An Essay About “The Radicalism Of The American Revolution” By Gordon Wood

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Since we only have limited time, please take my assignment only if you read it before, or maybe you are majoring in American Revolutionary History. I can’t provide you the book since I bought the kindle edition, so you have to have one on your own. You have to write this essay based on this book with sufficient evidences from it. You can’t respond to this book without referencing its materials, or only based on your knowledge. This is a final essay for an undergraduated student. Please take it super serious and we can discuss the reward. You have to use some other resources from the materials I upload, and you may use the book list. (I have uploaded those articles and provided the book list below.) The details about the essay’s requirement are within the PDF I upload. Please read it carefully and use the book effeciently. Thank you.

 

 

 

Prompt: “In TheRadicalismofthe AmericanRevolution,GordonWoodarguesthat the American Revolutionbroughtmorethanjust political separationfromtheBritish Empire.Heinsists,“it was asradicalandsocialas anyrevolutionin history”(p.5).In an essayof8-­‐10 pages(double-­‐spaced, TimesNewRoman12-­‐point font) evaluate Wood’s argument. Was the American Revolution radical? Was it social? In

answering these questions, be sure to demonstrate an understanding of Wood’s

argumentandevidence.Besure,as well, to considerinformationfromotherreadings andlecturesthatcounterWood’sinterpretation.Inotherwords,in the processof makingyourown argumentforhowradicaltheRevolutionwasorwasnot,give attention to bothsidesin thedebate.Supportyourargumentwithevidencefrom a variety of readings and lectures.”

 

Book List:

1. Gary Nash, Race and Revolution
2. Pauline Maier, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence

3. Alfred Young, The Shoemaker and the Tea Party

HIS  110B:  Revolutionary  America   Essay  Assignment

**Due    Tuesday,  May  24,  by  4  PM**

In  The  Radicalism  of  the  American  Revolution,  Gordon  Wood  argues  that  the   American  Revolution  brought  more  than  just  political  separation  from  the  British   Empire.  He  insists,  “it  was  as  radical  and  social  as  any  revolution  in  history”  (p.5).  In   an  essay  of  8-­‐10  pages  (double-­‐spaced,  Times  New  Roman  12-­‐point  font)  evaluate   Wood’s  argument.  Was  the  American  Revolution  radical?  Was  it  social?  In   answering  these  questions,  be  sure  to  demonstrate  an  understanding  of  Wood’s   argument  and  evidence.  Be  sure,  as  well,  to  consider  information  from  other   readings  and  lectures  that  counter  Wood’s  interpretation.  In  other  words,  in  the   process  of  making  your  own  argument  for  how  radical  the  Revolution  was  or  was   not,  give  attention  to  both  sides  in  the  debate.  Support  your  argument  with  evidence   from  a  variety  of  readings  and  lectures.     Tip  #1:  Don’t  worry  about  comparing  the  American  Revolution  with  other   revolutions  in  history  (even  though  Wood  makes  the  “as  radical…as  any  revolution   in  history”  claim).  Just  focus  on  the  American  Revolution  and  whether  or  not  it  was   very  radical  and  social.       Tip  #2:  There  is  no  one  “right”  answer  to  this  question.  Eminent  scholars  have  made   compelling  arguments  across  the  whole  spectrum,  from  extremely  radical  to   downright  conservative.  So  think  for  yourself.  Just  be  sure  to  support  whatever   position  you  take  with  evidence  from  a  range  of  sources  we’ve  looked  at  in  this  class.     For  citations,  a  simple  parenthetical  citation  is  fine  for  assigned  readings  or  lectures.   For  example:

George Robert Twelves Hughes stopped behaving deferentially to rich men after the Revolution (Young, 48). Before and after the Revolution, American societies followed laws of coverture, meaning that married women lacked property rights independent of their husbands (lecture, 5/11).

If  you  choose  to  incorporate  research  from  sources  not  assigned  for  the  class  (which   is  not  required  or  expected),  you  need  to  give  a  full  bibliographic  citation  in  the  form   of  a  footnote.  For  example:

James Madison arrived at the meeting to revise the Articles of Confederation determined to convince other delegates to scrap the Articles and to draft a new frame of government.1

1  Carol  Berkin,  A  Brilliant  Solution:  Inventing  the  American  Constitution  (Orlando:  Harcourt,  2002),  31.

 

 

Paper-­‐Writing  Checklist

After  writing  a  draft  of  your  paper,  double-­‐check  the  following  things:

! Have  I  run  spell-­‐check  to  catch  the  most  obvious  spelling  and  grammar   mistakes?

! Have  I  read  my  paper  to  make  sure  it  all  makes  sense,  at  least  to  me?     [A  very  helpful  exercise  is  to  read  your  paper  aloud.  If  you  get  tongue-­‐tied   or  confused,  it  is  a  sign  that  your  work  needs  editing  for  clarity.]

! Have  I  double-­‐checked  that  my  paper  responds  to  the  assignment?  Re-­‐ read  the  essay  prompt  to  ensure  pertinence.

! Do  I  state  a  clear  thesis  in  my  opening  paragraph?  Is  it  a  falsifiable  claim?   (I.e.,  a  thesis  is  an  argument,  so  it  has  to  be  an  assertion  with  which   someone  could  conceivably  disagree.)   [For  this  paper,  underline  the  thesis.]

! Does  each  paragraph  of  the  paper  develop  my  argument/thesis?  Is  the   connection  of  each  paragraph  to  the  argument  (and  the  essay  prompt)   clear?

! Does  each  paragraph  begin  with  a  topic  sentence  that  introduces  a   discrete  subject  to  be  discussed  in  that  paragraph?

! Do  I  present  evidence  from  the  assigned  readings  or  lectures  to  support   my  arguments?  Do  I  cite  that  evidence?

! Does  my  conclusion  correspond  to  the  claims  made  in  my  introduction?   Has  my  argument/thesis  remained  consistent?