cannot have lived in 1775 and then
suddenly appear in the present tense.
Commas in the wrong place. Often, people place
commas every time they pause to consider. Don't place a comma just because you
stopped to think. Commas have VERY specific uses. A failure to use them
properly tells the reader that the writer is NOT PRECISE. Check the writing
part of this website for information about the comma.
STUDY GUIDE, FREDERICK DOUGLASS
You should be familiar with the following:
Frederick Douglass. Since he is central to this book, develop a full biography and understanding of Douglass. Also examine his writings in as much detail as the
book allows. (Remember that the Narrative was not the only book Douglass produced during his lifetime.)
The Narrative itself. Whenever you read a scholarly book, always start with the basic information, including the date of original publication, the way the book is structured, its purpose, the controversies it generated, etc.
The timeline of the Narrative. Know the major dates. Don't forget to check the chronology provided in the book.
Slavery. This is a big subject, obviously. You want to examine a variety of issues, including the horrors and hardships slavery inflicted on those who were enslaved, the jobs performed by slaves (and by Douglass while he was enslaved), childhood in slavery, living conditions, slave families, etc.
The major figures mentioned in the Narrative. Who were Douglass’ two owners?
At various times during the Narrative, Douglass pauses his story to express his opinion on one subject or another. Be particularly alert for these moments, for not only do they convey tremendous amounts of emotion, some of them contain words that were then considered quite controversial. For an example of one of these moments, examine his words about holidays on pages 51-52.
Douglass' escape from slavery. How did he get free?
Douglass' impressions of the North. What pleased him? What surprised him? What did he find that he did not expect?
Douglass' reception among northerners. What did they think of him as he spoke against slavery? What did they think of his book?
Here's a list of things/people who may appear on the exam as well.
Mr. Covey
Demby's story
Harriet Bailey
Mr. Freeland
Mr. Severe
Slave childhood
Colonel Lloyd
Great House Farm
Sophia Auld
Henny's story
Mr. Ruggles
STUDY GUIDE, SUMMER SESSIONS: NAKED QUAKER:
To do well on the Naked Quaker test, be sure to study the following:
The author - who wrote the book; what are her credentials.
The book - how it is organized, sources employed.
The research involved - where did the author find the information from this book? What records were examined?
In terms of content, you want to have a pretty good grasp of the following:
THE PARAGRAPH ID LIST:
You DO NOT have to write paragraph IDs in the summer sessions, but the stories and cases from this list will be on the exam. Make sure you are familiar with these. Being familiar means knowing the who, what, why, when, where, and significance of each. There may be comparison questions or questions about dates, so know them in detail.
Smuttynose Island
The story of Faith Black
Blaze Vinton
The case of the Naked Quaker
Henry Dunster
The story of Silvanus Warro
The Case of Mrs. Elizabeth Godman
The case of John Porter
The Coe lawsuit
The purloined pigs
John Hoar
Indentured servitude in the New England colonies and indentured servants
GENERAL CLASSROOM TIPS FOR HISTORY:
TIP #1:
Take good notes. REALLY good notes. The lectures will FREQUENTLY have dates and information that you cannot find in the textbook. Therefore, your only link to this data will be through what you write down in the classroom.
BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON TAKING GOOD NOTES IS IMPORTANT.
Note taking is one of the most valuable skills a student can develop, for this activity, once mastered, provides some AMAZING dividends. Foremost, it teaches CONCENTRATION and DISCIPLINE. When you take notes, not only are you writing down information from the lecture, you're also developing the ability to remain focused on ONE subject for a lengthy period of time.
And that skill is EXTREMELY important for both college and employment.
Note taking also does something else. Over time, it teaches how to JUDGE information - to determine what is VALUABLE and what is TRIVIA in an argument or a story. And once you learn to judge what you hear, it's a very short walk over to one of the most highly prized of all the skills associated with college education - the ability to THINK CRITICALLY.
CRITICAL THOUGHT doesn't just mean criticizing everything you read or hear. ANYONE can do that. Instead, critical thought is about APPRECIATING what you read or hear on SEVERAL LEVELS. It's about grasping and taking apart an argument (regardless of whether that argument appears in a movie, magazine, lecture, book, or editorial) by checking out the examples used as proof, the writing style, the reasons the book/article/editorial was written (or the reasons the movie was made), the author's background, etc. Critical thought allows you to appreciate the strengths as well as the weaknesses in another person's work.
And you start learning critical thought as you take notes. HOW? It happens as you begin evaluating what is worth writing down and what is just throw-away information designed by the lecturer to a) amuse b) bridge a transition c) answer a question d) break the flow of information for a moment e) add personal data on a historical figure.
AND THERE'S ONE OTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT NOTE TAKING.
It also teaches about writing. It is, in fact, especially valuable for learning how to use language efficiently. Taking notes offers unparalleled opportunities for learning how to say the most with the least number of words.
ENOUGH PHILOSOPHIZING! The point is, TAKE YOUR NOTES SERIOUSLY. Concentrate as you write them. Take them as seriously as you would take writing a paper.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH YOUR NOTES?
Simple. If, during the lecture, you find that you're just sitting there, doing nothing, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR NOTE TAKING.
You should be writing ALL THE TIME, except for those brief moments when I'm telling trivial stories or jokes. The rest of the time, your pen should be moving - FAST.
TIP #2:
DON'T FORGET THE TEXTBOOK!
Textbook use may be a little different from what you're used to. As I do not have daily reading assignments, you don't need to bring your book to each class. All you have to do is read the assigned sections BY THE TIME OF THE EXAM. In this class, the text is supposed to be used to back up the lectures - to fill in information you may have missed or to fill in information I do not cover.
A good way to study the text is to start by reading one chapter completely - don't stop to take notes, just read. That gives you the storyline - the overall picture of what happened in that section.
Then, go back over it again. This time take notes. Write out short identifications of the major figures and events. Study the PICTURES and the MAPS carefully. And get the dates ordered correctly. Your text makes that easy because it gives you the major dates at the beginning of each chapter.
Pay
particular attention to the people and events NOT mentioned in class.
TIP #3:
Attend class regularly. (DUH)
AND, if
you find your grades are not what you want, GET TO THE INSTRUCTOR EARLY! Don't
wait until the last exam and panic. If you find that your first test score is
lower than hoped, make an appointment RIGHT THEN to find out what happened.
CORRECT the problem EARLY.
What's the payoff for all this work?
Something
spectacular. You get to become a scholar. And
you get the chance to take your ability to think, analyze, memorize into new,
incredible levels. As you take on more and more data, you'll find that learning
gets easier and easier. Keep it up long enough and you'll become
something everyone wants to be: a highly educated, thinking person.
KEEP
STUDYING! IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, VISIT THE INSTRUCTOR! THAT'S ME! HA HA HA! FALL AND SPRING
SEMESTER OFFICE
HOURS ARE M-TH, 2:00-3:00 and by appointment. Summer and Interim hours
are by appointment.