Write a 6-8 page essay (double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point font) on one of the following topics. Be sure to put the question number on your essay. Remember that your work will be evaluated on the basis of the grading rubric distributed in class before the first paper, which may be found on-line at http://urban.hunter.cuny.edu/~apolsky/317S06GRADING.htm. Please also consult the paper guidelines on my web page (http://urban.hunter.cuny.edu/~apolsky/ papers.htm), observe the standard formatting rules listed there, and be sure to cite properly (using the Polity citation style) and fully all material taken from the texts. Due: Monday, April 24th, at the beginning of the class period. The late penalty (without a valid, documented reason for the lateness) will be one-third letter grade for each day the paper is late, beginning at 11 AM on the 24th. Thus a paper submitted after class on the loses one-third of a letter grade, and a paper submitted on April 25th loses two-thirds of a letter grade. Remember that a late paper (without a valid reason) may not be revised. [Note on early paper submissions: papers submitted on Thursday, April 6th will be returned on April 10th - before the spring break. This allows a longer time for rewriting a paper.]

    1. Assess the impact of crises upon American political development during the 19th century. Be sure to make clear what you mean by "crisis." Illustrate your argument with appropriate examples.

    2. What was the role of women in state building in the United States through the Second World War?

    3. The national state might be divided into several functional areas, including social welfare/provision and national security. Explain the development of the national state in either area since the end of the Civil War. [Note that social provision includes the so-called private welfare state.] Begin by briefly describing the path of development, then identify the causal factors that have shaped that path. Illustrate your explanation with detailed examples.

    4. Wars have had varying impacts on state building: although all wars yield short-term state expansion, some conflicts have had more enduring effects. Select one war that did not contribute to significant, durable growth of the national state and one war that did. Explain the divergent effects.

    5. Political development in the United States sometimes involves dismantling parts of the national state. How can we explain episodes of state "unbuilding"? Illustrate your explanation with detailed examples.

    6. Explain the impact of antistatism on the development of the modern American state. Define key terms and support your argument with appropriate examples.