The context that had created and supported the Jeffersonian world view
The context that had created and supported the Jeffersonian world view
The context that had created and supported the Jeffersonian world view (that of the yeoman farmer as the bedrock of American democracy and the American economy) disappeared by the mid-nineteenth century, prompted by a shift toward an economy based on commerce, manufacturing, and larger scale agricultural endeavors. What is your best explanation for why this change took place? What impact did this change have upon the ethics and civics of what it meant to be an American? Be sure to consider change over time and geographical differences in your analysis.
In this exercise you will use all the skills you have learned in the skills exercises to write a full length, rule of three, historical essay on the prompt below.
As a reminder, an analytical essay contains an introduction setting up the context (with a clear rule of three thesis statement as the last sentence), three paragraphs of the body (in the same format as the one paragraph assignment) – one for each key point in the thesis statement, and a conclusion.
Hint: Think broadly here as you scattershoot/concept map your essay before writing. What were the economic causes of this change (think about markets, productivity, trade policies, etc.)? What role did technological change play? Consider social causes (conflicts between groups, classes, races, genders), political causes (new voters, political parties, institutional leadership, etc.), government (state, federal, various branches), and expansion of the nation. Think also about intellectual changes (new ways of thinking, religion, and conceptions what it means to be an American and questions of ethics and civics) and changes in environment. You need not answer all of these questions in your essay, they are here to guide your thinking on the prompt.
Hint 2: Make sure that you integrate your discussion of Change over Time and Ethics/Civics throughout your analysis, not just in one paragraph. This means that Change over Time and Ethics/Civics WILL NOT be key points in your rule of three thesis statement.
