Introduction:
Have you ever wondered why there are so many different
American history texts dealing with essentially
the same material? Historians are forced to select
events they feel have most significantly impacted
this nation. Each historian interprets these facts
from a different perspective thereby altering
judgments. Your textbook covers American history
from roughly 1492, through the present, in 1000
pages. Yet there are literally millions of pages
written on the topics covered in each chapter
in your text.
Assignment:
Part 1
Select the 10 most significant events in American
history since 1492. In other words, which 10 events
shaped the nation today? These events may be political,
economic, social, diplomatic, etc. The Civil War
and World War II are too broad for this assignment.
A single occurrence such as the Emancipation Proclamation
is an example of an event with the proper specificity.
Part 2
Next, divide into groups and reach a consensus
on 10 events from your individual lists. Each
group will write a brief explanation of the significance
of the events they have selected. After a consensus
has been reached, each group will rank their list
from most important to least important. Each group
will submit their list to the instructor who will
point out the differences in each group.
Keep a copy of your list and evaluate how your
ideas have changed by the end of the course. These
changes in ideas help to explain Revisionism and
differing perspectives in history, and why history
is constantly evolving.
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