Ashford 2: – Week 1 – Discussion 1

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Reference the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Race,   Ethnicity, and Gender in the 19th Century

 Background: Many Americans like to imagine the history of their nation as one of continual progress. While acknowledging that not all persons and groups enjoyed equal rights at all times, Americans often take it for granted that American history moves in only one direction: toward greater rights, greater freedom, and greater equality. However, from roughly 1867 to 1875, African Americans enjoyed far more political influence and equal rights than they ever had before, or ever would again, until the end of the modern Civil Rights Movement almost a century later. In addition to the disturbance in the social hierarchy created by the end of slavery, the nation experienced the influx of huge numbers of immigrants during the last half of the 1800s, many of whom were viewed by the American population as different and inferior to earlier waves of immigrants. Adding to concerns about social order was the push for women’s suffrage that arose after Civil War. These factors came together to create a threat to White male supremacy and combined to create a period characterized by conflict over race, ethnicity, and gender.
 

Review the following sources about the differences between primary and secondary sources: Primary, Secondary,      Tertiary Sources  Transcript How to Research Primary Sources How to Research Secondary Sources

Required sources: What is Freedom?—Freedom: A History of US in the Films on Demand database in the Ashford      University Library Alien Menace

Recommended sources: Entertaining Citizenship: Masculinity and Minstrelsy in      Post-Emancipation San Francisco Identity, Marriage, and Schools: Life along the Color      Line/s in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson Whiteness, Freedom, and Technology: The Racial Struggle      Over Philadelphia’s Streetcars, 1859-1867

Instructions: Explore the Alien Menace exhibit thoroughly, viewing all of the links. You are not required to answer the questions on the website, but consider them. Watch What is Freedom?—Freedom: A History of US from the Films on Demand database. Based on Chapter 1 in your textbook, the required exhibit, and the film, explain Why the last half of the 1800s was a time of conflict      over the meanings of citizenship, race, and gender.  How African Americans, White Americans, and immigrants      worked to secure their places in the social and political hierarchy.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Provide specific examples to support your points. Your references and citations must be formatted according to APA style as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
 

Respond to at least two classmates in a substantive manner that contributes to their analysis of the topic. Identify important points that they may have missed  that either support or challenge their interpretation. Explain how their views have made you rethink your own conclusions, or offer perspectives that might help them regard the topic in a different way. Do not respond with one “great job,” “good post,” or “What do you think of X, Y, and Z?” Responses to classmates must be a minimum of 100 words. Cite any sources that you use in APA format.
 

Do you need help finding the articles or ebooks that are required for the assignment? Check out the Ashford University Library’sFinding an Article When You Have a Citation. You must be signed in to the online learning system for      this link to work. Alternatively, click on Library in your left-navigation pane in your online classroom.      Click on Getting      Research Help. Click on Tutorials. Under Using the Ashford University Library, you will      see Finding an Article When You Have a Citation, along with other helpful tutorials. 

Before submitting your post, you may want to visit the Ashford Writing Center (AWC) for feedback. The AWC has two kinds of tutoring available to you: Live Chat – If you have writing-related questions about a topic      before you draft a discussion post or submit a written assignment, you      will now be able to chat live with a tutor for up to 20 minutes. Live Chat      will be available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and      from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (PST). AWC Live Chat Email Paper Review – If you have a draft, partial draft, or are just      having trouble getting started, you can complete a submission form and      email your paper to the AWC for review.  Writing tutors will do their best to return your paper       with their comments within 48 hours, not including Saturdays and Sundays.       Please plan accordingly if you would like to receive feedback before an       assignment due date. AWC Email Paper Review

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