Notable Minority in U.S. History
Essay, Presentation Instructions This assignment is a two-part submission that consists of a short essay and a power point or video presentation with (your voice) narration.
Throughout each era in history, there have been people who have impacted the course of history. These people have been remembered and studied and are now part of the narrative of our country’s story. Many of the people that have shaped our history are less known and not studied in traditional U.S. history classes. This course has highlighted some lesser-known minorities (The less-known notables) throughout the week’s lessons.
Find a gender/race/ethnic Minority person in history from the 1700s through 2000s that has made contributions in the United States but is not studied in U.S. history courses. Investigate a person who has had a significant influence in shaping America, but has not been amply studied. For example, Martin Delany was Fredrick Douglass’s contemporary but has not been studied as much as Douglass has been. We are now studying the contributions of Cesar Chavez but we do not study his contemporaries such as Dolores Huerta and Cruz Reynoso, which also worked, tirelessly for farm worker’s rights. Create an argument as to why you believe the person you’ve chosen should be studied in U.S. history courses. Argue the reasons why you think their contribution to America should be noted, studied and even celebrated.
*Note: Do not study minorities that ARE well known ie).Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Emelia Earhart, and Cesar Chavez would not be good candidates. You are required to investigate a minority that is not well known and make a case for why we should study him/her. The essay length: 3-5 pages in length and in APA format
Biographical Information
Include the person’s people group (gender, ethnic background, cultural background etc..).
Location in the U.S.
Migration experience
Struggles (social, political etc..)
Historical Context
Content should include a brief background of the person.
What was the societal context and the time period in which he/she lived in?
What was going on that was historically significant? How did he/she effect that particular era?
Notable Contributions to U.S. History
What did they do that was significant and why was it significant?
What area of society did they contribute to? (education, justice, poverty, law, politics, science etc…)
Argument articulating why this person should be studied
What ongoing legacy do they have or should they have?
How if at all, did the faith of this person influence their actions? Did their faith have anything to do with why they helped others.
Student is expected to expand on these subtopics and create their own where relevant.
Power Point or video presentation
The requirements for the presentation portion of the assignment are included in the rubric below. Create a short presentation (4-6 slides or 5-10 minutes in length) letting us know your findings and your argument as to why we should study this person in U.S. history courses. You will submit the presentation along with the final publish of your paper.
Submit both the paper and presentation Here. Then, Re-submit your Presentation only as Week 8 Discussion Forum. Students will watch at least 2 other student’s presentation and comment on at least 2 other student’s presentation.
Please complete the short essay and PowerPoint slides with no voice narration.