HIST 1301 Section Assignment 3: Cherokee Removal
Overview
Because this is a “Signature Assignment” for the College, you are required to write an essay for
completion of this Section Assignment.
Instructions/Prompt
1. Read the attached documents.
2. Write an analytical essay that addresses the following prompt:
The forced Cherokee Indian Removal brought to an end a long debate within the United
States. “As white populations mushroomed and settlements moved ever westward, the
question of how to deal with Native Americans came up again and again, especially when
Native American peoples refused to sell or give their lands to whites by treaty.”1
By 1828,
three key events brought significant challenges to the Cherokees’ ability to remain on their
homeland. First, the discovery of gold brought a flood of white settlers onto Cherokee lands.
Second, Andrew Jackson’s position on Indian removal was well known and his presidential
victory meant new pressure on Indians to remove. Third, Georgia passed new legislation that
extended its jurisdiction over all Cherokee territory within Georgia’s borders.
As removal pressure on Indians mounted, both whites and natives divided on the best
solution to the problem. Some whites supported removal, while others opposed it. At the
same time, natives could not agree on a united response to the increased white pressure. After
reading all of the evidence, argue whether the Cherokees should have been removed or
permitted to remain in their homeland, and why. (You will not be thought of as a “bad”
person if you think the Cherokees should have been removed, just back it up with the
evidence.)
3. Assignments need to have a minimum of four (4) direct quotations from the primary source
reading documents, consisting of multiple viewpoints/speakers (i.e. not all should be from the
same title/speaker/source)
4. All references must be cited using footnotes or a penalty will be assessed (see page 2)
NOTE: Make sure your quotes/evidence comes from the “Evidence” section
of the readings and NOT from the “Problem” or “Epilogue” sections
Papers need to be posted to the appropriate turnitin.com link found on Blackboard AND also
submitted to the BlackBoard Assignment link as well.
Traditional Paper Instructions
Using the prompt, write a three to five page (approx. 1000-1500 words) typed and double
spaced essay, with standard one inch margins, 12 point font, Times New Roman. Put your name
on a separate title page, and do not include your name in a header or footer. Put page numbers
on your document. Assignments that do not follow these straightforward instructions will be
docked a letter grade. Late submissions will be penalized accordingly: For each day a project is
late it will be reduced 1/3 of a letter grade. This includes holidays and weekends.
Make a clear argument and use concrete examples to demonstrate your contentions. The very
1 Wheeler, Becker, and Glover, eds., Discovering the American Past, (Cengage Learning, 2007), 177.
best papers offer meaningful analysis and a compelling narrative. For a useful guide to writing
and properly formatting a history essay, please consult the “Tips for History Papers” website at
the following address: http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/resources/tips.html.
Quotations
All quotes must be cited using footnotes, i.e. the following example:
The provisional governor of the Louisiana Territory, Claiborne believed Frenchmen to be
unworthy of U.S. citizenship. Writing to President Madison he stated, “The more I become
acquainted with the inhabitants of this Province, the more I am convinced of their unfitness for a
representative Government.’”2
(to create a footnote in Word or Google Docs, at the end of the sentence, click Insert, then click
Footnote). The format is outlined below at the bottom of the page
All other material must be rendered completely in your own words.
See the following two examples of acceptable and unacceptable paraphrasing:
Passage rendered word for word from the text: “Work-sharing festivals such as house
raisings, log rollings, and quiltings gave isolated farm folk the chance to break their daily
routine, to socialize, and to work for a common good.”
Unacceptable paraphrase: Work-sharing opportunities including house construction, log
gathering, and sewing gave detached farmers an opportunity to change their routine, to
party, and to work for each other.
Acceptable paraphrase: Farmers merged their social lives with their work lives to gain
relief from the monotony of an agrarian existence. Examples of entertainment included
communal endeavors such as home construction and quilting.
The major difference between the two paraphrasings is sentence structure and word choice. It is
not sufficient to change a few words and retain the original sentence structure when
paraphrasing. Writers must take the idea and put it in their own words, which means new
sentence structure and significantly different word choices.
