Looking through reputable newspapers published between 2015-2019, find a news story that specifically ties to an event that occurred in American history that was also covered during our class (1500s-1877). Then, you must complete a one-page writeup discussing the relationship between the historical event covered in our class and the current event discussed in the newspaper article.
The paper should be structured into 3 paragraphs that address the following:
1st Paragraph: Summarize the newspaper article and the current event that is discussed therein. When was it published? Who was the author? What was the topic? Why is it relevant in modern society? Did the author tie the current event to the historical event?
2 nd Paragraph: Summarize the event to which the newspaper article ties in American history. Be sure to give specifics (Context, Detailed Identification & Significance) of the historical event. When did the event occur? Where? Who was involved? Why did the event occur? What was happening around the time the event occurred? Why was it important in U.S. History?
3rd Paragraph: Discuss how the current event ties to the historical event. Be sure that this connection is direct and not obtuse. How does the historical event impact modern society, generally? How did the historical event influence the current event discussed in the newspaper article? Were there other, intervening events that occurred to impact the current situation discussed in the article?
There are a few things to be aware of here. First, you must include an active link to the newspaper article you are examining at the top of the page. Any papers submitted without links or with inactive links will not be accepted for credit. When I say reputable newspaper I am referring to a print newspaper that has been in operation for many decades, not online news sites. Some examples of reputable newspapers are The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Houston Chronicle, The Detroit Free Press, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, etc. While I fully expect you to find the newspaper article in an online repository, solely online sources of news will not be accepted. Some examples of news sources that will not work are: The HuffPost, The Onion, The Daily Beast, Business Insider, MarketWatch, National Review, etc. As you are required to find a newspaper article that ties directly to a historical event, I want to clarify what I mean by this. An example of a weak, indirect or poor connection would be as follows: The newspaper article talks about modern-day racism, and we looked at slavery in the 19th century in class. Because slavery was motivated by racism, this connects to the story about modern-day racism. An example of a strong connection would be: The newspaper article talks about the current role that Electoral College plays in modern U.S. politics. We discussed the purposes and design of the Electoral College during the Constitutional Convention in class. The newspaper article discussed how the use of the electoral college undermines the popular majority and is no longer relevant to U.S. politics. The extra credit writeup must be submitted in the dedicated drop box on Blackboard by Sunday, 5/2/2021, 11:59pm. It should be formatted as follows:
- 12 point font, Times New Roman
- Single-Spaced, 1 Margins on all sides
- No quotes, block or otherwise, may be used in this assignment
- The paper must be written in prose-form. Bullet points or lists will not be accepted. No sub-headings are allowed in this extra credit assignment.
As this is an extra credit assignment, no late submissions will be accepted. Any submissions not conforming exactly with the standards laid out here will not receive credit. Successful submissions will result in a 8% increase on a students final grade.
