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Primary Source Evaluation Assignment #1: America's Entry into World War I

Primary Source Evaluation Assignment #1: American Entry into World War I

Read your textbook about World War I and its aftermath. Consider the war goals of the various powers involved in that conflict. Then read the linked documents, which contains the text of President Woodrow Wilson’s address to Congress, as well as George W. Norris’s opposition to Wilson’s policy.

You will write an essay on World War I and American involvement in determining the war aims of the Allies. In constructing your essay, you might think about the following questions, but please do not simply answer them in turn--you are supposed to be writing your own essay.

What does Wilson propose to do with the defeated European empires?

How do Wilson's ideas promote democracy, freedom, and self-determination?

Why did Senator Norris oppose American entry into World War I?

Did the victorious European powers accept Wilson's Fourteen Points?

In what ways have the sentiments expressed in Wilson’s speech affected foreign policy over the last century or so?

You must cite your sources, and list them at the end of your paper as a List of Works Cited. If you have any questions regarding how to format your paper, please consult the Purdue University web site explaining MLA format. Please do not “borrow” material from the web without providing proper citations and enclosing direct quotations in quotation marks. Otherwise, it will be considered plagiarism, and the penalties will be severe. Typed, double-spaced, 800-1000 words, in a format compatible with Turnitin.

Note: before sending the assignment in to Turnitin, you must rename the file in the following format: LastnameFirstname-papernumber.doc. Example: JacksonChristopher-paper2.doc. If the file is not properly named, it will not be accepted.

Special Note on First Assignment: It is important that you read all of the comments that I write on your papers, not just the final points that each paper is given. For that reason, you will receive only one point for the first assignment. You will receive the rest of the points for that assignment (if any) when you e-mail me a one-sentence code that will be hidden in your paper when I return it to you along with my comments. The sentence will be grammatically correct, but it will stand out because it will not have anything to do with the paper or the comments on the paper. Simply copy that sentence and e-mail it to me, and I will reply with the rest of the points for that assignment.

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