Essay: The American West The American West in the period from 1862 to 1900 was a region that offere ...

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Essay: The American West The American West in the period from 1862 to 1900 was a region that offered great opportunities (economic, political, and social) to its inhabitants (including those who moved there from elsewhere). Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Please use specific historical evidence to support your claims. Sources Your essay should be based only on assigned course materials. Please do not use outside sources. Relevant sources are listed below. While it is not necessary to draw on all the sources listed, essays that are based on a wide range of course materials will be stronger than those that rely on only a few sources. Essay must draw on (and cite) at least four different primary source documents from among those listed below. Lecture Lecture 3: The American West, 1860s-1900 Primary Sources Homestead Act (1862) “Pun Chi Appeals to Congress” “Mattie Oblinger Describes Life on a Nebraska Homestead” “The Jorgensens Long for Other Danes” Testimony of Benjamin “Pap” Singleton Richard Pratt, “Kill the Indian...and Save the Man” Ellis Childers, “All That is Passed Away” Zitkala-Sa, “School Days of an Indian Girl” Elfido Lopez, “You Would Never Hear People Complain” General Instructions Writing matters. Please take care with your writing In particular, you should use complete sentences, organize your thoughts into paragraphs, and use correct grammar and language mechanics. Excessive errors may lead to reduced grades, so please proofread before submitting your exercise. Limit yourself to assigned course materials. This is not a research paper. Please use only those materials that are assigned for this class. Do not use sources from the internet or from other courses. One of the points of this exercise is to allow the instructor to assess how well you understand assigned course materials and how well you can integrate them into an analytical essay. Avoid plagiarism. Please make sure you use your own words. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on this assignment. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, please refer to the university's policy on academic honesty, consult the library's guide on plagiarism, or contact the instructor. Avoid excessive use of direct quotations. The bulk of your essay should be your ideas expressed in your own words. Excessive use of direct quotations makes it difficult for me to determine whether you comprehend the material.  Cite your sources. Any time you paraphrase or directly quote another author, you must provide a proper citation. Please use parenthetical citations that include the author’s last name and the appropriate page numbers. Example: “I think I should give the reasons for my being in Birmingham” (King, p. 29). If you wish to cite something from lecture, please provide the professor's last name and the title of the lecture (Strathman, "The American West, 1860s-1900"). You do not need a "Works Cited" page or bibliography.