Were the compromises, and the choices they required, enough to reconcile those contradictions? Why or why not?

For this exam, I would like you to write a thoughtful essay that discusses some of the choices, compromises and contradictions that have shaped the course of American history up to this point in the semester. For example, the ideals of liberty and equality are contradicted by the existence of slavery and the exclusion of Native Americans, while the principle of self-governance was reserved to white men. What other contradictions and compromises, and the choices surrounding them, have shaped the course of American history up to this point in the course? Were the compromises, and the choices they required, enough to reconcile those contradictions? Why or why not? For example, were the advantages of the U.S. Constitution enough to justify it’s protection of slavery (compromise)? Was the creation of a stronger federal government at the expense of the states an acceptable tradeoff? These are just some ideas to get you started, but you also need to identify some of your own (there are many!). In essence, your essay needs to answer the central question above in a well-argued and well-supported essay. Remember, use evidence, and be specific! Tell me who was involved in the contradictions, compromises, and choices you have identified, when and where we see them, and how they shaped the course of American history, from the arrival of Europeans in 1492, through the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The more historical detail you include, the better your essay will be. You may use the textbook and any of the documents we have looked at this semester, as well as the book, Never Caught, but nothing else. You must use at least ONE secondary source, and ONE primary source, or your essay will not receive a passing score. As this is the midterm, and you have seven days to complete it, you will need to give a significant amount of effort. I expect college-level work. Essays with careless typos, poor grammar, misspelled words, etc. will lose points! Your essay must be at least 500 words, and your response should be thorough and
detailed, address all parts of the prompt, and make strong use of the source material we have studied this semester so far. For each source you use, you need to introduce and identify it (primary or secondary, the type of document, who wrote it, when it was written or produced, and what it is about), cite the source using MLA format, and then explain how that source supports your argument. Your essay should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12pt font