Below are two questions. Prepare essays for each question and upload them into Canvas as a Microsoft Word
or PDF document by clicking on Essay Exam 1. Only one of your essays will be chosen and assigned a grade.
Because you do not know in advance which essay will be chosen, it is important to prepare high-quality essays
for both questions.
Please submit both essays as one document
Questions
1.Explain the way English settlers constructed their labor systems in the Chesapeake from the settlement of
Jamestown in 1607 through the seventeenth century. How did these labor systems work and why did they
change?
2. What were the main characteristics of the African slave trade and what is your assessment of the process?
Expectations
You will find ample information to address these questions in video lectures, the textbook and primary
documents. Essay responses should show a thorough understanding of the readings and be college level
(clear, organized, without typographical errors, logical, etc.)
Your essay should have an introduction with a clear argument, a well-developed body with ample supporting
evidence, a conclusion that provides some final analysis, and be between five and seven paragraphs
(paragraphs should be at least five sentences in length but often longer). Your argument is your brief answer to
the question while the body of the essay is used to provide detailed historical examples to support your
argument. Although analysis of the material should be woven into the body of your essay, the conclusion is
where you will be able to show that you have thought about the material in a critical and analytical way (rather
than simply regurgitating information). Also, remember that any information included in your essay should be
pertinent to answering the question asked of you.
Citations
For the purposes of this essay, you can use parenthetical citation. Please only use information from within the
confines of this class, such as video lectures, the textbook, primary documents, and any other assigned
readings.
Example of Video Lecture citation: (Chesapeake 2 Video Lect.) or (Slave Trade Video Lect.).
Example of Textbook citation: (Foner, 45).
Example for Primary Document citation: (Frethorne, 2).
Example of A People's History of the United States citation: (Zinn, 55).
Important Tips
Remember, only one of your essays will be chosen and assigned a grade. Because you do not know in
advance which essay will be chosen, it is important to prepare high-quality essays for both questions.
Because you have the questions in advance, your essays should not have any grammatical errors or typos,
should be written in fluid prose and indicate a clear command of the material