Politics
and Government Response Essay: Scottsboro,
An American Tragedy
Your essay
should responds to all of the following in
a clear and sophisticated manner:
- In Powell v. Alabama (1932),
the Court ruled that the Scottsboro defendants were denied the right to
counsel, which violated their right to due process under the Fourteenth
Amendment. What is meant by the phrase "right to
counsel"? According to the Court, how had the Scottsboro defendants
been denied this right?
- In Norris v. Alabama (1935), the
Court ruled that the exclusion of blacks from jury rolls deprived black
defendants of their rights to equal protection under the law. What
evidence suggested blacks had been excluded from jury rolls? Why would
this exclusion deprive black defendants of their rights to equal
protection under the law?
- Were the Scottsboro guilty verdicts inevitable, or
could one of the variables have been changed to create a different
outcome?
HISTORICAL CONTENT AND UNDERSTANDING 0 - 16
16 - Demonstrates a clear and sophisticated understanding of the historical time period and the cause and effect relationship between significant events; accurately discusses the Powell and Norris cases, carefully analyzing direct quotation from the opinions; discusses and analyzes direct evidence from Scottsboro an American Tragedy
16 - Demonstrates a clear and sophisticated understanding of the historical time period and the cause and effect relationship between significant events; accurately discusses the Powell and Norris cases, carefully analyzing direct quotation from the opinions; discusses and analyzes direct evidence from Scottsboro an American Tragedy
ORGANIZATION 0 - 4
4 - Writer creates a well-organized
essay. Arguments and analysis are sequenced logically to support the
claim. Writer makes effective use of transitions to link all parts of the
essay.
CLAIM AND CONTEXT 0 - 4
4 - Writer’s claim provides a precise,
nuanced interpretation of the sources that is grounded in multiple
perspectives, historical, political, and/or social scientific context.
- The
introduction engages the reader and persuasively lays foundation for a
passionate argument. It identifies topic of the essay and provides
ample contextual information that builds the readers’ understanding of the
claim.
- The
conclusion continues and strengthens the claim. It highlights significance,
expands insight and makes recommendations for future action.
EVIDENCE, ANALYSIS,
AND COUNTER-CLAIM 0 - 4
4 - Writer develops claim thoughtfully and
persuasively using numerous relevant, convincing pieces of evidence from both
secondary and primary sources (including direct quotation), and
statistical/numerical data.
- Writer
cities specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
- Writer
includes statistical data as part of the evidence to bolster claims and/or
devalue counterclaims
- Writer provides insightful, thorough analysis
of the evidence to support the claim, using the following critical reading
strategies:
Explanation of what the text says directly as well
as analysis of meanings that are implied, hidden, hinted at, or left ambiguous
in the text.
Analysis of how the authors’ word choices impact
the biases of the sources. Writer considers and discusses bias of authors
when analyzing evidence.
Evaluates the claims, premises, and evidence in
both primary and secondary sources in order to challenge counter
arguments and bolster initial
claim.
STYLE AND
CONVENTIONS 0 - 4
4 - Writer uses a range of precise and
varied vocabulary to elaborate or clarify ideas.
-
Demonstrates command of the conventions of capitalization, punctuation (extends
to hyphenation), and spelling consistently throughout the text.
- Mechanical and
grammatical errors are rare or nonexistent.
- Writer follows
accepted conventions for formatting text citations such as MLA standards,
footnotes, and parenthetical notes.