One final point on quoting: the wise student will not quote from the textbook. Save your
quotes for the most provocative concepts contained within the original documents! As a rule, the
language in the textbook is not worthy of being quoted.
Since it is the documents you are analyzing to make your argument, you are better off
spending time with them.
Use the text and the lectures to make sure you understand the larger historical context.
Completion of the paper assignment requires consultation of no additional sources. You must
not use Wikipedia or any other Internet source. Use only your assigned materials: the e-book,
2
“Claiborne to Madison, January 10, 1804,” The Evolution of American Citizenship: The Louisiana Purchase,
1803-1812, 112.
“Title of source,” speaker’s name, page (either of document or .pdf page number)
lecture notes, and the primary document readings available on Blackboard.
GRADING RUBRIC:
Uniformly excellent work—defined as including an original and insightful argument
(thesis), substantial evidence derived from all assigned sources (the e-book, lecture notes,
and primary document readings for the first three weeks)—but especially the primary
document PDFs—to support that argument, and cleanly written prose—will receive an
“A.” (Here substantial evidence means approximately 2-3 specific examples for each
component of the question/body paragraph.)
Work that is above average—defined as including a convincing but incomplete argument
and evidence written with minor errors—will receive a “B.” It is impossible to score B or
A range without substantive incorporation of the primary document PDFs. This means
quoting from and explaining multiple documents.
Work that is average—defined as including a weak or inadequate thesis, a summary of
evidence without meaningful interpretation, minimal usage of evidence, and possibly
some significant errors of grammar and/or organization—will receive a “C.”
Furthermore, work with simple summaries of the primary document PDFs that do not
engage the meaning of those documents will score C range.
Work that is below average—defined as including no attempt at a thesis, weak
generalizations in lieu of specific evidence, and possibly significant grammatical and/or
mechanical problems—will receive a “D.” Work that does not engage at all the primary
document PDFs will score D range if it otherwise addresses the topic in a generalized
fashion and/or heavily relies solely on lecture notes
Work that is failing—defined as including little or no understanding of the material and
significant mechanical problems—will receive an “F.” This also includes work that does
not make any mention of the primary document PDFs
College Historical Essay Outline
Writing Like a Historian
Historical thinking/writing is always about why/how something happened and its
impact/legacy. You need to read and analyze the “why” and “how.”
I. Intro paragraph:
a. Context – Provide background of the prompt (provide the who, what, where,
when, why of events that led up to the prompt)
b. Thesis argument (with at least 2-3 reasons/topics/themes/categories)
II. 1
st body paragraph: Topic sentence (elaborate on first thesis point/reason)
a. Provide a Specific Historical Example (S.H.E.) (direct quote, paraphrase, or
concrete example) that supports your argument
b. Explain S.H.E. (quotes are not self-sufficient, but need explanation and analysis)
c. Repeat for 1-2 examples (a quality paragraph should have 2-3 examples)
d. ANALYZE the evidence you described above and tie all back to thesis
III. 2
nd body paragraph: Topic sentence (elaborate on second thesis point/reason)
a. Provide a Specific Historical Example (S.H.E.) (direct quote, paraphrase, or
concrete example) that supports your argument
b. Explain S.H.E. (quotes are not self-sufficient, but need explanation and analysis)
c. Repeat for 1-2 examples (a quality paragraph should have 2-3 examples)
d. ANALYZE the evidence you described above and tie all back to thesis
IV. 3
rd body paragraph (if needed): Topic sentence (elaborate on third thesis
point/reason)
a. Provide a Specific Historical Example (S.H.E.) (direct quote, paraphrase, or
concrete example) that supports your argument
b. Explain S.H.E. (quotes are not self-sufficient, but need explanation and analysis)
c. Repeat for 1-2 examples (a quality paragraph should have 2-3 examples)
d. ANALYZE the evidence you described above and tie all back to thesis
V. Conclusion:
a. Restate your argument using different words.
b. Mention “the other side” of the argument (if you made a comparison, then
contrast) and/or provide the legacy of the prompt/your argument
Be very specific. If you just mention a source connection briefly and move on,
you will NOT get credit
