Guidelines for Essay on Letters from an American Farmer

Instructions: Your first essay is an analysis of a topic or theme from J. Hector St. John de Crevecouer's book, Letters from an American Farmer. Your essay should be 3 to 5 pages in length. Please use 12 point font and double-spacing. Your only source should be the book. Please do not use outside sources such as those found on the internet.

Questions and Topics to Consider for Your Essay: You may write on any topic that interests you based on your reading of Letters from an American Farmer. I would recommend focusing on Letters III through IX (that is, 3 through 9). Here are some questions/topics you might consider for your essay:

1. The title of Letter III is, "What is an American?" As we discussed in class, Crevecoeur's book played an important role in shaping how Europeans thought about America and Americans. Indeed, it was one of earliest and most popular books that influenced how people understood what made America unique just before it became an independent nation (the United States of America) and not a collection of British colonies. If you choose this topic, your essay should address the following questions:

What does it mean to be an American according to the author? What makes an American different from a European?

2. Another important theme in Letters from an American Farmer is the diversity of the American colonies. They each had their unique cultures and economies and social structures as we've emphasized in class. According to Crevecoeur, what distinguished New England from the Middle and Southern colonies? What made them so unique?

3. In Letter IX, Crevecoeur describes slavery as it existed in Charleston (or Charles Town in his writing), South Carolina. How does Crevecoeur describe slavery here? What are slavery's distinguishing characteristics in his mind? How does the existence of slavery here clash with Crevecoeur's vision of America? These are just some suggested topics. You may write on another topic you find  interesting or important if you want.

How to Structure Your Essay: While you may write on any topic you please, your essays should have a set structure:

I. Introductory Paragraph: In your introduction, you should explain the topic you're going to cover and state your essay's main argument. Your argument is also known as your thesis statement. Your argument is your answer to topic questions like, "What does it mean to be an American according to the author?" or "What are the distinguishing features of slavery in South Carolina according to the author?"

II. First Supporting Paragraph: Provide your first example that supports your essay's main argument. Here you will also provide evidence, including quotations from the book, to support your points. Be sure not to provide too many quotations, however. I want to
read your own words and thoughts too. You don't need to quote more than two or three sentences at a time.

III. Second Supporting Paragraph: Same as above, but now you're moving on to your next topic or example from the book.

IV. Third Supporting Paragraph: Same as above. There is no required number of supporting paragraphs you need for your essay. You may be able to make your argument with three supporting paragraphs or you may need more. It's up to you.

V. Conclusion: Everyone should have a conclusion to their essay. Here you tie everything together. Explain your topic again and why it's important and reiterate your essay's main argument - i.e., your thesis statement.