APUSH: Research Practice1
NAME: ________________________________
Selma – Movie Review
Due: __________________
Background: The movie, Selma, is a description of the Selma voting rights protest, the march from
Selma to Montgomery, the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the leadership of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Selma shows a pivotal event in modern U.S. history. But, while it contains an excellent
characterization of Dr. King, it also misrepresents the extraordinary role played by President Lyndon
Baines Johnson ("LBJ") in developing and passing the 1965 Voting Rights Act and falsely claims that
LBJ was complicit in the FBI's attempts to sow marital discord between Dr. King and his wife.
Purpose:


show ability to make connections between events in U.S. History
demonstrate ability to cite sources through your research skills
Tasks:

In a 1 pg, single-spaced essay:
□
Make a comparison between events of MLK’s Civil Rights leadership, Selma, and the
Voting Rights Act of 1965 and –

A post-1990 example of unpopular government action deemed to be in the best
interest of citizens or American ideals (for example: Patriot Act, Affordable Care
Act, Citizens United v. FEC, Obergefell v. Hodges)
--OR--

A different 1960s/1970s rights movement that was not discussed in class (for
example: Cesar Chavez & the Chicano or Dennis Banks & the American Indian
Movement)
--OR--

A post-1990 example of challenges faced by intelligence agencies and law
enforcement in determining the balance between determining public safety vs.
individual rights (for example: NSA bulk collection of data, Enhanced
interrogation, Ferguson Missouri)
□
Create a MLA Works Cited page with at least 3 sources
□
Correctly use MLA parenthetical citations for the 3+ sources listed on Works Cited
Grading:
Accuracy of MLA documentation ( 12 pts)
Quality of Evidence / Research ( 9 pts)
Thesis (4.5 pts)
Quality of Draft (4.5 pts)
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Procedure:
1. Use library databases and internet research to find examples that would support your comparisons
2. Record the bibliographic information, main ideas, and illustrative quotations/details. You may
not use Wikipedia as a source in any formal research situation.
3. Create your Works Cited page using MLA format.
4. Write your 1-page essay based around an analytical thesis and MLA citations.
5. Check to make sure that each researched item has a parenthetical citation and that each body
paragraph has a parenthetical citation. Alphabetize your Works Cited page, and edit it to reflect
only the sources that you used when writing your essay.
Documentation:
As you begin writing your essay, be sure to print out your working bibliography or have it open so
that you can cite sources parenthetically as you use them. You must cite every piece of information
you have borrowed from another author whether quoting directly, paraphrasing, or
summarizing. Without an in-text citation for every piece of borrowed information, your essay
is plagiarized. Generally speaking, the parenthetical citation should use the first piece of information
listed for a source in your bibliography. Check to make sure that each researched item has a
parenthetical citation and that each body paragraph has a parenthetical citation.
Once you have finished writing your essay, you must finalize your bibliography by turning it into a
Works Cited page. In contrast to a bibliography which lists sources consulted for research, a Works
Cited page has a very literal name because it lists only the works that are cited in the paper.
To make a works cited page, use only the bibliographic entries that you actually used to write your
essay. To determine this, go back to the beginning of your essay and keep track of all the different
sources you used (they appear in in-text citations). For every source with an in-text citation in
your essay, there must be a complete entry in your works cited page. Now, if there are sources
listed on your Works Cited page that you did not use in your essay, delete them.
Start the works cited page on a new page at the end of your essay.
 Center the title, Works Cited, one inch from the top of the page and do not underline.
 Alphabetize entries
 Using hanging indentations
Examples: (in alphabetical order)
Works Cited
PERIODICAL
BOOK with 3 or more
AUTHORS
BOOK with 1 AUTHOR
Bender, William H. "How Much Food Will We Need in the
Twenty-First Century?" Environment Mar. 1997: 6-11.
Daconta, Michael, et al. Java 1.2 and JavaScript for C and C++
Programmers. New York: Wiley, 1998.
Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton:
BOOK with 2 AUTHORS
Princeton UP, 1957.
WEBSITE
Landre, Rick, and Dee Porter. Gangs: A Handbook for
Community Awareness. New York: Facts on File, 1997.
“Picasso the Legend.” The Artchive. 6 Nov. 2000
<http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/picasso_postww2.html>.