ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
For your final exam essay, choose one of the follow topics and write a well-developed, five-paragraph (or more) essay of at least 600 words. Be sure to cite all sources in MLA or Chicago format, even if you are just using the textbook. Remember to conduct research and construct an outline prior to writing.
OPTION 1: African-American activism since the Second World War has often been expressed through social movement organizations and groups which have taken a variety of approaches to advancing the causes of equality, equity, opportunity, and justice for black Americans. Choose three of the following groups, and compare and contrast their approaches.
a) The Black Panthers
b) SNCC
c) SCLC
d) CORE
e) Black Lives Matter
f) NAACP
OPTION 2: What key roles have black women played in African-American civil rights activism? What has given their role in the movement special urgency and importance, in contrast with the roles played by black men?
OPTION 3: Analyze the contributions of three African-American leaders — other than Martin Luther King, Jr., or Malcolm X — who died before 2016. What approaches would those leaders have advocated in confronting the rise in the visibility and assertion of white supremacists in recent years?
