This assignment is a “think piece,” which is an essay that requires you to interact with a subject and develop your own interpretation based on that experience. This assignment is a “think piece,” which is an essay that requires you to interact with a subject and develop your own interpretation based on that experience. After your initial analysis of a specific topic, you should synthesize that with other outside research to support your ideas. You should use a minimum of two other scholarly, peer-reviewed resources. Specifically for this assignment, we will use an interactive map of westward expansion from 1860 to 1890. (See attached PowerPoint presentation.) At the bottom of the map, you will notice the decades 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1890. Click on each of these decades in succession to observe the changes in the country over time. The goal of this assignment is for you to interpret, synthesize, and analyze what you are seeing on the map. You will make a well-organized argument, support that through research, and then write a conclusion for your findings. Analysis involves examining a subject by breaking it into its component parts to understand its structure and details. Synthesis, on the other hand, involves combining unrelated parts to discover new insights. A good essay will utilize both analysis and synthesis—moving beyond simple observations to make meaningful connections and original interpretations. Your essay should go beyond merely describing what is depicted; instead, it should explore relationships between the different changes seen on the map across decades, consider the causes and consequences of westward expansion, and possibly analyze the broader societal impacts. The paper must be at least three double-spaced pages (Times New Roman, font size 12). You must consult at least two academically credible, peer-reviewed sources, and all citations and bibliographies must adhere to APA format. The paper should include a cover page with your name, course number and title, instructor’s name, and date. Proper English should be used throughout, avoiding abbreviations, contractions, informal language, passive voice, and the first or second person. Grammar and spelling should be carefully checked before submission.
Paper For Above instruction Westward expansion in the United States between 1860 and 1890 fundamentally transformed the nation's geographical, social, and economic landscapes. The interactive map of this period vividly illustrates how territorial growth, driven by economic opportunities, political policies, and technological innovations, reshaped the nation. This essay synthesizes observations from the map with scholarly research to analyze