Analytical Essay
ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT
For this assignment, your job is to answer a broad question about Mexican American history. In so doing, you are tasked with writing a 1000-word essay answering the prompt below.
*Should include in-text citations AND a works cited page that includes sources used.
*Please use Chicago style citations (footnotes).
*Should be written in Times New Roman, size 12 font, using a double space and 1” margins. You must include page numbers.
In a well-developed essay, answer only ONE of the following prompts:
- This semester, you have read about numerous civil rights initiatives. At different
moments in time, the Mexican-descent community prioritized different goals.
While some movements focused on combatting racial violence, others focused on
issues such as employment opportunity. Consider this question: how did Mexican
American civil rights activism change from the World War II period to the 1970s?
In answering this question, you need not identify every way that Mexican American
civil rights activism changed during this period. You might focus on the various goals
(legislative, labor unionism, etc.), interaction between the state and civil rights
groups, or the tactics that different organizations used. This list is not exhaustive.
Instead, it’s designed to give you a starting place for thinking about how you might
organize your essay. Be sure to include concrete examples. These examples should
include a date/dates, and a thorough identification of the event, person, place,
organization, etc.
- Historians often describe World War II as a moment of change in US history.
These years saw a massive expansion of the state vis-à-vis the federal government,
new foreign policies that emphasized hemispheric cooperation, etc. Consider the
following question: to what extent did World War II represent a moment of change
for Mexican Americans? In answering this question, you will need to thoroughly
discuss how this period differed from the years before the war, as well as the years
following the war. Be sure to include concrete examples. These examples should
include a date/dates, and a thorough identification of the event, person, place,
organization, etc.
