Enlightenment and Racism Essays

Note:

(1) assignments appear in the syllabus on the day assigned, not the day due

(2) BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR THIS COURSE (5% penalty if you do not).

All files should be saved on your computer as: your last name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the first two letters of your first name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the assignment number. So if a student named Saddam Hussein were to submit assignment number 17, the file name would be:

hussein_sa_17.doc

THIS IS ASSIGNMENT 17

LONG VERSION (see below for short version):

I use a rubric when grading your papers -- looking at the rubric BEFORE writing your essay will help you to understand how your praper will be evaluated and, accordingly, help you write a better paper (and get a better grade). See here. (ms-word document delivered to your desktop)

For this paper, you will be referring to P. J. Labourie's The Coffee Planter of Saint-Domingo (London, 1798) (Available here)

In this paper of 500 - 700 words, answer the following question:

How can the evidence in Labourie be interpreted to demonstrate the ways in which the Enlightenment's emphasis on natural rights ironically fostered the creation of a coherent ideology of racism?

To answer this question, you will need to draw on this on-line reading on the Enlightenment and Human Rights; moreover, it is essential that you keep in mind what you learned in the in-class pre-writing exercise as well as the Lynn Hunt reading.

When reading the on-line reading on the Enlightenment and Human Right be sure to stop when you get to the title "Paris and the Politics of Rebellion."

Writing Tips:

1) (this is the single most important tip) Remember that it was the French Revolution that initially embodied for many the idea of universal human rights. Knowing this can help you identify where in the document Labourie is responding to Enlightenment thinking. And remember that Labourie is living in the French colony of Haiti.

2) Be sure to organize your paper around a thesis, expressed near the beginning of your paper.

NOTE: PAPERS THAT DO NOT IDENTIFY THESE ELEMENTS WILL RECEIVE NO CREDIT; I AM SERIOUS!

3) Be sure to have at least 3 points of evidence from The Coffee Planter of Saint-Domingo for your paper. Address each cluster of evidence in separate paragraphs. Identify your CLAIM/EVIDENCE/WARRANT structures in those paragraphs that present evidence. Be sure to show your reader how each of these points of evidence works to further your thesis.

4) Your quotations should be no more than 10 words and preferably
MUCH shorter -- if you are unsure how to omit unnecessary information from a quotation, see here. (very useful)

5) Remember, if you find yourself summarizing a lot of history, you are writing the WRONG paper. Likewise, if you find yourself simply writing a laundry list of evidence of Labourie's racism, you are ALSO writing the wrong paper. Your focus here should be analyzing the document, not writing a book report on the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, or racism.

6) Keep in mind the on-line reading on the Enlightenment and Human Rights when looking for evidence of the ways in which the Enlightenment might have fostered Labourie's racism. Likewise, consider the WHOLE document when searching for your evidence. I assure you that not all of the evidence you need is towards the top of the document.

7) Do not simply catalog, describe, or denounce Labourie's racism (although it is worthy of being denounced). Rather, demonstrate how his very obvious racism might stem from the Enlightenment's emphasis on natural rights.

7) Finally, not everything in The Coffee Planter of Saint-Domingo is going to be relevant to your task of charting the influence of Enlightenment thought on Labourie's racism. Accordingly, part of your job in writing this paper will be to identify properly the useful evidence from the document.



SHORT VERSION (see below for short version):

 

For this paragraph, you will be referring to P. J. Labourie's The Coffee Planter of Saint-Domingo (London, 1798) (Available here)

In this paper of 100 - 250 words, answer the following question:

How can the evidence in Labourie be interpreted to demonstrate the ways in which the Enlightenment's emphasis on natural rights ironically fostered the creation of a coherent ideology of racism?

To answer this question, you will need to draw on this on-line reading on the Enlightenment and Human Rights; moreover, it is essential that you keep in mind what you learned in the in-class pre-writing exercise as well as the Lynn Hunt reading.

When reading the on-line reading on the Enlightenment and Human Right be sure to stop when you get to the title "Paris and the Politics of Rebellion."

Writing Tips:

1) Be sure to organize your paper around a claim, expressed near the beginning of your paper.

NOTE: PAPERS THAT DO NOT IDENTIFY THESE ELEMENTS WILL RECEIVE NO CREDIT; I AM SERIOUS!

2) Be sure to have at least 1 point of evidence from The Coffee Planter of Saint-Domingo for your paper. .

3) Your quotations should be no more than 10 words and preferably
MUCH shorter -- if you are unsure how to omit unnecessary information from a quotation, see here. (very useful)

4) Remember, if you find yourself summarizing a lot of history, you are writing the WRONG paper. Likewise, if you find yourself simply writing a laundry list of evidence of Labourie's racism, you are ALSO writing the wrong paper. Your focus here should be analyzing the document, not writing a book report on the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, or racism.

5) Keep in mind the on-line reading on the Enlightenment and Human Rights when looking for evidence of the ways in which the Enlightenment might have fostered Labourie's racism. Likewise, consider the WHOLE document when searching for your evidence. I assure you that not all of the evidence you need is towards the top of the document.

6) Do not simply catalog, describe, or denounce Labourie's racism (although it is worthy of being denounced). Rather, demonstrate how his very obvious racism might stem from the Enlightenment's emphasis on natural rights.

7) Finally, not everything in The Coffee Planter of Saint-Domingo is going to be relevant to your task of charting the influence of Enlightenment thought on Labourie's racism. Accordingly, part of your job in writing this paper will be to identify properly the useful evidence from the document.