Journals are intended to engage students in deeper thought concerning a specific topic and are aligned with the original source readings from The Patriot’s History Reader. The journals for this course are formal in nature and should be organized as miniature essays. They are specifically not to be written in a casual manner or relate simply the feelings of the writer. It is hoped that students will use the journals as opportunities to practice their skill at writing essays.

Each week students are required to write an answer to one of the questions posed. In some of the weeks, students may select a question to answer, while other weeks will only provide a single selection. Journals should be two pages in length, printed using Times New Roman or Times font, 12 point type, and have 1-inch margins. They are not to go over two pages. The length is intended to both help the student not do too much work, and to also hone the student’s writing skills.

• Question A: George Washington’s Farewell Address urged Americans to avoid war and alliances. Later presidents, though, had to create a foreign policy for the new nation.

  • Read Madison’s Declaration of War in 1812 and Monroe’s Address of 1823, and discuss the shape of foreign policy that American presidents were developing.

  • What were their aims and why did they take the actions they took?

    OR

• Question B: There were significant differences between North and South long before the Civil War, and the differences were not always about slavery.

  • Read the Missouri Enabling Act and Calhoun’s Address on States Rights.

  • What are the assumptions about North and South in these documents?

  • Were the solutions offered of the type that both sides would agree to over time?

All written assignments should be formatted using APA. For the current OCU APA Template, click the Student Toolkit in the top navigation bar and view the APA: Citation and Formatting Help page