How An Expansion Of Rights For Some Lead To The Contraction Of Rights For Others

Sources: You must use the sources I provided, I can’t use any other outside sources for this essay at all.

Format: Times New Roman/12pt font; double spaced; 1-inch margins; page numbers

Citations: Cite the author and page number when discussing the texts: Ex. (Beckert, 155)

You may use either in-text citations (MLA) or footnotes (Chicago)
Include a Works Cited List at the end of the paper

Thesis: Make an argument that is based on the sources that you have available to you.

Quotations: I suggest that you include no more than two quotes per page. The quote should be as short as possible, no more than two lines. When you use a quote, right after you use it, explain what it demonstrates.

The goal of this paper is for you to craft a strong central thesis and to support your argument throughout your essay with evidence from the readings.

THIS IS THE FOLLOWING ESSAY QUESTION ALONG WITH BACKGROUND INFO:

A number of authors have shown how, at times, an expansion of rights or opportunities for some could lead to a contraction of rights and opportunities for others. Grandin, Beckert and Oakes all write about broad national advancements: The US expansion Westward and “Democratization” (Grandin and Beckert); The economic ascendance of the United States with the development of cotton production (Beckert); And the development of antislavery politics and the abolition of slavery (Oakes) But for Grandin and Beckert, these national developments only happened with the further subjugation of women, Native Americans, free blacks and slaves. The Civil War brought about the violent confrontation between the property rights of the slaveholders and the rights of black people to their freedom. The Republican Party seemed to be well aware of the way the slaveholders’ property rights depended on the complete denial of rights of black people. (Oakes)

These types of stories contradict the idea that history is simply the story of progress and advancement.

Choose two of these authors and write about the way that freedom for various groups of people (which you specify, for example: northern white women, black slaves, white westerners, southern slaveholders, etc.) clashed in various ways with the freedoms of others. What were the outcomes of these clashes?

Choose at least two of the following texts to write about for your response:

-Grandin, “A Caucasian Democracy”
-Beckert
-Oakes, “Ultimate Extinction”
-Oakes, “Fulfillment of Prophesies”