Directions:
These are open-book, multi-paragraph, long, and not-timed essays. Although there is no minimum required words count, you must write multi-paragraph well-structured, well-thought essays that are analytical, directly answer the questions and deliver the message(s) that you are asked to deliver. Read the uploaded rubric carefully. It's a page on Canvas.
You can use the textbook, presentation, articles, films, and the Internet sources. If you are using the Internet, just say according to xyz and provide the link. No Wikipedia please.
The long essays cover all the subjects and materials from the beginning of the semester until the time of the exam.
Scroll down to see the rubric
Essay Prompt:
The Market Revolution and the Environmental Transformation of the United States
The Market Revolution of the early nineteenth century profoundly reshaped the American economy, society, and landscape. As transportation networks expanded, markets integrated, and industrial and agricultural production intensified, Americans experienced unprecedented economic growth alongside deep social and environmental consequences. While historians often emphasize the Market Revolution’s effects on labor, class, gender, and slavery, its environmental impacts were equally transformative and long-lasting.
In a well-organized, multi-paragraph essay, analyze how the Market Revolution altered the relationship between Americans and the natural environment. Your essay should examine how changes in transportation, agriculture, industry, labor systems, and market integration reshaped land use, resource extraction, ecosystems, and human-environment relationships. You should also consider how these environmental changes intersected with slavery, industrialization, urbanization, and the rise of corporate capitalism.
Be sure to address both short-term and long-term environmental consequences, drawing connections between early nineteenth-century developments and later environmental challenges in American history. Your essay should use specific historical examples from the readings, including infrastructure projects, agricultural transformations, labor systems, and market expansion, to support your analysis.
Your argument should move beyond description and explain why these environmental changes mattered, who benefited from them, who bore the costs, and how the Market Revolution set enduring patterns that continue to shape American environmental issues today.
Hint:
As you plan your essay, think about how economic “progress” depended on the transformation of nature. Consider questions such as: How did canals, railroads, and steamboats change landscapes and ecosystems? How did the rise of commercial farming and plantation agriculture affect soil, forests, water, and labor systems? In what ways did slavery, industrial labor, and corporate organization accelerate environmental exploitation? Strong essays will connect environmental change to power, inequality, and long-term consequences rather than treating nature as a background to human activity.
Long Essay Rubric Spring 2025
| Criteria | Ratings | Points |
Thesis Statement and Conclusion | ExemplaryThesis Statement • Presents a clear, original, and arguable thesis that directly addresses the essay prompt or research question. • The thesis demonstrates depth, complexity, and significance—reflecting strong engagement with environmental history themes. • It provides a roadmap for the essay by outlining the key points or structure of the argument. • The thesis evolves naturally from the introduction and is reinforced throughout the essay. Conclusion • Offers a strong, thoughtful, and well-developed conclusion that reinforces the central argument. • Moves beyond simple summary to reflect on the implications, significance, or broader context of the essay. • Leaves the reader with a sense of closure and may raise important questions or suggest future directions for research. • Demonstrates a deep understanding of the subject and shows how the argument contributes to the field of environmental history. 5 to >0 pts PoorThesis Statement • Lacks a clear or specific thesis, or presents a vague, obvious, or purely descriptive statement. • The thesis is unfocused, overly broad, or does not address the historical significance of the topic. • Fails to take a clear position or make a historical argument. • There is little to no indication of how the essay will be organized or what the main points will be. Conclusion • Ends the essay abruptly or with a repetition of earlier points without adding new insight. • Fails to tie together the essay’s main ideas or neglects the historical significance of the topic. • Does not leave the reader with a clear sense of the argument’s relevance or conclusions. • May include off-topic material, unsupported claims, or simply restate the introduction with no development. 0 pts | /5 pts |
Analysis and Supporting Information | ExemplaryAnalysis • Demonstrates original, insightful, and sophisticated analysis of environmental historical issues. • Shows a deep understanding of complex relationships between human societies and the environment over time. • Engages critically with historical arguments, theories, and debates within environmental history. • Effectively contextualizes events and interpretations within broader historical, ecological, and socio-political frameworks. • The thesis is compelling, nuanced, and supported by consistently analytical reasoning throughout. Supporting Information • Provides rich, well-integrated evidence from both primary and secondary sources that directly supports the argument. • Demonstrates a strong grasp of historical data, case studies, and scholarly work in environmental history. • Uses sources critically and appropriately, showing the ability to synthesize and evaluate historical material. • All evidence is relevant, accurate, and enhances the depth and credibility of the analysis. • Proper citation practices are consistently followed, with seamless integration of quotes or data. 15 to >0 pts PoorAnalysis • Offers little to no analysis; relies heavily on summary or description without interpretation. • Fails to engage with key historical debates or ideas within environmental history. • Shows weak understanding of the topic or presents oversimplified, surface-level insights. • Lacks a clear thesis or fails to sustain any analytical thread across the essay. • The writing may be disjointed or merely chronological, with no deeper meaning drawn from events or trends. Supporting Information • Provides insufficient, irrelevant, or inaccurate evidence to support the essay’s claims. • Relies on generalizations, anecdotal evidence, or overuses one type of source without diversity or depth. • Demonstrates poor understanding or misuse of key sources and historical context. • Fails to cite sources properly or includes data without clear explanation or connection to the argument. • Supporting material may feel disconnected, underdeveloped, or secondary to a weak narrative. 0 pts | /15 pts |
