The Impact of Civil Rights Legislation on Social, Political, and Economic Change in America

Background Information on Social, Political, and Economic Life of African Americans and other Minorities Prior to Mid-Twentieth Century Landmark Civil Rights Legislation

Task:

Be specific about the laws you will discuss in your essay, and the social, political, and/or economic changes (or lack thereof) which followed these laws. Hint: To adequately answer this question, you need to consider change and continuity over time, key elements analyzed by historians. The sources listed below will provide you with context on the social, economic, and political life of African Americans and other minorities prior to mid-twentieth century landmark Civil Rights legislation as well as context for change and continuity in the immediate aftermath of Civil Rights legislation. Pay close attention to the observations of Civil Rights activists--Tom Kahn, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. as well as to the need of passing additional laws to protect the rights of all Americans. Support your post with evidence using all of the sources below: Your textbook “The Right to Housing Is a Civil Right Due Without Discrimination”: Racial Bias in Public and Private Housing (1947) (Links to an external site.) “Democracy Can’t Live in These Houses”: Senator Paul Douglas Advocates a Federal Housing Program to Clear Slum Areas (1949) (Links to an external site.) “The Rights of All Must Be Secured or the Rights of None Will Be Secure”: Arguments for Federal Civil Rights Legislation (1949-1950) (Links to an external site.) Tom Kahn's, The Economics of Equality (1964), pp. 7-36 (Links to an external site.) Malcom X 1963 Berkeley Interview (Links to an external site.) Loading media... Minimize embedded content Martin Luther King 1967 NBC News Interview (Links to an external site.) Additional guidelines: Be sure to structure your essay with an introduction, body and conclusion. The introductory paragraph should include the following three parts: Context or background (2-3 sentences). You should provide context to the material you will be discussing. You should “set the scene” by providing the what, the where, the when, or the who of the material. There should be no argument here, just general historical data to set up your historical question and thesis statement. Historical problem (1-2 sentences). This should be the essay prompt reintroduced as the historical problem you will be addressing in the paper. Try to find a flow between the background information you provide and the statement of the historical problem. Why should we care about the historical facts you just discussed in the preceding background/context section of the introduction? What is their significance? Thesis statement. The thesis statement should have 2 parts.

Introduction of Historical Problem: Social, Political, and Economic Changes Following Civil Rights Legislation

The first states your position or answer to the historical problem above, and the second provides a blueprint for the paper (or approximately three elements that will support your position in the body of the paper). ***Note: Each element in the blueprint should directly correlate to a topic sentence or main idea in a corresponding body paragraph. Body paragraphs should have topic sentences describing the main idea of the corresponding paragraph. They should echo one of your thesis elements. Sources should provide your evidence. Body paragraphs should use primary and secondary sources to support your argument. You may ONLY use the primary and secondary sources provided on CANVAS or specified in the prompt(s) above. Absolutely no outside internet sources should be used for this assignment. The specific number of sources required for each essay question is provided in the prompt(s) above. Citations: Cite any quotations, paraphrased content, or original ideas from other sources using the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Citations in CMS formatting should be written as footnotes. ***Note: Sources and citations are two different things. Sources are the repositories of your information (the book, article, or historical document). Citations are references to the sources, usually with specific page numbers or locations within the source. The paper should use the minimum number of sources stated above, but it can and should have many more footnote citations. The minimum number of footnotes will equal the number of sources required, but an excellent paper will have many more specific footnote citations. ***Note: You do not need a bibliography. The first time you mention a source in a footnote citation, you should provide the full reference of the source. You should use "Ibid" (plus the page number, if applicable) for any series of footnotes that reference the same source. See the Purdue Online Writing Lab (Links to an external site.) for specific examples. Grammar and Style. Use a concise, professional and academic style of writing, free of grammatical errors and colloquialisms. Quotations: Limit quotations to 1 sentence per page or one longer quotation of 3 to 4 sentences for the whole essay. For more on this precise essay structure, refer to the handouts I posted on the “Student Resources” module on CANVAS. Rubric Essay Rubric_Solis Essay Rubric_Solis Criteria Ratings This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Introduction and Thesis 20% Excellent Paper provides excellent historical context, and a superior thesis that includes a position on the essay prompt, and a clear blueprint. Good The paper provides good historical context and an satisfactory thesis statement. Partial The paper provides some historical context. It has a partial or unclear thesis statement. Needs Improvement The paper lacks clear historical context to introduce the topic and/or thesis statement. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Organization and Structure 20% Excellent Information is effectively organized with well-constructed paragraphs. The paper has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. All topic sentences are clear and reflect the argument and blueprint in thesis. Good Most of the information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. The paper has a clear intro, body, and conclusion. Most topic sentences are adequate. Partial Information is partially organized but lacks a clear intro body or conclusion. Some topic sentences are unclear. Needs Improvement The information appears disorganized. There is no clear introduction, body and/or conclusion, and topic sentences do not reflect the content of the thesis or corresponding body paragraphs. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Content and Analysis 20% Excellent The paper clearly relates to the essay prompt. It contains excellent examples that support thesis. The paper provides diligent analysis of the topic.

Good The writing relates to essay prompt. Most of the evidence cited supports thesis. Partial Some of the writing relates to the essay prompt, but the paper lacks clear examples and supporting detail. Needs Improvement The writing does not clearly relate to the essay prompt. Ideas are unclear and lack depth. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Grammar and Style 20% Excellent The paper was carefully edited and uses a superior style of writing. It has an insignificant number of grammatical or stylistic errors and does not include colloquialisms or informal language. Good The paper is very understandable. It has few grammatical and stylistic errors. Generally, it avoids colloquialisms and informal language. Partial The paper is unclear in some sections. It contains some grammatical and stylistic errors, and/or colloquialisms, and informal language. Needs Improvement The writing is difficult to understand. It has excessive grammatical and stylistic errors, which make the argument hard to follow. It uses colloquialisms and/or informal language. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Sources and Citations 20% Excellent The paper meets or exceeds the required number of sources and footnotes. Footnotes are correctly formatted in Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Good The paper meets the required number of sources. Most footnotes are correctly formatted using CMS. Partial The paper cites some primary and secondary sources, but is missing some footnotes. They are not entirely in the correct format. Needs Improvement There are no citations. The paper does not meet the required number of sources.