In 1876, the United States celebrated its centennial as a monument to the “Progress of the Age,” and the technological displays in the
exhibition halls reinforced that idea. But progress since 1865 had been uneven, and many Americans could question that narrative and
offer a different story. How did American life unfold as the Civil War ended and passed into a period of reconstructing the South? What
happened to Reconstruction as a result of the election of 1876? What narratives did people create or decisions did they make to justify
their views? For example, how did Americans define and explain freedom, citizenship, and progress itself? What actions did they
take?
The paper should be typed and double spaced, using a 12point
font.
HINTS FOR WRITING ESSAYS:
1) Your essay should be clear, well organized, and succinct; present a thesis that states the purpose of your paper and use specific
evidence to support your arguments. Don’t generalize or use sources beyond those assigned.
2) Write in third person and active voice.
3) Do not plagiarize; write in your own words. If quoting or paraphrasing, cite the source and give a page number. For our
assignments, you may use a parenthetical notation (eg, Calhoun, 14). The IUSB statement on plagiarism is at
https://www.iusb.edu/tutoring/plagiarism.php
4) Quotations should rarely exceed two lines and do not over quote. This is your project and should reflect your ideas and arguments;
all else is evidence to be used.
5) Quotation marks go outside periods, commas, questions marks, etc.
6) Book titles are italicized or underlined; articles or published essays are cited with quotation marks; novels are works of
fiction. The following website can be consulted for basic information: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. Students can also visit
IUSB’s Writers Room or its website: https://www.iusb.edu/tutoring/write_resources.php
7) Title pages and bibliography or references cited pages are not necessary.