In Order To Successfully Complete This Assignment The Studen

In Order To Successfully Complete This Assignment The Student Must1

In order to successfully complete this assignment, the student must: 1. Select one article from the list below and read carefully and completely. 2. Write a one-page, single-spaced review of the article. 3. The review should have four elements:

A. What is the author's primary argument/thesis?

B. What evidence of support does the author give to defend and/or prove the argument/thesis?

C. In your view, what are the strengths of the article?

D. In your view, what are the weaknesses of the article? 4. The review should meet the following format guidelines:

A. It should be typed (single-space)

B. Students should save the final document as a .rtf document (rich text format).

C. The margins should be set at one inch (top, bottom, left, right).

D. The font style should be Times New Roman.

E. The font size should be 12 point.

F. Type your name in the upper left hand corner of the paper.

Paper For Above instruction

The task requires selecting one article from a provided list and thoroughly analyzing its content through a structured review. The review must identify the author's main argument or thesis, summarize the supporting evidence furnished to substantiate this argument, and critically evaluate the article’s strengths and weaknesses from the reader’s perspective. Additionally, the review must adhere strictly to formatting guidelines, including being single-spaced, using Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins, and saved as an .rtf file. The review must be concise, fitting onto a single page, and include the student’s name in the upper left corner. This exercise aims to develop critical reading and analytical skills, encouraging students to engage deeply with scholarly articles and articulate their insights clearly and systematically. Proper adherence to the formatting instructions will be essential, as failure to do so will result in a loss of points. The evaluation criteria emphasize the student's ability to accurately identify the thesis, summarize supporting evidence, and provide thoughtful, well-articulated assessments of the article’s strengths and weaknesses, each weighted accordingly.

Analysis of Selected Article

For the purpose of this review, I have selected the article "The Meaning or the Fight: Frederick Douglass and the Memory of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts" by David W. Blight, published in the Massachusetts Review in 1995. This article offers a critical examination of the ways in which Frederick Douglass's legacy was shaped by the memory and significance of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, the first African American infantry unit to serve in the Civil War. Blight’s primary argument is that Douglass's portrayal of the regiment and its sacrifices was a strategic and symbolic effort to redefine African American participation in the fight for freedom and equality.

Blight supports this thesis by analyzing Douglass’s speeches, writings, and public engagements surrounding the regiment’s heroic actions. He emphasizes Douglass’s rhetorical emphasis on patriotism, sacrifice, and the fight for racial justice, demonstrating how Douglass used these narratives to contest prevailing racial stereotypes and promote African American citizenship. Additionally, Blight explores the broader cultural and historical context, illustrating how Douglass’s representations contributed to the evolving memory of the Civil War and the African American struggle for recognition.

The strengths of Blight’s article lie in its meticulous analysis of primary sources and its nuanced understanding of the intersection between memory, identity, and politics. His grasp of Douglass’s rhetoric and the strategic manipulation of historical memory demonstrates scholarly rigor. Furthermore, Blight situates Douglass's efforts within the wider social movements of the time, offering readers a comprehensive view of how individual agency interacts with collective history.

However, one weakness of the article is that it occasionally assumes a level of prior knowledge about Douglass's biography and the historiography of Civil War memory, which might make it less accessible to lay readers or students new to the topic. Additionally, while Blight convincingly argues the strategic motives behind Douglass's retelling of the regiment’s story, further examination of counter-narratives or alternative perspectives could have deepened the analysis. Moreover, the article sometimes leans heavily on textual analysis without engaging enough with contrasting scholarly opinions, which could have strengthened its argumentative balance.

Overall, Blight’s article provides a compelling and well-supported exploration of the role of memory in shaping historical figures and narratives. Its emphasis on rhetorical strategy and cultural context offers valuable insights into how history is constructed and reconstructed. Despite some limitations, the article is a substantial contribution to Civil War and African American historiography, effectively illustrating the complex ways in which memory and identity intersect in American history.

References

• Blight, David W. (1995). The Meaning or the Fight: Frederick Douglass and the Memory of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts. Massachusetts Review, 36.
• Foner, Eric. (2010). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. W.W. Norton & Company.
• McPherson, James M. (1997). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press.
• Du Bois, W. E. B. (1990). Black Reconstruction in America. Free Press.
• Guelzo, Allen C. (2012). Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America. Simon & Schuster.
• McCarthy, Wendy. (1997). The Mountain Man and American Anguish. Journal of Popular Film & Television, 25(4).
• Chandler, David. (2008). Representing the Mad King: George III in the Cinema. Journal of Popular Film & Television, 36(2).
• Gill, Valerie. (1998). Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Architects of Female Power. Journal of American Culture.
• Smith, Cheryl C. (2006). Out of Her Place: Anne Hutchinson and the Dislocation of Power in New World Politics. Journal of American Culture.
• Martin, Wendy. (1976). Women and the American Revolution. Early American Literature, 11.