Common Assignment Essay Objective of this Assignment: This assignment will be used to evaluate student progress on the course learning objectives. The assignment will be uploaded as a file on Blackboard. Instructions: Students will follow the process outlined below to guide them in the development of a comparative essay. The essay should be approximately 700-1000 words, and should include footnotes. ➢ Step One: Essay Purpose / Relevance / The Task of a Historian o Purpose: Students should consider why the topic of memorializing the Mexican American War is a contemporary problem facing historians. o Task of a Historian: Your work should clearly communicate the purpose of public history sites (museums / battlegrounds / memorials), the current struggle between art and truth, the reasons why this event has been ignored by previous generations / administrations, and the societal impact of neglecting a major historic event. o Relevance: Your work should consider the current facilities and public history sites dedicated to honoring this event and its participants, as well as the funding and supporters associated with those sites. (At a minimum you should examine the facilities in Texas, however, there are links provided to steer you to other state /federal facilities). Furthermore, you should consider the message provided at those sites / exhibits and whether this message is satisfactory given the mission of public historians. o You may copy and paste sections of your source analysis from the previous essay, just pay attention to flow and be sure to utilize footnotes. ➢ Step Two: You must use these two sources. Read these first so you can understand the war, and how it has or has not been remembered. o REQUIRED SOURCE--"1848/1898: Memorial Day, Places of Memory, and Imperial Amnesia" by Amy Greenberg in JSTOR o REQUIRED SOURCE--"The Annexation of Texas and the Mexican War" by Z.T. Fulmore in JSTOR ➢ Step Three: Study the information on current Mexican American War exhibits, battlegrounds, monuments, dedications, etc. I have organized the suggested resources, emphasizing Texas sites in the highly suggested category. o Highly Suggested Sources: ▪ Palo Alto Battlegrounds: https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/places.htm ▪ Brazos Veteran’s Park: http://www.bvvm.org/photos/ ▪ Mexican American War Exhibit for BVVM: https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new- memorial-at-veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-the/article_7b08cdbb-5899-5a12- bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html ▪ Capitol 360 View of Mexican American War acknowledgement: https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-spaces/spaces09.html ▪ Capitol Monuments: https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tcg/tcg-monuments/index.html o Potentially Useful Sources: https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/places.htm http://www.bvvm.org/photos/ https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-memorial-at-veterans-park-honors-marines-va.

1. Common Assignment Essay
Objective of this Assignment: This assignment will be used to
evaluate student progress on the
course learning objectives. The assignment will be uploaded as
a file on Blackboard.
Instructions: Students will follow the process outlined below to
guide them in the development of a
comparative essay. The essay should be approximately 700-
1000 words, and should include
footnotes.
➢ Step One: Essay Purpose / Relevance / The Task of a
Historian
o Purpose: Students should consider why the topic of
memorializing the Mexican
American War is a contemporary problem facing historians.
o Task of a Historian: Your work should clearly communicate
the purpose of public history
sites (museums / battlegrounds / memorials), the current
struggle between art and truth,
the reasons why this event has been ignored by previous
generations / administrations,

2. and the societal impact of neglecting a major historic event.
o Relevance: Your work should consider the current facilities
and public history sites
dedicated to honoring this event and its participants, as well as
the funding and
supporters associated with those sites. (At a minimum you
should examine the facilities
in Texas, however, there are links provided to steer you to other
state /federal facilities).
Furthermore, you should consider the message provided at those
sites / exhibits and
whether this message is satisfactory given the mission of public
historians.
o You may copy and paste sections of your source analysis from
the previous essay, just
pay attention to flow and be sure to utilize footnotes.
➢ Step Two: You must use these two sources. Read these first
so you can understand the war,
and how it has or has not been remembered.
o REQUIRED SOURCE--"1848/1898: Memorial Day, Places of
Memory, and Imperial
Amnesia" by Amy Greenberg in JSTOR

