In This Assignment You Will Be Constructing A Historical Arg

In This Assignment You Will Be Constructing A Historical Argument Abou

In this assignment you will be constructing a historical argument about a topic/theme of your choice and articulating the change/continuity over time and its historical significance. For your evidence, you will be using popular music. This assignment requires that you choose five songs as evidence for your historical argument. After identifying a historical change or continuity, you will write an introductory paragraph that outlines the historical context, change/continuity, significance, and your argument. Then, you will put the five songs you have chosen in chronological order, with a paragraph of textual and contextual analysis for each.

For your textual analysis, you may want to quote a line or two from the song as evidence of your interpretation. After you have written a paragraph for each song, you will need to write a concluding paragraph that summarizes your historical continuity or change, thesis, and significance. You will need to choose an appropriate periodization, explaining why the time period you chose is crucial to understanding the continuity/change you are exploring. The time period and songs should come after 1877 (this is, after all, U.S. history since 1877) and be connected to U.S. history, broadly or transnationally.

Paper For Above instruction

Constructing a compelling historical argument requires selecting a specific theme or topic related to U.S. history since 1877 and analyzing how popular music reflects significant changes or continuities within that theme. This essay will demonstrate the relationship between musical expression and socio-political developments over time, emphasizing the importance of periodization to frame the analysis effectively. By choosing five strategically selected songs from different periods, the paper will trace the evolution of the theme, illustrating how popular music functions as a mirror and catalyst of social change.

The introduction will set the historical context of the chosen period, clarify the specific change or continuity being examined, and articulate the significance of understanding this progression within U.S. history. The thesis statement will explicitly state the argument about how the selected songs reflect or influence military, racial, cultural, economic, or political transformations. Each body paragraph will analyze one song chronologically, providing textual evidence—such as key lyrics—and contextual information about the song’s production, reception, and place in wider social movements or cultural shifts.

For example, if examining the Civil Rights Movement, one might include songs like Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam” (1964), reflecting direct protest, or Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” (1989), illustrating ongoing resistance and racial identity consciousness. The textual analysis would quote impactful lines and discuss their implications for the movement or societal attitudes at the time. The conclusion will synthesize insights from each song, reaffirm the thesis, and highlight the importance of popular music as both a reflection of and an influence on societal change.

Periodization is crucial; selecting a timeframe from 1877 onward allows for an analysis of how American identity, politics, and social struggles are expressed in popular music across different eras—from post-Reconstruction America through the Civil Rights era, the rise of hip-hop, and contemporary issues. This approach underscores the dynamic nature of American history and highlights the role of music as a vital cultural documentation.

References

  • Allen, J. (1991). That’s the Joint: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Routledge.
  • George, N. (2003). Hip Hop America. Penguin Books.
  • Hesmondhalgh, D. (2013). The Cultural Industries. SAGE Publications.
  • Lhamon, W. T. (1998). Jump for Joy: The American Dance Musical. Oxford University Press.
  • Perkins, V. (2007). What it Means to be Percussive. University of Michigan Press.
  • Rose, T. (1994). Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Wesleyan University Press.
  • Stuckey, H. (1987). Slave Culture: National Music and Dance. University of Illinois Press.
  • Wolfe, R. (2000). Settling the Score: Music and the Classical Hollywood Film. Indiana University Press.
  • George, N. (2011). The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop—and Why It Matters. Plume.
  • Watkins, S. C. (2011). Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement. Beacon Press.

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