Choose one of the prompts below to explore in the space of a 5-6 page essay. Your essay should have a clearly articulated thesis and a combination of textual and historical evidence. Textual evidence includes direct quotations and summary of ideas from texts, such as the articles and chapters read in class. Historical evidence includes facts about history or the present day. You can, but are not required, to engage sources and topics beyond those we’ve discussed in class. That said, as with the midterm essay, you should show that you are making sense of reading/work assigned in this class. You should cite all sources on a separate page, which does not count toward the required pages. 1. What does it mean to be American today, and how has the definition of “American-ness” changed over time? 2. Is America exceptional? If so, in what ways, and why does this matter? 3. Is America in a state of decline or is it progressing? Explain your answer.
