For this “final exam,” you will write a 1,500 to 2,000 word essay on how freedoms in the US have changed (and not changed) through the Long Gilded Age, the Liberal Era, and the Post-Liberal Era of the present. Your paper should be centered on MARCH: Book Two, but it should also incorporate specific examples from each of the three periods we have studied in this course (at least five primary sources from each period — a total of 15 primary sources, plus MARCH)…….In effect, you will answer:
1) What does MARCH: Book Two tell us about US history, American freedoms, and what has or has not changed in the last half-century or so?………2) During the Long Gilded Age (the 1870s through the 1930s), the Liberal Era (the 1930s through 1970s), and the Post-Liberal Era (1980 to present), in what ways were Americans’ freedoms limited by those in power? It may be helpful to consider how freedoms have varies based on economic class (workers vs. wealthy elites), individual identity (race/ethnicity/gender/sexuality/immigration status/incarceration status/etc.), or as a result of specific events (wars, environmental and health disasters, protest movements, etc.)…….3) During the 150+ years covered in this course, how did Americans attempt to expand their freedoms and rights? How have different generations of Americans tried to “stick it to the man?” …….Again, center your paper around MARCH, but include at least five primary sources from each period (they are listed on the three exam prompts, but you should also just be able to use your three exam essays to build this essay)….
