First Essay 2026

Pick one:

1 Find someone outside this class (no names, please). Without priming, ask that person to finish this sentence aloud: "All men are created equal, but..." or "...and..." Record the exact words. Ask that person to explain.  Next, find a primary or contemporary source (e.g., newspaper article, a court opinion, a speech) in which someone argued, after 1852, that equality is unconditional ("and") or that it comes with a condition ("but").  Now compare and contrast your interview subject's instinct, your source's argument, and Douglass's and Coolidge's treatment of the same clause (The Coolidge epigraph on the syllabus links to his speech on the Declaration). 

2  The Declaration presents itself as the act of a collective “we,” even though many people in America had no part in drafting it. Drawing on Allen’s discussion of democratic writing, analyze the relationship among equality, participation, and political authorship. Begin with a particular decision made by a group to which you belong: a team, club, workplace, congregation, student organization, or other community. Explain exactly who could speak, who made the final decision, and whose views carried the most weight. Then answer: Can a decision genuinely express the will of an equal community when not everyone participates equally in making it? Use specific language from the Declaration and Allen to evaluate the decision. Consider the strongest defense of the decision-making process as well as the strongest objection to it. Conclude by explaining what this case reveals (or does not reveal) about the Declaration’s implicit claim to speak for “one people.”

3. The Declaration builds its case for independence through grievances against King George III. Choose three grievances that share a common principle of legitimate government. Include at least one from the second half of the list. Explain why the authors chose each grievance and how its wording strengthens the case for independence. Then, analyze a grievance you or a group you know raised against a government, school, employer, or other institution. Draw on your own observations, or interview someone who took part. Name the act that prompted the complaint, the remedy the group sought, the institution's response, and one disagreement within the group. Attach a one-sentence appendix naming when and how you gathered this information — a conversation, a meeting, a document. I shall not grade the appendix; I shall only confirm it exists. Compare the modern case with the Declaration. Name one similarity that makes the comparison useful and one difference that could mislead. Answer this passage from Allen, Our Declaration, p. ___: "[insert quotation]." Explain how the modern institution might answer the complaint, and state that answer fairly.

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A strong essay will make a contestable argument, analyze the precise language of the relevant texts, incorporate material from our class discussions, and acknowledge alternative views and the limits of its evidence. I strongly encourage relevant outside research, particularly when it provides historical context, evidence about an example, or support for a claim about how typical an experience is. Cite all outside sources.  For privacy reasons, do not provide the full name or identifying information of any individual to whom you speak for this assignment.

Instructions:

• Essays should be double-spaced and no more than three pages long. I will not read past the third page.
• Essays should be in the form of Word documents. Do not submit pdfs or Google docs.
• Cite outside sources with endnotes (not footnotes) in Chicago/Turabian style. Endnote pages do not count against the page limit.
• Misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism. It could result in a referral to the Academic Standards Committee. You do not want to start your college career this way.
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you.  Read Strunk & White and watch my writing lecture before writing this paper.
• Turn in essays to Canvas by 11:59 PM, Friday, September 25. (If you have trouble with Canvas, simply email it to me as an attached Word file.) I reserve the right to dock essays a grade point for one day’s lateness, a full letter grade after that.