3. o REQUIRED SOURCE--"The Annexation of Texas and the
Mexican War" by Z.T.
Fulmore in JSTOR
➢ Step Three: Study the information on current Mexican
American War exhibits, battlegrounds,
monuments, dedications, etc. I have organized the suggested
resources, emphasizing Texas
sites in the highly suggested category.
o Highly Suggested Sources:
▪ Palo Alto Battlegrounds:
https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/places.htm
▪ Brazos Veteran’s Park: http://www.bvvm.org/photos/
▪ Mexican American War Exhibit for BVVM:
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-
memorial-at-veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-
the/article_7b08cdbb-5899-5a12-
bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
▪ Capitol 360 View of Mexican American War
acknowledgement:
https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-spaces/spaces09.html
▪ Capitol Monuments: https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tcg/tcg-
monuments/index.html

4. o Potentially Useful Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/places.htm
http://www.bvvm.org/photos/
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-memorial-at-
veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-the/article_7b08cdbb-
5899-5a12-bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-memorial-at-
veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-the/article_7b08cdbb-
5899-5a12-bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-memorial-at-
veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-the/article_7b08cdbb-
5899-5a12-bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-spaces/spaces09.html
https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tcg/tcg-monuments/index.html
▪ Artist Motivation:
https://www.insitebrazosvalley.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/j-
payne-lara-
sculpting-a-soul/
▪ Smithsonian:
https://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id
=4
▪ West Point:
https://history.army.mil/museums/IMCOM/westPoint/index.html
#about
▪ http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexican.htm
▪ https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-

5. Mexican%E2%80%93American-War-monuments-
and-memorials
▪ Maryland Monument:
http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2013/01/24/to-die-is-gain-
memory-and-the-u-s-mexican-war-in-maryland/
▪ *There are other articles available in the EBSCO-affiliated
databases. For instance,
there are articles related to funding of the Palo Alto
Battlegrounds. You may want to
search the library databases for more useful source material.
▪ **Don’t be afraid of social media. What does
#MexicanAmericanWar (twitter) offer in
terms of posts, conversation, etc.? Are there attempts to create
digital public history
spaces to supplement the lack of physical memorials?
➢ Step Four: Study scholarly views regarding memorials /
museums. All three sources are
located in JSTOR. At least two of these sources should be
referenced in your essay.
o Hacker, Barton C., and Margaret Vining. "Military Museums
and Social History." In Does
War Belong in Museums?: The Representation of Violence in

6. Exhibitions, edited by
Muchitsch Wolfgang, 41-60. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, 2013.
http://0-
www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/j.ctv1wxr1z.6.
o SODARO, AMY. "MEMORIAL MUSEUMS: Promises and
Limits." In Exhibiting Atrocity:
Memorial Museums and the Politics of Past Violence, 162-84.
New Brunswick, Camden,
Newark, New Jersey; London: Rutgers University Press, 2018.
doi:10.2307/j.ctt1v2xskk.11.
o Crane, Susan A. "Memory, Distortion, and History in the
Museum." History and Theory
36, no. 4 (1997): 44-63. http://0-
www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/2505574.
Formatting and Organization: The essay must be typed and
follow college writing standards, e.g.
no fragments, use appropriate grammar, develop an introductory
statement and provide a conclusion,
etc. No title page necessary. Your font should be either 11 or
12 pt. Your spacing should 1.15 or 1.5
and margins should be reasonable. Do not use texting language.
Spell out numbers.

