Source Document-The Cherokee Nation Letter of 1830

This essay requires that you analyze a primary source document. Using primary sources is a special skill. please review Using Primary Sources before you read the document or start writing your essay. Following the methods described will greatly improve your essay and your understanding of the document. Your essay will do the following: Place the document within its larger historical context using the textbook and lecture notes as your guide. Identify the major points, purposes, and intended audiences of the document. Determine what specific themes and issues from the cover material that are present in the document and explain their connections. User the document as primary evidence to make at least two historical conclusions about the Trail of Tears. Have a clear and focus thesis that reflect the conclusions you intend to explain.

Further Description

Your essay must be a minimum of two complete double-space pages with 12-point, Times New Roman font (around 600 words). It should be written in a comprehensive format with an introduction, thesis statement, specific examples (this does not mean large quotes from the text), citations, and a conclusion. It should not include any outside sources other than lecture notes and textbooks without prior approval. Please review the Essay Guidelines before you start writing. Strategies and Guidelines:  The idea here is to engage with the primary source provided and to keep it at the center of your analysis. Students sometimes want to write a grand narrative about the events and people involved. That is not a good strategy.

You should show your reader specifically how the document connects to the larger history it is a part of.  This document is a primary source. Treat it the same way you would any contemporary source you come across. We do not take news stories, personal accounts, or political speeches at face value. This document needs the same kind of investigation, scrutiny, and evaluation.  The best essays are ones with a strong thesis statement that includes historical conclusions, and uses clear evidence and historical context from the document, and covered material to prove them.

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