In Chapter 6 of The American Political Tradition author Richard Hofstadter offers political essays on several significant figures in the political history of the United States. You are to choose one of the chapters relevant to this course (chapters 2 through 6 are appropriate) and submit a paper addressing the following questions:
1. What factors in this person’s life make Hofstadter feel that he is such an important part of our history?
2. Does Hofstadter appear to have a positive or a negative view of this individual? (What are the strengths and weaknesses portrayed in the chapter?)
3. How is this person relevant to the issues and concerns of the recent history of our country? Relate your answer to specific events in recent American history (the past decade or so).
Your essay should be written in proper English and should be approximately 1000 words in length (about three normal pages). You need to identify any outside sources you use for addressing the third question. (You should not need any for the first two questions, which should reflect your familiarity with the Hofstadter text.).
