*  To develop an appropriate thesis, you need to understand the lives, voices, resistance, and impact of working-class people in the antebellum era

* Analytic essay, 750-900 words long, double-spaced, with standard margins. It should follow the format in the ABCs of writing an essay for history:  an introduction setting up the thesis, a number of body paragraphs using evidence to support and document the analysis, and a conclusion.

* You should cite sources as you use them with a footnote at the end of the sentence where the information or quotation appears.

* Use at least 4 sources