Choose one of the following three topics:  public credit, tariff protection, or internal improvements.  Was the essence of the debate surrounding this issue primarily political or economic?  That is, were the advocates (on each side) making their cases based primarily on economic or political considerations.  Certainly there were elements of both in the debates, but you are to make the case that one of those lines of argument was most important.   (You might want to briefly define “political” and “economic” in your own mind, if not explicitly in your paper.) 

Base your essay on the readings for this course; be sure to accurately cite any quotations.  Give your paper a title, put your name and the date in the upper-right-hand corner of the paper.  Papers are to be double-spaced in type no smaller than 12-point and margins of 1 inch all around.  Papers should not exceed 2 pages, including references.  Quotations longer than three lines should be indented and single-spaced. (No quotation marks are needed when presenting a quote in this fashion.)  Refer to the online Reference Room at the Schaffer Library site for other style guidelines.  You are also welcome to visit the Writing Center in Schaffer Library.

While this is a short paper, it should still have a structure:  introduction, a structured body (probably 3-4 paragraphs) making your key points, and a conclusion. 

Papers should be submitted both electronically, in the digital drop-box in our course web-site, AND in print.  (I don’t fully trust the electronics, yet.)  Papers are due at the beginning of class on Friday, January 26.  Papers turned in later that day count as one day late, and late papers are penalized at the rate of one grade-step per day (i.e., B+ to B is one grade step).

Spelling and grammar count.

Beware of using an electronic thesaurus.  If a word is not generally in your vocabulary, you are often better off not using it.