Description
TIPS FOR
PAPER 1
REMEMBER
THE THREE
PARTS OF
THE LOST
CAUSE
1. Argues slavery had nothing to do
with the Civil War. The South seceded
to preserve states? rights.
2. Portrays slavery as a benevolent
institution.
3. Argues that African Americans were
unprepared for the responsibility of
freedom and democracy.
REMEMBER TO ANSWER THE
QUESTION OF THE PAPER
Does the 1915 film Birth of a Nation offer a
Lost Cause interpretation of the Civil War
and Reconstruction?
CLEARLY STATE YOUR THESIS
STATEMENT BY ANSWERING THE
QUESTION
?
Keep that answer simple.
?
Example: Birth of a Nation presents all three parts of the lost
cause.
?
Example: Birth of a Nation presents two of the three parts of the
lost cause. While the film portrays slavery as a benevolent
institutions and African Americans as unprepared for freedom
and democracy, it suggests that slavery was an important factor
behind the Civil War.
ORGANIZATION
?
Keep the organization simple.
?
After the introduction, divide your paper into 3 sections.
?
Section 1: Does the film suggest that slavery had nothing to do
with the Civil War?
?
In the topic sentence, answer this question.
?
?
Then provide three scenes from the film that support your answer.
?
Make it clear to the reader how the scenes support your answer to the question above.
This is the difference between summary and analysis.
Make sure to provide enough detail that a reader that has never seen the film would
understand the scene.
ORGANIZATION
Section 2: Does the film portray slavery as a benevolent
institution?
?
?
Mirror the organization for section 1 (topic sentence that answers the
question and analysis of three scenes).
Section 3: Does the film portray African Americans as
unprepared for freedom and democracy?
?
?
Mirror the previous organization.
DON?T IGNORE CONTRADICTORY
EVIDENCE
?
This is especially true in section 1 where you can find evidence
that slavery caused the Civil War and scenes that ignore slavery
and focus exclusively on states? rights.
?
For example, if you argue that the film suggests a fight over
states? rights led to the Civil War, you need to explain why
contradictory evidence didn?t convince you that the film
presented slavery as the cause of the Civil War.
WRITING
Avoid passive voice.
?
?
Common passive voice construction: was+verb+subject
?
Example of passive voice: The Emancipation was signed by Abraham
Lincoln.
?
Solution: Put the person or thing (subject) that does stuff in the
sentence at the beginning.
?
Example: Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
WRITING
Avoid long, clumsy sentences.
?
?
?
Birth of a Nation shows that slavery was behind the Civil War and
states? rights was important but because slavery was shown at the
beginning of the film, it shows that it?s more important than the states?
rights argument which comes later in the film.
Solution: Break sentences into short, concise sentences. Also,
identify unnecessary and repetitive information to exclude in your
rewrite.
Paper 1
In this paper you must answer the following question: does the 1915 film Birth of a Nation offer
a Lost Cause interpretation of the Civil War and Reconstruction?
The paper should be divided into the following sections:
Introduction:
In one or two paragraphs, you must do TWO things:
1. Introduce the three key pieces of the Lost Cause myth as presented in the lectures. Imagine
that the reader has never heard of the Lost Cause before.
2. Clearly state your argument, which must answer the question at the top of this page.
Birth of a Nation Analysis
In about three pages, you should use specific scenes from the film to support your argument.
Make sure you address ALL three parts of the Lost Cause myth that were presented in the
lectures. As a general rule, you should use at least three scenes from the film to support your
analysis of each part of the Lost Cause myth. Also, don?t simply summarize scenes. Make it
clear to the reader how these scenes support your argument.
Conclusion
Provide a concluding paragraph.
Due Date: Friday February 11 by 11:59pm on Blackboard. Remember that I offer a 48-hour
grace period, so you can turn it by Sunday at 11:59pm without penalty.
Rules:
1. 12-point font
2. double spaced
3. Footnotes and bibliography are NOT necessary for this paper.
4. 1″ margins
5. Feel free to use the section titles above as subheadings in your paper.
6. This paper should be 3-5 pages long.
7. No cover page
Grading Rubric
Strong and clear argument (20 points)
Clear summary of the three parts of the Lost Cause myth (20 points)
Strong analysis of scenes from Birth of a Nation, which clearly supports the argument (60 points)
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