Abolition Hall of Fame Nominee Project
Your Nominee (Thaddeus Stevens) must be someone involved with the organized abolition movement in the United States. In most cases, this will be someone active after 1830 and connected to one of the major abolitionist organizations.
Submit a 15 page essay plus endnotes and a bibliography of resources (group primary and secondary sources separately) on or before the due date. In addition, submit/mail a package of supporting materials (images, important primary documents, photographs taken by you, report of research trips, such as visiting a historic site associated with your nominee, names of contacts and people who helped you, etc.). All materials will be kept as part of the NAHOFM research library, so make sure that you keep a copy for yourself. You are helping to build an important historical archive!
How to organize your essay:
-Your argument as to the merits of the nomination. What did the person do directly and indirectly to aid the abolitionist cause? What were their contributions in “pen, voice, and deed”? Where do they fit into the abolitionist story we have told in this course? In what abolitionist circles did they operate? Be specific. Cite primary sources. Use secondary sources for background/context information. (approx. 2 pages)
-Provide an assessment on how closely your nominee identified with the abolitionist movement, keeping in mind the various factions and phases we’ ve studied in this course. What risks did the person take in behalf of the freedom cause? Write a paragraph of at least 500 words in which you sum up your nominee’s “vision of freedom.” (approx. 3-4 pages)
-Profile the best 3 existing websites that provide information about your candidate. Print out and include the website pages in your supplementary package. Describe a physical location in the United States where a person could go to “catch the spirit” of your nominee, such as a historic site associated with them or their struggle. (If at all possible, visit this physical site, and provide evidence of your visit in your supplementary package.) (approx. 2 pages)
-Select the best and most important primary source from you bibliography and describe how this source makes a good case for your nominee’s inclusion in the NAHOFM. Also select your most important secondary source and make a case for it. Finally, tell us about any good multimedia resources associated with your nominee (movies, DVDS, etc.) (approx. 1-2 pages)
– Summarize your principle arguments for your nominee’s inclusion in the NAHOFM and suggest the wording for the banner to honor them (The banner text should be fewer than 25 words, so choose carefully). Finally, do some research as to living descendants or appropriate organizations/persons who could be asked to be present at the induction of your nominee into the NAHOFM. (approx. 1-2 pages)
Note: All of the above should be in the text of your essay (done in Word format). Add endnotes, bibliography. Also include in your package a scrapbook/collection of your visual/multimedia resources, such as pictures taken by you, primary sources, newspaper articles, maps, illustrations from books, and the like.
