US History II – Final Essay
Assignment: Demonstrate your understanding of the history of the United States by composing an essay in
response to the prompt below.
Length: 800 word minimum (at least approximately 2.5 double-spaced pages)
Due: April 28th by 11:59 PM via Moodle.
Prompt: President Franklin Roosevelt famously claimed that the United States was fighting World War
II in order to secure the “four freedoms” – freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from
want, and freedom from fear – for both Americans and people around the world. Following the
war, America rose to international prominence and underwent significant internal
transformations. Did it also maintain its commitment to any or all of the “four freedoms”? Using
events in US history from 1945-2018 (covered in chapters 23-28 in our textbook) compose an essay
arguing whether the United States has done more to protect or threaten one or more of
Roosevelt’s “four freedoms” either internationally or domestically.
Essay Guidelines:
All essays are to conform to the conventions of academic writing (i.e. have an introduction, a thesis statement,
body paragraphs, a conclusion, etc.)
Remember that academic essays are not simply reports of facts but are sustained arguments – they put forward
an opinion and support it with evidence.
Your argument will whether or not America had done more to protect or threaten one or more of
Roosevelt’s “four freedoms.”
You will need to select at least one of the “four freedoms” to focus on and select events from
the period between 1945-2018 as evidence to support your argument.
Be sure to double-check spelling, punctuation, and grammar as these will count in your essay grade!
