Essay Interpreting Primary Documents Related to Industrialization
Write a 2-3 page essay that examines the attached letters from Lowell, MA and evaluates them in the context of the early 1800s.
Style and Format
2-3 pages
Typed, double spaced
12 pt Times New Roman font or equivalent
1 inch margins
Your paper must have a title (the wittier the better)
Name and section # at the top of page 1 or on the title page
Research must include two or more high quality sources from outside class material.
Use footnotes or parenthetical citations to cite sources (see syllabus for examples)
Description
The letters attached to the paper assignment are primary sources. They are letters written by women who worked in the Lowell factories. “Susan” wrote hers for the Lowell Offering, a newsletter published by the factory owners. For this paper assignment you need to examine the letters and interpret their historical importance. In your essay you need to present a historical argument that connects the information in the letters, or the perspective of the authors to larger historical changes that occurred in the early 1800s. This will require you to do some additional research to understand the broader context of the letters. Keep in mind that historical documents often have a hidden subtext and that the writers do not always mean exactly what they write. Historical documents usually have layers of meaning. Historians interpret these layers.
When I read your paper I will primarily be looking for six things:
1. That you understood the historical significance of the letters.
2. That you connected the letters to broader historical changes.
3. That you created your own historical argument.
4. That you conducted research to contextualize the letter.
5. That you cite your sources.
6. That you structured your writing based on the guidelines discussed earlier in the semester.
Structure
This paper must follow the introduction, body, conclusion structure that we discussed earlier in the semester before writing the first essay. Please see the description of the first essay if you need a reminder of what I mean by introduction, body, and conclusion.