NAME: __________________________________
PERIOD: ________
New Nation Creative Writing Project
DUE DATE: Thursday 11/29/12
TASK: Creatively write a first-person narrative account (either a series of journal entries or a letter)
based on a historical perspective and using information from primary historical documents. You should
invent a name, a character, and a storyline that incorporates facts and details from what you have learned
from the documents assigned and the text and class discussions.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: You have been assigned ONE of the following historical
perspectives. You MAY NOT trade/swap/or choose another.
1. Mill Girl
4. War Hawk
2. Immigrant worker
5. Native American
3. Entrepreneur
LENGTH: Two full pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 point , 1 inch margins
SEE SAMPLE LETTER ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES; USE AS A GUIDE.
HAND IN YOUR PROJECT WITH THIS PAPER ON TOP, AND THEN YOUR WRITTEN WORK.
You will be graded on how well you achieve each of the tasks above. Additionally, YOU MUST read,
evaluate and incorporate knowledge from the primary historical documents in your essay. DO NOT
COPY OR PLAGIARIZE. YOU MAY QUOTE ONLY FROM THE DOCUMENTS.
ACHTUNG!!! WARNING!!! TEN CUIDADO!!!
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
RUBRIC
40 points
10
Understanding
Primary Document
Usage
Historical Perspective
Grammar and Writing
TOTAL
9
8
7
Shows a thorough
understanding of
question, content, timeperiod
Explicitly integrates many
facts, details, and
vocabulary from text and
all or a significant
number of the documents
Writing sample creatively
and effectively captures
the historical bias and
perspective of the era
Shows a good
understanding of
question, content, timeperiod
Integrates some facts,
details, and vocabulary
from text and a significant
number of the document;
implicitly uses documents
Writing sample makes
successful attempts to be
true to historical bias and
perspective
Well written and edited
A few grammatical or
spelling errors that do not
overly detract
6
5
Shows cursory
understanding of
question, content, timeperiod
Integrates insufficiently
facts, details, and
vocabulary from text and
documents are only used
implicitly
Writing sample
inaccurately portrays
historical perspective or
fails to identify speaker’s
bias accurately
Needs editing, poorly
written or organized,
major spelling or writing
errors
4
3
2
1
Appears to not
understand or master the
question content, time
period
Fails to utilize the
documents or facts,
details, and vocabulary
they contain
Did not attempt task or
off-topic
Below minimal
expectations
/ 40
21st of November, 1787
Friends, Countrymen and Fellow Citizens,
Allow me to remind you to review the liberties and privileges that are afforded to you
under our current system of government and consider the potential impact on those liberties if we
ratify this proposed document. If we allow these men to pass their proposed form of government,
then we as citizens of the United States will be giving up our essential freedoms for another
tyrannical government! Our current governments on the state level allow us essential liberties as
the freedom to speech, writing, and publishing. Do NOT take these for granted my countrymen
because if we allow this malicious document to pass through ratification, these essential liberties
of citizenry would be abolished. Even a letter such as this one you are reading could be
suppressed. The freedoms that we currently enjoy are not guaranteed under our new proposed
government. A Bill of Rights declaring these liberties secured is not only advantageous to all
Americans, but necessary!
Please keep in mind; this proposed government will jeopardize the happiness of
community and our great civil society. You’re future welfare and freedoms are at stake. I ask of
you, anyone who is competent in the task of developing new principles of government, please
step forward and propose an alternative and allow the people to make the proper judgment given
the opportunity to choose our future.
Numerous essays, pamphlets, and newspapers have been released detailing the supposed
benefits of the proposed system of government, but I ask you, fellow patriots, to compose your
own criticism of this Constitution. Those in favor of ratification argue that the three balancing
powers of government will create conflicting interests, thus ensuring the good of the nation as a
whole. The error I see in this hypothesis though, is the assumption that the Federal government
will have the competency to enact these supposed “checks and balances”. One thing that is often
times overlooked is the reality that this type of governmental structure has never been created
thus leaving no precedent to follow. If this is not enough, please keep in mind that two of the
branches of this proposed government have ample opportunity to become too powerful for their
own good. The executive branch can easily become like a present day monarch, eventually
controlling all aspects of government. If the American people are fortunate enough to avoid this
eventuality, then the legislative branch will be sure to usurp the power of our Federal
government. A system that allows rich, landholding elites who in turn elects others of similar
stature only ensures that the true voice of the citizens of our United States will not only be
diminished, but most likely wholly ignored! Additionally, Article I, sect. 8, of this proposed plan
of government, "the Congress are to have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and
excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United
States, but all duties, imposts and excises, shall be uniform throughout the United States." It is
quite easy to assume that this new Federal government will not only be able to create a standing
army in a time of peace, thus allowing to oppress the people whenever it deems necessary, but
since its income relies solely on the collection of taxes, the control of commerce would be a high
priority for this new governmental system. If we do not voice our opinions and derail this
proposed plan, we will be willingly succumbing to the oppression that has been so plainly stated.
