Here are the criteria we will use for grading the Capitalism in North Carolina project

We are not expecting an exhaustive history of a topic, but an exploration based on your primary sources.  I do not want you to use any secondary sources other than what we have read in class.  The purpose of this project is not for you to narrate an entire history, but to show your ability to interpret sources, put them into the context of this course,  and to see change over time.

Thesis: Does the paper have a thesis?  Is the paper organized around the thesis?  Does the paper effectively support the thesis?

Chronology:  Does the paper recognize chronology?  In general, this means your paper should be organized chronologically from earliest to latest.

Sources (You should have at least six and at least one should be one you have found yourself)

Citations (You should footnote your sources using the Chicago Manual of Style.)  This can be done automatically if you write in Google docs and have the zotero connector installed.  (You do not need a “works cited” page or bibliography.)

Show and Tell  You should include quotations from your sources to support your arguments, but you should not rely only on your quotations.  You should also interpret the quotation, telling the reader what you think is important.

Interpretation of Sources:  Don’t take your sources at face value!  Try to understand their point of view/context.

Connection to Course Material:  In what ways does your story connect to the themes we have covered in class?  Your paper should be about capitalism!
Some themes you might consider: Labor, Capital, Consumers, Role of Government, innovation

Reliance on Documents:  Does your paper rely on your documents, or does it use “common sense history.”  (“We know that…”). One valuable exercise after you write your paper is to go back and read it and see how much of the “action” is based on evidence from your documents and how much is elsewhere.