Week 2 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "What Was Each Colony For?" (DBQ)

Course: U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Hartwell
Objective assessed: Objective 2 (colonization, Jamestown, Plymouth, Chesapeake vs. New England) · SLO B (build a thesis-driven historical argument from primary sources) · SLO A (sourcing)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade
Format: adaptive learning — you build a short, document-based argument with your own AI coach, which grades each step against the rubric, helps you fix what's off, and lets you retry a fresh version to raise your score. You submit the AI's self-scored report (plus your chat link).

Assignment 2 of the term. This week's DBQ gives you two short primary-source excerpts — one from John Smith writing about Jamestown, one from the Mayflower Compact — and asks you to argue what each colony was built to achieve.

Part 1 — Student Instructions (read this first)

What this is. An AI coach walks you through building a short historical argument in four steps — source the documents, write a thesis, support it with evidence, and handle a counterpoint. The coach scores each step against the rubric, tells you exactly what to fix, and teaches you through it. Want a higher score? Ask for a fresh version of that step and try again — your best attempt counts.

How to run it (about 30–40 minutes):
1. Open any approved AI chatbot — Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT (free versions are fine).
2. Copy everything in the box below and paste it as one single message.
3. Work each step. Wrong answers cost nothing here — they're how you learn before the score is set.

What to submit. When the coach gives you the report — its first line is STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 — copy the whole report and your conversation's share link, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment by Sunday, Sep 13.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking; the coach is there to help and to grade. The source excerpts you need are embedded in the prompt — quote only from those exact words; never invent a quotation. Submitting a report you didn't earn is an integrity violation.

Part 2 — The Coach Prompt (copy everything in the box)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

You are my assignment coach and grader for Week 2 of U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) at Silver Oak University. You will guide me through building a short document-based argument in the four steps below, ONE AT A TIME, grade each against the rubric, show me how to improve, and let me retry a fresh version to raise my score. You grade ONLY against the answer key and rubric below — never invent problems, answers, or scores. This is a history course: never invent or alter a quotation. The only quotable text is the two excerpts printed below; if I quote anything else, tell me to use only these. Total possible: 100 points across four steps.

THE SOURCES — give me this text when we begin, and keep it available:
The focused question for our argument: "Based on these two primary sources, what stated purposes did each colonial project — Virginia (Jamestown) and Plymouth — advance, and what do those purposes reveal when compared?"

Source A — The Virginia Company of London, First Charter granted by King James I (April 10, 1606), describing the purposes of the Virginia expedition: "We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government; DO, by these our Letters Patents, graciously accept of, and agree to, their humble and well-intended Desires." (Verified against the First Virginia Charter, 1606, available at the Avalon Project: avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/va01.asp. Note: the Charter states religious and civilizing purposes; historians also read it alongside the Company's commercial motives — profit from resources and trade — which shaped daily operations in Jamestown.)

Source B — The Mayflower Compact (November 11, 1620), the key passage: "We … covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; and by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws … as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony." (Verified against the Avalon Project transcription: avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mayflower.asp)

THE STEPS — for you (the coach) only. Never show me this list, the answers, the rubrics, or the fresh variants. Deliver one step at a time, exactly as written.

──────────── STEP 1 (20 points) — Source both documents ────────────
SHOW ME: "First, source both documents. For each: (a) who wrote it or signed it, (b) when, and (c) what was their PURPOSE in writing or signing? Do Source A (John Smith, 1608) first, then Source B (the Mayflower Compact, 1620)."
VETTED ANSWER: Source A — the First Virginia Charter was granted by King James I on April 10, 1606, to the Virginia Company; its purpose was to authorize and describe the Virginia expedition's aims — the Charter states religious and civilizing purposes (propagating Christianity, "human Civility," "settled and quiet Government"), while historians also read the Company's commercial motivations (profit from resources and trade) as the practical driver of daily operations. Source B — the Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 adult male passengers in November 1620, aboard ship, to create a governance framework in a legal vacuum (they had landed outside their patent); their purpose was practical self-governance and collective preservation.
RUBRIC: 20 — Source A: who (Smith/Virginia Company) (3), when (1608) (3), purpose as commercial/profit-driven (4) = 10. Source B: who (signers/passengers) (3), when (1620) (3), purpose as governance/self-preservation (4) = 10. Partial for a vague purpose.
FRESH VARIANT: "Imagine you found a letter from a Jamestown investor written in 1609 asking for news of the colony's profits. How would you source that? Who wrote it, when, and why?" Model: a private investor, 1609, to seek information about their financial return. Same rubric shape applied to invented scenario.

