The Life of Olaudah Equiano History Report
Olaudah Equiano, The African Slave Trade: Questions 1 through 5 on Primary Source Review Sheet
Gottlieb Mittelberger, On the Misfortune of Indentured Servants: Question 6 on Primary Source Review Sheet
2. Then complete the primary source assignment review sheet and submit your assignment as a Microsoft Word document.
3. Remember to utilize quotes to provide specific examples and as evidence to support your contentions. Remember to cite all direct quotes and paraphrasing using footnotes. Use the In-Text Footnotes template located in the
Instructions and Templates for Assignments/ Informational Resources/ College Student Services Module
. Also, refer to the video tutorial “Footnotes Are Easy” located in the
Introductory Videos Module
if you are uncertain how to create and insert a footnote in Microsoft Word.
4. Refer to these sources if you are unfamiliar or unsure how to write an argumentative and compare/ contrast essay. Read them in the order listed below.
Argumentative Essay:
Purdue Online Writing Lab – Argumentative Essays (Links to an external site.)
Compare and Contrast Essay:
The Writing Center – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Comparing and Contrasting in Essays
1
Primary Source Review Sheet Instructions
1. For the “Primary Source Review Sheet” you must have a minimum 500 of your own
words. Quotes from primary sources to support your contentions are in addition to the
minimum 500 of your own words. Use the template provided below and your essay
should be double-spaced, 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font. Important Note: A
minimum means a bare minimum and in order to do a thorough essay, the assignment
submission will need to go beyond the minimum word count requirement.
2. Address all sources assigned listed in the syllabus for the week’s assignment.
3. A minimum of three quotes per primary source are required, (not from introduction, but
from the actual source with proper citation for each quote), to support your contentions
about the main ideas and arguments you find in the document(s). Important Note: A
minimum means a bare minimum and in order to do a thorough essay, the assignment
submission will need to go beyond the minimum quote usage requirement.
4. If there is only one source assigned, answer question five with a minimum 500 of your
own words plus quotes from primary sources with proper citation to meet the criteria
listed in the number one instruction. Important Note: A minimum means a bare
minimum and in order to do a thorough essay, the assignment submission will need to
go beyond the minimum word count requirement.
5. If there are two or more sources assigned, question five would be a minimum 250 of
your own words and question six would be a minimum 250 of your own words; totaling a
minimum 500 of your own words plus quotes from primary sources with proper citation
to meet the criteria listed in the number one instruction. Important Note: A minimum
means a bare minimum and in order to do a thorough essay, the assignment
submission will need to go beyond the minimum word count requirement.
6. Use the “Written Assignment Checklist” to ensure your essay meets “Basic Format
Guidelines,” “Basic Paper Structure,” “Grammar, Spelling, Correcting Typos, Proper
Academic Format, and Citation”.
7. Important Note: The Primary Source Review Sheets, Discussion Board entries, and
any other assignment need to be entirely your own words with the exception of quotes
used to support your contentions which are properly cited. As mentioned above, the
quotes are in addition to the minimum 500 of your own words and you cannot use an
entire paragraph quote to meet the minimum 500 of your own words criteria.
8. If you do not follow the instructions listed above, you will receive reduced points or
possibly a zero for the assignment.
9. Do not copy and paste information from the Internet or other student’s assignments if
doing homework with a fellow student. If you commit acts of plagiarism or academic
dishonesty you will receive a zero for the assignment and I will inform the Academic
Dishonesty Department.
2
Primary Source Review Sheet
Your Name:_______________
Class and Section Number:___________________
Title of Document:________________________
Identification Answers – Answer questions one through four with one properly spelled
and grammatically correct sentence.
1. The original author’s first and last name, (not the editor, (ed.)
2. The year the document was originally written and/or published. If the exact year is not
given then the decade (Example: 1790s, 1850s, 1960s, etc.)
3. What type of primary source document is this? (Examples: journal entry, diary, personal
letter, photograph, etc.)
4. What society and region was the author reflecting on? (Examples: United States in New
England factory working conditions, Chinese immigrants in California, White and Black
relations in the Deep South, etc.)
Argumentative Essay – A minimum of 500 of your own words plus a minimum of three
quotes per primary source properly cited are required. Important Note: A minimum
means a bare minimum and in order to do a thorough essay, the assignment submission will
need to go beyond the minimums for word count and quote usage requirements.
Overview of Essay Structure:
An essay has an introduction paragraph that introduces all sources assigned with a thesis
statement that encompasses all the sources, body paragraphs that start with topic sentences
and end with transition sentences, and a conclusion paragraph that summarizes the main
points of the essay and ties back to the thesis statement.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Writing the Essay:
5. First, write an introduction paragraph that introduces all sources assigned and has a thesis
statement that encompasses all the sources.
To create a thesis statement, some questions to ask yourself is what is or are the main idea(s)
and argument(s) the author is trying to convey to the reader? Think about why they decided to
sit down and write the document and what their aims were, i.e., what was their agenda? Was it
simply to inform, to inspire people to take action of some sort, to influence political leaders,
etc.? Also, ask yourself how do the source(s) fit into the larger historical context which this
information is located in the main textbook and in the introduction before the source and is
another influencing factor as to why the source(s) were created. The answers to these
questions should help you formulate a thesis statement that makes a clear and strong stand on
the topics covered in the source(s).
3
Then after the introduction paragraph, write body paragraphs that discuss the source
assigned for question five from the beginning, middle, to end of the source. Use as many
paragraphs as needed to do a thorough account of the source using quotes as evidence to
provide specific examples, to support your own words, and prove your thesis statement. Refer
to the syllabus or To-Do list to find the primary source assigned for question five in the
proper week.
6. If there is a source assigned for question six, then write body paragraphs that discuss the
source assigned for question six from the beginning, middle, to end of the source. Use as
many paragraphs as needed to do a thorough account of the source using quotes as evidence
to provide specific examples, to support your own words, and prove your thesis statement.
Refer to the syllabus or To-Do list to find the primary source assigned for question six
in the proper week.
Next, discuss how the sources compare and the connections between the sources. Comment
on similarities, differences, and change or continuity over time from the beginning, middle, to
end of the sources. Use as many paragraphs as needed to do a thorough comparison and
explanation of the connections between sources using quotes as evidence to provide specific
examples, to support your own words, and prove your thesis statement.
Finally, end the essay with a conclusion paragraph that summarizes the main points of the
essay and ties back to your thesis statement.
Reference Materials: Refer to these sources if you are unfamiliar or unsure how to write
an argumentative and compare/ contrast essay. Read them in the order listed below.
•
Argumentative Essay: Purdue Online Writing Lab – Argumentative Essays
•
Compare and Contrast Essay: The Writing Center – University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill – Comparing and Contrasting in Essays
