Assignment
Write an essay in response to the following prompt. Be sure to include specific examples that support your thesis and conclusions. Do not forget to include source information for each paragraph of text.
Blue Book Essay Prompt:
Describe the roles that new immigrants played in the processes of industrialization and urbanization in the United States after 1880. Why were so many old-stock Americans apprehensive about the influx of new immigrants?
Maximum points possible for this assignment: 30 points.
Check the online Syllabus/Schedule for your essay's due date.
GENERAL BLUE BOOK ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS
Follow these instructions for each of your Blue Book Essays in this class.
1) Create a Word Document, double-spaced. Do not include a title page. On the first page, include your name and date. Use Word's "insert page number" feature to paginate your document. Write at least 900 words. Include your [word count] at the end. Save in Word as a .doc or .docx file. Do NOT save as .pdf.
2) If you want to use Word's reference feature, use END NOTES instead of FOOT NOTES.
3) Read the assigned chapter several times. You must refer to the chapter, with page references, in each paragraph of your essay.
4) First paragraph: Create an introductory statement about the subject of your essay. For BBE#1, this paragraph should summarize your overall conclusions about the "New Immigrants" and why Americans feared them, ending your introductory paragraph with a THESIS STATEMENT. Use the essay prompt to construct your thesis statement.
NOTE: "I will discuss" is NOT a thesis statement, because it does not make an argument. You need to share your conclusions about this topic with your reader.
Feel free to write your introduction (and conclusion) last, after you have decided what your conclusions are.
Use your thesis statement as a "map" for the rest of your essay. Keep in mind that every paragraph in your essay should have a purpose. That purpose is proving the argument you make in your thesis statement.
5) Second paragraph: For BBE#1, your second paragraph should discuss immigrants' roles as industrial workers. Your second paragraph should focus solely on this topic. The rule is: one topic per paragraph, and the job of your second paragraph in this essay is to educate the reader on immigrants as industrial workers. Work in at least one direct quote of 15 words or fewer from the relevant section of Chapter 19. Include page reference(s) for all of the information from the book that you include in your second paragraph, both direct quotes AND indirect quotes.
Rule #1: Each paragraph in your essay must provide evidence and support for your thesis.
Rule #2: New topic = new paragraph.
6) Third paragraph: For BBE#1, your third paragraph should discuss immigrants as urban dwellers. Work in at least one more direct quote of 15 words or fewer. Include page reference(s) for all of the information from the book in your third paragraph.
7) Fourth paragraph: For BBE#1, your fourth paragraph should give examples of anti-immigrant bias and discuss why some old-stock Americans responded so negatively to the New Immigrants. Work in at least one more direct quote of 15 words or fewer. Include page reference(s) for all of the information from the book in your fourth paragraph.
8) Fifth, sixth, seventh paragraphs (as needed): Remember Rule Number 1. Remember Rule Number 2. If you can't figure out how a paragraph supports your thesis, delete the paragraph.
9) Last paragraph (conclusion): For BBE#1 and all of your essays in this class, your final paragraph should be a summary of your main points in the essay. NEVER introduce new evidence in your conclusion. Feel free to write your introduction and conclusion last. Feel free to reword your introduction and restate your thesis as your essay's conclusion.