Explain how labor, both in on the ground conditions and ideas about labor and work, was central to the national tensions that led to the Civil War.

Please answer two of the following questions in an organized, formal, analytical essay, of at least 800 words each. I do not want you to simply list out page after page of facts and quotes. If you do that, you will not earn a high score, because you will have written a report. You need to think about these questions, draw on what we have covered, and provide convincing answers, backed up with evidence and specific examples, and cited.

 

This exam is about showing that you can think about some of the big ideas of the course so far, and deliver original thoughts. You have a while to write these, so I expect them to be well-written. Grammar and mechanics will be part of your grade.

 

As far as sources go, while I obviously cannot prohibit you from googling your way into oblivion, keep in mind that the examples and specifics you provide have to be found in some combination of the textbook, lecture videos, and primary source documents we have covered. The best answers will combine sources of each variety, as applicable. If you’re writing about things that you just found somewhere, that is not going to work. These are not research papers, so please, do not use outside sources. And I do not even want to be typing this, but these essays will go through TurnItIn, so do not bother trying to copy.

 

TextBook ISBN: 1572593024

1. Who, if anyone, got what they sought from Reconstruction, how, and why? Think about the leadup to the Civil War and long-term agendas beyond just the actual Reconstruction.

 

2. Explain how labor, both in on the ground conditions and ideas about labor and work, was central to the national tensions that led to the Civil War.

 

3. At the start of the American Civil War, the war was framed by the North as a war to save the Union, and prevent the United States from disintegrating, as opposed to one about slavery. Yet, by the end of the war, it had morphed into a war to destroy slavery, with John Brown’s body as the rallying cry of Union soldiers. How did that transformation occur? What pre-war existing conditions, conditions, and groups helped lead to that change as the war progressed?