English III
Normal Community West High School
English Department
Unit 5 Common Assessment- Researched Paper
Each individual student in this unit will write a Researched Paper focused on the American
Dream:
James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America (1931), stated that the American dream
is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with
opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European
upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and
mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social
order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which
they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the
fortuitous circumstances of birth or position" (214-215).
Is Adams’ definition of “The American Dream” attainable in 2015? Your answer to this
question becomes the beginning of your Thesis Statement.
Guidelines:
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This paper should be a minimum of three ENTIRE pages long.
This paper should contain a minimum of four sources, with at least one database source.
The paper will follow all MLA 7 guidelines as pertaining to Headings, Page Numbering,
Internal Documentation, Quoting, Format, Punctuation, and Works Cited Page. Students
will receive a sample researched paper as a model for these guidelines. Students may also
go to https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/13/ to view more models.
Students will be required to meet all deadlines as listed in this and future documents.
(The teacher reserves the right to move deadlines if needed).
No drafts of this paper will be accepted until student has shown evidence of having
satisfactorily completed each and every preceding step: Completed Source sheet,
Works Cited Page, Thesis Statement, Outline, First Draft, and Final Draft.
1st Draft Due DATE: February 24th at the end of your class period
Tentative time line to follow.
The teacher(s) reserve the right to adjust due dates as is necessary.