American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic by Joseph Ellis
This subtle, brilliant examination of the period between the War of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase puts Pulitzer-winner Ellis (Founding Brothers) among the finest of America's narrative historians. Six stories, each centering on a significant creative achievement or failure, combine to portray often flawed men and their efforts to lay the republic's foundation. Set against the extraordinary establishment of the most liberal nation-state in the history of Western Civilization... in the most extensive and richly endowed plot of ground on the planet are the terrible costs of victory, including the perpetuation of slavery and the cruel oppression of Native Americans. Ellis blames the founders' failures on their decision to opt for an evolutionary revolution, not a risky severance with tradition (as would happen, murderously, in France, which necessitated compromises, like retaining slavery). Despite the injustices and brutalities that resulted, Ellis argues, this deferral strategy was a profound insight rooted in a realistic appraisal of how enduring social change best happens. Ellis's lucid, illuminating and ironic prose will make this a holiday season hit. (Nov. 5)
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --
Assignment 1 - Non-Fiction Selection and Dialectic Journal
You are expected to turn in your dialectic journal on the first day of class. The dialectic journal allows students to take notes and make connections to what they've read. Set up your journal in the following format:
Chapter & Subtitle (Prologue: The Founding, Chapter 1: The Year, Chapter 2: The Winter, Chapter 3: The Argument...etc)
Your goal is to determine what the author's main point is for each chapter. Select quotations from the text you find interesting & important. After you have read & taken notes on the chapter, look back over what you've written & ask yourself "so what? What was the author's point?" Write out a sentence or 2 that explains what the author's point was for that chapter.
Page Quotation Why this Quotation is interesting or Important
p. 16 "the revolutionary generation was freer to question the old self-evident truths & invent their
own without fear of offending established sources of power authority because, in fact, there are none."
By quotation, I mean a passage from the book that you find interesting or important….it does not have to be an actual direct quote from a historical personality – it can simply be a quotation of a fact or opinion that the author makes in the book. There is no firm requirement for the number of quotations that you should select, but you must have a separate section for each of the 7 chapters of the book (including the Prologue)
At the end of each chapter’s quotations, write a 2-3 sentence summary of what the author’s main point (thesis) for that chapter was.
Chapter & Subtitle (Prologue: The Founding, Chapter 1: The Year, Chapter 2: The Winter, Chapter 3: The Argument...etc)
Your goal is to determine what the author's main point is for each chapter. Select quotations from the text you find interesting & important. After you have read & taken notes on the chapter, look back over what you've written & ask yourself "so what? What was the author's point?" Write out a sentence or 2 that explains what the author's point was for that chapter.
Page Quotation Why this Quotation is interesting or Important
p. 16 "the revolutionary generation was freer to question the old self-evident truths & invent their
own without fear of offending established sources of power authority because, in fact, there are none."
By quotation, I mean a passage from the book that you find interesting or important….it does not have to be an actual direct quote from a historical personality – it can simply be a quotation of a fact or opinion that the author makes in the book. There is no firm requirement for the number of quotations that you should select, but you must have a separate section for each of the 7 chapters of the book (including the Prologue)
At the end of each chapter’s quotations, write a 2-3 sentence summary of what the author’s main point (thesis) for that chapter was.