Hist 201

Prof. Long

Paper guidelines for Myne Owne Ground:  Race Relations on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, 1640-

1676, by Timothy Breen and Stephen Innes.

Students will write a 3-4 page paper addressing one of the questions listed below.  Students should use no source other than the Myne Owne Ground itself. 

Write on ONE of the following questions:

1.      According to Breen and Innes, what were the social, cultural, economic and racial factors that determined how a person faired on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in the mid-seventeenth century?  Include in your explanation a full discussion and critique of the authors’ argument regarding the role of race in that society.

2.      Citing the experiences of Anthony Johnson, Francis Payne and other Eastern Shore free blacks, how were some early Virginians of African origin able to achieve freedom and enjoy a degree of success and stability in the mid-1600s.  What impact did their race have on their prospects and what does the impact reveal about race relations in early Virginia/American history?

For your responses, be sure to include ample supporting details from the book.

Papers must be 3-4, double-spaced pages long.  Students should use quotations sparingly, only when they make a forceful point or illustrate something vital about your perspective on the book.  Do not pad your paper with quotations to meet the length requirement for this assignment.  Also, do not include footnotes.  If you use a quotation, put the page number of its source in parentheses at the end of the sentence containing the quotation.  Use Times New Roman 12-pt. font and use the standard default margins.   

Papers will be due at the beginning of class on Sept. 24.