7. Your sources should be both footnoted and included in a works
cited section at the end of your essay.
A footnote should exist at the end of a sentence ONLY when a
quote has been included in the
sentence, otherwise, the footnote should exist at the end of the
paragraph. Any acronyms or data that
need to be further clarified may also be included in the
footnote. See the screenshots and tips file for
more assistance.
Sources should be provided in Chicago Style format. I have
provided the citation for the museum
scholars in Step Four, so just copy and paste where appropriate.
You should have the citation for the
required sources in Part Two. If you use web-based articles or
ebooks, then you should provide the
full web address. Purdue is a useful online site to assist with
formatting citations.
• Purdue Citation Resource:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manu
al_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_
style_guide/chicago_manual_of_style_17th_edition.html
https://www.insitebrazosvalley.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/j-
payne-lara-sculpting-a-soul/
https://www.insitebrazosvalley.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/j-

8. payne-lara-sculpting-a-soul/
https://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id
=4
https://history.army.mil/museums/IMCOM/westPoint/index.html
#about
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexican.htm
https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-
Mexican%E2%80%93American-War-monuments-and-memorials
https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-
Mexican%E2%80%93American-War-monuments-and-memorials
http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2013/01/24/to-die-is-gain-
memory-and-the-u-s-mexican-war-in-maryland/
http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2013/01/24/to-die-is-gain-
memory-and-the-u-s-mexican-war-in-maryland/
http://0-www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/j.ctv1wxr1z.6
http://0-www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/j.ctv1wxr1z.6
http://0-www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/2505574
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manu
al_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_man
ual_of_style_17th_edition.html
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manu
al_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_man
ual_of_style_17th_edition.html
Common Assignment Essay
Objective of this Assignment: This assignment will be used to
evaluate student progress on the
course learning objectives. The assignment will be uploaded as
a file on Blackboard.

9. Instructions: Students will follow the process outlined below to
guide them in the development of a
comparative essay. The essay should be approximately 700-
1000 words, and should include
footnotes.
➢ Step One: Essay Purpose / Relevance / The Task of a
Historian
o Purpose: Students should consider why the topic of
memorializing the Mexican
American War is a contemporary problem facing historians.
o Task of a Historian: Your work should clearly communicate
the purpose of public history
sites (museums / battlegrounds / memorials), the current
struggle between art and truth,
the reasons why this event has been ignored by previous
generations / administrations,
and the societal impact of neglecting a major historic event.
o Relevance: Your work should consider the current facilities
and public history sites
dedicated to honoring this event and its participants, as well as
the funding and
supporters associated with those sites. (At a minimum you
should examine the facilities
in Texas, however, there are links provided to steer you to other
state /federal facilities).

10. Furthermore, you should consider the message provided at those
sites / exhibits and
whether this message is satisfactory given the mission of public
historians.
o You may copy and paste sections of your source analysis from
the previous essay, just
pay attention to flow and be sure to utilize footnotes.
➢ Step Two: You must use these two sources. Read these first
so you can understand the war,
and how it has or has not been remembered.
o REQUIRED SOURCE--"1848/1898: Memorial Day, Places of
Memory, and Imperial
Amnesia" by Amy Greenberg in JSTOR
o REQUIRED SOURCE--"The Annexation of Texas and the
Mexican War" by Z.T.
Fulmore in JSTOR
➢ Step Three: Study the information on current Mexican
American War exhibits, battlegrounds,
monuments, dedications, etc. I have organized the suggested
resources, emphasizing Texas
sites in the highly suggested category.
o Highly Suggested Sources:

11. ▪ Palo Alto Battlegrounds:
https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/places.htm
▪ Brazos Veteran’s Park: http://www.bvvm.org/photos/
▪ Mexican American War Exhibit for BVVM:
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-
memorial-at-veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-
the/article_7b08cdbb-5899-5a12-
bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
▪ Capitol 360 View of Mexican American War
acknowledgement:
https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-spaces/spaces09.html
▪ Capitol Monuments: https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tcg/tcg-
monuments/index.html
o Potentially Useful Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/places.htm
http://www.bvvm.org/photos/
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-memorial-at-
veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-the/article_7b08cdbb-
5899-5a12-bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-memorial-at-
veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-the/article_7b08cdbb-
5899-5a12-bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/new-memorial-at-
veterans-park-honors-marines-valor-at-the/article_7b08cdbb-

