History Short Paper Assignment
1. Find Natalie Merchant's song "Gold Rush Brides." Listen to it. Enjoy it. Read the Lyrics.
2. Using the history of Westward Expansion, which you've read in Eric Foner's Chapter 16, write a one-page response to and interpretation of "Gold Rush Brides," its music and lyrics. Use Foner's narrative to analyze the song's various meanings and references to the experience of American history. In other words, please consider the themes of the song and how you might interpret its meaning using Eric Foner's chapter on Westward Expansion and the Gilded Age. Be specific. Refer to the lyrics in your response and refer to Foner's chapter. When thinking about the song, consider its point of view and the ways in which its point of view upholds or challenges dominant, cultural understandings of the "Wild West."
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.