On your computer, create and save your answers to ALL THREE parts (American Art, Stroyer Reading, Seal of the Confederacy, shown below) of Assignment 3 together in ONE Word document (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf), not in a compressed (zipped) folder. Use a size 12 font and do not use bold type. Follow the sample assignment layout found in Syllabus Page 2: write the question first, skip a line, and then give your answer.

When you are ready to submit a group of unit assignments, follow these steps:

Save your document with a filename using your last name, first name initial, and assignment number without using underscore ( _ ), e.g. “Jones, E asn 3.” Click on the green Unit 3 Assignment link. Then, attach your file using the Browse My Computer button. Don’t type anything in the “Submission” or “Comments” boxes. Click “Submit” to turn in your assignment.

Your graded assignment will appear as a numerical score in the Grade Center. Click on your grade to access your graded document; open it to read my comments.

Unit 3, Assignment #1 of 3:  American Art

1.  Use the painting Dismissal of School on an October Afternoon found by clicking the Inman (artist’s name) link above to detect and comment on mid-century realities of social class, gender, and race.

2.  Study the painting by Andrew Melrose, Westward the Star of Empire Takes Its Way, by clicking the Star of Empire link above. In what ways can the picture be viewed as a positive commentary on urban and technological growth? How can it be viewed as a negative commentary? What is the implication of your answers?

3.  List four adjectives that you think best describe the painting Twilight in the Wilderness by Edwin Church (click the Twilight in the Wilderness link above to view the painting). Why was nature a theme of great interest to romanticist artists (keep question 2 in mind)? 

Unit 3, Assignment #2 of 3:  Stroyer Reading

Read the selections from Jacob Stroyer‘s My Life in the South (first edition came out in 1879) by clicking on the Stroyer link above, and answer the questions that follow.

1.  What did Stroyer not know about his family tree? How do you think that made him feel?

2.  Develop (not merely list) three interpretations for why James Hay did only half his task.

3.  What commentaries can you read between the lines of the story of Mr. Usom and Jack?

4.  How did Stroyer‘s parents advise him to deal with the whippings he received, and why did they give that advice? How do you think Stroyer felt about that advice?

5.  Identify the passage in which the slaves figuratively wear a “mask” to hide their true thoughts. What was the purpose of this strategy?

Unit 3, Assignment #3 of 3:  Seal of the Confederacy

Click the SealConfederacy link above to view the Seal of the Confederacy. Do a bit of research, combined with your own thinking, to answer the questions below.

1.  The man on the horse in the center of the seal is George Washington. Why did the Confederate States of America use the first president of the United States of America as the centerpiece of their country’s seal?

2.  Name the six crops that ring the inside of the seal. Why put those crops there?

3.  Determine the significance of the date on the seal.

4.  Why did they choose to call the country the Confederate States of America? (Hint:  think in terms of the U.S. history you have learned to this point, not how a dictionary defines the word)

5.  What does the Latin phrase on the seal mean? What message were they trying to convey with that phrase?