Organization | Exemplary• The essay has a clear, logical structure that enhances the development of the argument. • Each paragraph flows smoothly and builds upon the previous one, creating a cohesive and persuasive narrative. • Topic sentences clearly define the focus of each paragraph, and transitions are used effectively to guide the reader. • The organization supports complex historical analysis, helping to highlight chronological, thematic, or comparative relationships relevant to environmental history. • The introduction and conclusion are well-integrated into the overall structure, framing the argument effectively. 5 to >0 pts Poor• The essay is disorganized or difficult to follow, with ideas presented in a confusing or random order. • Paragraphs lack clear topic sentences or shift focus abruptly, with minimal or no transitions between ideas. • The structure does not support the development of the argument, making it hard to identify the main points or understand how they relate. • The essay may jump between unrelated topics, repeat information, or follow a purely descriptive or disjointed format rather than an argumentative one. • The lack of clear organization weakens the impact of the thesis and analysis. 0 pts | /5 pts |
Sentence Structure, Grammar, Mechanics, & Spelling | Exemplary• Writing demonstrates strong command of academic English, with varied and effective sentence structures that enhance clarity and engagement. • Grammar and mechanics are consistently correct, contributing to a polished, professional tone appropriate for upper-level historical writing. • Punctuation, capitalization, and spelling are accurate, with virtually no distracting errors. • Language choices are precise and formal, supporting the complexity of the historical analysis. • The prose reads smoothly, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the argument and evidence. 5 pts Poor• Writing contains frequent errors in grammar, sentence structure, spelling, or punctuation that interfere with clarity. • Sentences may be repetitive, awkward, or confusing, making it difficult to follow the argument. • Errors suggest a lack of proofreading or weak understanding of standard written English, especially at the academic level. • Language may be too informal, vague, or imprecise for scholarly work. • Mistakes undermine the effectiveness and credibility of the historical argument. 0 pts | /5 pts |
To begin, the early nineteenth century's Market Revolution revolutionized the way Americans interacted with the natural environment in important ways. Due to transportation improvements, growing markets, and increasing production rates, more Americans began to see nature as a resource that could be controlled or harvested instead of something to coexist with. Although this new perspective was economically beneficial, it also caused substantial environmental damage and social inequality. Through agriculture, transportation, and industrialization, the Market Revolution changed the way that land would be utilized, resources would be extracted and the ecological systems would function, creating environmental and social harm primarily for enslaved persons, laborers, and Indigenous peoples.
The Market Revolution brought on a key transformation to the way goods were transported, namely an increase in the development of transportation systems, including canals, railroads, and steamboats. Construction of infrastructure like the Erie Canal allowed for quicker and less expensive shipping of goods, which encouraged greater levels of production and increased trading volume. The development of these new forms of transportation also had significant environmental consequences. Canals and railroads needed to be cut through forests or change the flow of rivers in order to construct the transportation systems, as well as using large amounts of natural resources both renewable and non-renewable. The railroads especially led to a demand for both wood and iron that resulted in deforestation and extraction of mineral resources. Additionally, the ability to create new forms of transportation contributed to the ability for settlers to continue to move westward, which further increased pressure on limited land and in turn affected the functioning of many natural ecosystems.
Furthermore, the way farming was conducted also went through a major transformation when farmers moved from growing food for their families to producing crops to sell in large quantities to other people. More farmland was created, and a large number of trees were cut down to create new farmlands. In the South, plantation farming, especially cotton farming, increased very quickly. The plantation system relied lots on slave labor, which had a major environmental impact. The soil was often overused to produce crops, causing the soil to run out of nutrients and become less productive over time. When the land became exhausted, the planters migrated westward and repeated the same process. This pattern shows how the growth of the economy and the exploitation of the environment were both closely connected to slavery.
The industrial revolution resulted in an alteration of the way in which society interacted with the environment. Factories utilized the following natural resources like coal, timber, and rivers therefore, as a result of industrialization there was an unprecedented increase in resource extraction from the environment since cities were growing rapidly with workers relocating from rural settings to work at factories in urban settings creating an increase of urbanization and therefore, there were new forms of pollution created. The air pollution and water pollution resulting in unhealthy living conditions for the workers who lived in these areas leading to the fact that the benefits of industrialization were not being shared equally. Furthermore, this also led to an increase in corporate power since the corporations focused more upon the profit than upon the impact that their continued excessive use of natural resources would have upon the environment for generations to come.
Overall, the Market Revolution profoundly changed how Americans viewed and used their natural surroundings through the lens of economic progress through nature. The rise of various means of transportation, agriculture and the industrialization of our society transformed not only the United States' ability to grow but also created significant environmental degradation as well. The negative impact of the Market Revolution were not distributed equally as the most affected were groups that were already marginalized. Furthermore, the Market Revolution has had long-lasting effect on how environmental issues are viewed today and exemplifies how when mankind makes progress economically, we continue to leave behind a legacy of environmental destruction to both humankind and the earth.