Early Repubic
Choose one of the following questions, and craft a thoughtful, well-argued essay in response.
Use the book:
Secret History; or, The Horrors of St. Domingo and Laura Written by: Leonora Sansay Edited by: Michael J. Drexler
1. Throughout Secret History the narrator/Sansay appraises the various people she meets in the Caribbean, with particular attention to women. What does she think about the women she encounters, and what do her assessments suggest about her view of the Caribbean and by implicit comparison, the United States? (Discuss at least three groups/types of women, and as part of your answer, be sure to address why the focus on and her conclusions about women are significant.)
2. Who, according to the narrator/Sansay, is to blame for the course of the Haitian Revolution, and why? Why is her choice of culprit important in a U.S. context?
Essay Guidelines - The Early Republic
Final essays should be 5 pages in length with the usual stipulations: double-spaced with one-inch margins in 12-point font. Make sure that you number your pages.
Citations for quotations can be imbedded in the text. For example: Paine writes that America will be "an asylum for mankind" (xxx). If, however, you are drawing on other sources (other books from class or outside articles/works), give the full citation in standard, Chicago Manual of Style, footnote form: Author, title (place of publication: publisher, year), page number. Let me note, however, that additional sources are not necessary or even desirable for these assignments.
Guidelines & Standards
Successful essays should include the following elements:
1. The essay must make an argument that answers the question at hand and build a case for that assertion throughout the essay. Your position on the question must be articulated explicitly in the introduction of the paper, and the body of the paper must substantiate the claim in a logical manner.
2. To demonstrate your argument, choose the most illustrative examples and quotations rather than cram in as many as possible. Analyze in detail selected quotations and examples to make your take on these examples absolutely clear. Ensure that each point/example in the body of the essay builds off the next, moving forward to a strong conclusion.
3. Give your essay a fitting title that reflects your larger point.