For Mr. Sawyer’s class.
As you think about how to write your essay, and finding a theme in your selected person’s life, here are some resources to help you focus your thoughts:
Finding someone
Start here to browse or search for biographies of Americans. Click on “Browse People” to narrow by category (for example “Notable Women”).
Is your person in the American National Biography? This is a great source that “offers portraits of more than 18,700 men and women — from all eras and walks of life — whose lives have shaped the nation.” This set of books is on a cart near the front of the library (if not, look in 920.073).
Book-length biographies in the MVRHS Library are shelved in “921” (near the back on the right).
American Identity
The description of this college course is helpful: “What defines an American? Is it the love of liberty, the pursuit of justice, the urge to invent, the desire for wealth, the drive to explore, the quest for spiritual values? The paradox of the American identity is that although the United States is a melting pot of many different traditions, motives, and ideals, there are nevertheless distinctive qualities that define the American character.”
Professor Allitt identifies theses themes in describing the lives of several Americans in US History:
- “Lack of Fatalism” (ie Never Giving Up)
- “Energetic Approach to Problem-solving” (ie Invention and Innovation)
- “Faith in Economic Growth” (ie Hard Work Pays Off)
- “Dedication to Education“
- “Devotion to Religious Liberty“
- “Belief in Equality“