12. 5899-5a12-bdcd-014ebd3514fc.html
https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-spaces/spaces09.html
https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tcg/tcg-monuments/index.html
▪ Artist Motivation:
https://www.insitebrazosvalley.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/j-
payne-lara-
sculpting-a-soul/
▪ Smithsonian:
https://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id
=4
▪ West Point:
https://history.army.mil/museums/IMCOM/westPoint/index.html
#about
▪ http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexican.htm
▪ https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-
Mexican%E2%80%93American-War-monuments-
and-memorials
▪ Maryland Monument:
http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2013/01/24/to-die-is-gain-
memory-and-the-u-s-mexican-war-in-maryland/
▪ *There are other articles available in the EBSCO-affiliated
databases. For instance,
there are articles related to funding of the Palo Alto
Battlegrounds. You may want to

13. search the library databases for more useful source material.
▪ **Don’t be afraid of social media. What does
#MexicanAmericanWar (twitter) offer in
terms of posts, conversation, etc.? Are there attempts to create
digital public history
spaces to supplement the lack of physical memorials?
➢ Step Four: Study scholarly views regarding memorials /
museums. All three sources are
located in JSTOR. At least two of these sources should be
referenced in your essay.
o Hacker, Barton C., and Margaret Vining. "Military Museums
and Social History." In Does
War Belong in Museums?: The Representation of Violence in
Exhibitions, edited by
Muchitsch Wolfgang, 41-60. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, 2013.
http://0-
www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/j.ctv1wxr1z.6.
o SODARO, AMY. "MEMORIAL MUSEUMS: Promises and
Limits." In Exhibiting Atrocity:
Memorial Museums and the Politics of Past Violence, 162-84.
New Brunswick, Camden,
Newark, New Jersey; London: Rutgers University Press, 2018.

14. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1v2xskk.11.
o Crane, Susan A. "Memory, Distortion, and History in the
Museum." History and Theory
36, no. 4 (1997): 44-63. http://0-
www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/2505574.
Formatting and Organization: The essay must be typed and
follow college writing standards, e.g.
no fragments, use appropriate grammar, develop an introductory
statement and provide a conclusion,
etc. No title page necessary. Your font should be either 11 or
12 pt. Your spacing should 1.15 or 1.5
and margins should be reasonable. Do not use texting language.
Spell out numbers.
Your sources should be both footnoted and included in a works
cited section at the end of your essay.
A footnote should exist at the end of a sentence ONLY when a
quote has been included in the
sentence, otherwise, the footnote should exist at the end of the
paragraph. Any acronyms or data that
need to be further clarified may also be included in the
footnote. See the screenshots and tips file for
more assistance.

15. Sources should be provided in Chicago Style format. I have
provided the citation for the museum
scholars in Step Four, so just copy and paste where appropriate.
You should have the citation for the
required sources in Part Two. If you use web-based articles or
ebooks, then you should provide the
full web address. Purdue is a useful online site to assist with
formatting citations.
• Purdue Citation Resource:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manu
al_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_
style_guide/chicago_manual_of_style_17th_edition.html
https://www.insitebrazosvalley.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/j-
payne-lara-sculpting-a-soul/
https://www.insitebrazosvalley.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/j-
payne-lara-sculpting-a-soul/
https://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id
=4
https://history.army.mil/museums/IMCOM/westPoint/index.html
#about
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexican.htm
https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-
Mexican%E2%80%93American-War-monuments-and-memorials
https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-
Mexican%E2%80%93American-War-monuments-and-memorials
http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2013/01/24/to-die-is-gain-
memory-and-the-u-s-mexican-war-in-maryland/
http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2013/01/24/to-die-is-gain-
memory-and-the-u-s-mexican-war-in-maryland/

16. http://0-www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/j.ctv1wxr1z.6
http://0-www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/j.ctv1wxr1z.6
http://0-www.jstor.org.libcat.sanjac.edu/stable/2505574
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manu
al_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_man
ual_of_style_17th_edition.html
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manu
al_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_man
ual_of_style_17th_edition.html