Lastly, the third branch of this three-tiered government will be the judicial branch. This
proposed government only allows for a Supreme Court to be created, while ALL of the lower
courts composed by Congress. To allow Congress to be this omnipotent and powerful will only
lead to the creation of a branch that is put together for the sole purpose of succumbing to
Congressional wishes.
Without going into more detail about the specific structure of the government in this
letter, I beg of you, my fellow citizens, to stand up against this government and propose a
solution to the potentially overwhelming power of the Federal government.
Sincerely,
Glenn Coldwell
(AKA Mr. Caldwell)
RESOURCES FOR PERSPECTIVE #1
THE LOWELL MILL GIRL
Two letters:
http://libweb.uml.edu/clh/All/gil.htm http://libweb.uml.edu/clh/All/ano1.htm
Two sites for Background information:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/robinson-lowell.asp
http://www.nps.gov/lowe/planyourvisit/upload/mgi_05.pdf
Image of girls:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ggb2004010358/
Image of mill:
http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/ic/image_details.php?id=8313
Chart of ethnicity at Lowell:
http://libweb.uml.edu/clh/All/char01.htm
Lowell regulations for girls:
http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/marchandslides.bak/1000/images/ScanImage01754.jpg
RESOURCES FOR PERSPECTIVE #2
THE IMMIGRANT WORKER IN THE 1840’S
http://www.kinsella.org/history/histira.htm
background Information on the process of Irish immigration
http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/FAMINE/PT/riots.html
Conditions in Ireland during the Famine
http://secondat.blogspot.com/2010/06/black-irish.html
Anti-Irish cartoon
Background on Irish immigration
http://teachingamericanhistorymd.net/000001/000000/000131/html/t131.html
Immigration cartoon
http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/FAMINE/Punch/Emigration/Emigration.html
Background on Irish immigration
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigratio
n/irish7.html
Anti-Immigration party:
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/countDownload.php?resource=true&ID=401&site=www.yale.edu
%2Fglc%2Farchive%2F974.htm
Image of housing:
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/i?ammem/detr:@field(NUMBER%2B@band(det%2B4a18586)):displayType=1:m856sd=det:m
856sf=4a18586
RESOURCES FOR PERSPECTIVE #3
EARLY INDUSTRIAL ENTREPRENEURS
“Patterns of American Railroad Finance”
http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0007-6805%28195409%2928%3A3%3C248%3APOARF1%3E2.0.CO%3B2U&
Letters from Mill management – excellent
http://libweb.uml.edu/clh/All/Mml.htm
First hand account of a workers’ attitude toward her employer – Lowell Textile Mills
http://libweb.uml.edu/clh/All/voi06.htm
Letter describing the conditions of the Lowell factories
http://libweb.uml.edu/clh/All/voi09.htm
RESOURCES FOR PERSPECTIVE #4
WAR HAWKS ON THE WAR OF 1812
A view of Colonel Johnson's engagement with savages (commanded by Tecumseh) October
5, 1812
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/fawbib:@field(DOCID+@lit(apc0001))
Letter in Support of the War, Henry Clay, 1812
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=485
Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Historical Context
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/54horseshoe/54setting.htm
Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Reading 2: 4 Views of European American/American Indian
Relations
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/54horseshoe/54facts2.htm
Ephraim Foster to William Graham, Letter, April 8, 1814
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=181
Hero of the Wabash
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collId=icufaw&fileName=alf0001/icufawalf0001.db&recNum=0&itemLink=D?faw
bib:12:./temp/~ammem_NrmJ:
Death of Tecumseh, click on link of several for details of this event
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collId=icufaw&fileName=bbf0060/icufawbbf0060.db&recNum=184&itemLink=D
%3Ffawbib%3A19%3A.%2Ftemp%2F%7Eammem_NrmJ%3A
RESOURCES FOR PERSPECTIVE #5
NATIVE AMERICANS ON THE WAR OF 1812
Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Reading 1, The Creek People
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/54horseshoe/54facts1.htm
Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Historical Context
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/54horseshoe/54setting.htm
Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Reading 2: 4 Views of European American/American Indian
Relations
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/54horseshoe/54facts2.htm
Reading 3: The Battle of Horseshoe Bend and Its Consequences
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/54horseshoe/54facts3.htm
Quotation of Handsome Lake
http://nativequotesandbrilliance.ning.com/profiles/blogs/seneca-letter-to-handsome
Tecumseh’s Retort to General Harrison
http://www.nationalcenter.org/Tecumseh.html
Tecumseh’s Plea to Indian Nations
http://www.nchgs.org/html/tecumseh_visits_choctaw_nation.html
William Weatherford surrenders to General Jackson
http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/photo/id/84/rec/1
Death of Tecumseh, click on link of several for details of this event
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collId=icufaw&fileName=bbf0060/icufawbbf0060.db&recNum=184&itemLink=D
%3Ffawbib%3A19%3A.%2Ftemp%2F%7Eammem_NrmJ%3A