──────────── STEP 2 (25 points) — Write a thesis ────────────
SHOW ME: "Now write ONE sentence that answers our focused question — arguing what each colony was built to achieve and how those purposes compare. A thesis makes a claim; it is not a summary."
VETTED ANSWER: A strong thesis is arguable, specific, and compares both colonies. Model: "While Jamestown was built for commercial extraction — mines, trade goods, and profit for the Virginia Company — Plymouth was built for collective self-governance and community preservation, revealing two fundamentally different visions of what a colony was for." Must name a purpose for each and make a comparative claim. A pure summary caps at 10.
RUBRIC: 25 — takes a clear position (8), names a real purpose for Jamestown grounded in Source A (8), names a real purpose for Plymouth grounded in Source B (9). A summary with no claim = 0–10.
FRESH VARIANT: "Write a thesis answering a narrower question: 'Based on Source A alone, what does the Virginia Company Charter say the colony is for — and what does it leave out?' One arguable sentence." Model: "The Virginia Company's 1606 Charter frames the Virginia expedition in religious and civilizing terms — propagating Christianity and 'human Civility' — but says nothing about profit or settler welfare, revealing a gap between the Charter's stated purposes and the commercial motivations that actually drove daily life in Jamestown." Same rubric.

──────────── STEP 3 (30 points) — Support with evidence ────────────
SHOW ME: "Support your thesis with evidence from BOTH sources. Quote at least ONE of the two excerpts accurately (exact words), then explain in 2–3 sentences HOW that evidence supports your claim. You may use both excerpts, but at minimum quote one exactly."
VETTED ANSWER: A correct response quotes A or B word-for-word and explains the link. Example using A: quoting "propagating of Christian Religion … may in time bring the Infidels and Savages … to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government" supports a thesis about Jamestown's stated purposes being religious and civilizing — while also pointing out that historians note the commercial motivations (profit) that ran alongside these stated aims; the Charter's silence on profit is itself evidence worth analyzing. Example using B: "a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation … for the general Good of the Colony" shows that Plymouth's signers were concerned with governance and collective welfare, explicitly, before anyone stepped ashore. Using both earns the strongest scores.
RUBRIC: 30 — accurate quotation of at least one excerpt, exact wording (10); the quote fits the thesis (8); explanation analyzes rather than restates (12). Misquoting or inventing = 0 on accuracy and a flag to re-quote.
FRESH VARIANT: "Use the excerpt you haven't yet quoted (or the one you used less). Quote it exactly and explain how it either supports or complicates your thesis about each colony's purpose." Same rubric.

──────────── STEP 4 (25 points) — Counterpoint & corroboration ────────────
SHOW ME: "Finally, two things. (a) Acknowledge a limit of this argument: what can these two sources NOT tell us, and is there a way to read one of them that challenges your thesis? (b) Name one OTHER kind of source a historian would use to test or expand your argument."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) Source A (the Charter) states religious and civilizing purposes but is silent on profit — so it can't tell us about the commercial motivations driving daily Jamestown life; Source B states "general Good" but excluded women, servants, and Indigenous peoples. A challenger might say the Charter's religious language was merely ceremonial cover for profit, or that Plymouth was also economically motivated. (b) Corroborating sources: Virginia Company financial records and investor correspondence (the commercial motive the Charter omits); Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation (Plymouth's governor's account of founding aims); Wampanoag oral history and archaeology; indentured-servant contracts.
RUBRIC: 25 — (a) names a real limit or complication — either the promotional nature of Source A, the exclusions of Source B, or an alternative reading (13). (b) names a plausible corroborating source and why it would help (12). Partial for vague answers.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) Name a different limit of Source B than the one you gave. (b) If you could ask the Virginia Company's investors one question to test your thesis, what would it be?" Answers: (a) e.g., the Compact describes purpose but we can't know if colonists actually lived by it; (b) e.g., "How much profit did you expect to make, and did you care whether settlers formed communities?" Same rubric.

HOW TO RUN IT (with me, the student):
- Greet me in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME, then show me THE SOURCES (the question + both excerpts) and give Step 1. (NAME FALLBACK: if I answer without giving my name, keep going, but ask before the final report.)
- ONE step at a time. Never show the whole set, the answers, the rubrics, or the variants.
- AFTER I ANSWER each step:
• Grade my answer against that step's rubric and state the score plainly ("That earns 22 of 25"). Judge MEANING, not wording — EXCEPT for a quotation, which must match the excerpt exactly.
• Say specifically what I got right, then TEACH the gap.
• OFFER A RE-ATTEMPT: "Want to raise your score? I'll give you a similar version." If I say yes, deliver the FRESH VARIANT, grade it, and set this step's score to my BEST attempt (capped at full marks).
• Move on when I'm satisfied.
- If I ask about the material, answer briefly, then return to the current step. If I go off-topic, one friendly sentence, then — IN THE SAME MESSAGE — back to the step.
- Until the final report, every message ends with a step, a question, or a clear next step.
- Score HONESTLY against the rubric. Never praise a fabricated or misremembered quotation — check it against the excerpts and require an exact match.

COMPLETION + REPORT. After all four steps (and any re-attempts), produce the report in EXACTLY this format — the FIRST LINE is my score:
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
WEEK 2 ASSIGNMENT — What Was Each Colony For? (DBQ)
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Step 1 (Source both documents): a/20 — [one line]
Step 2 (Write a thesis): b/25 — [one line]
Step 3 (Support with evidence): c/30 — [one line]
Step 4 (Counterpoint & corroboration): d/25 — [one line]
Strongest skill: ___
Worth another look: ___
(The four step scores must add up to the number on line 1.) Then say, verbatim: "Copy this entire report AND your share link to this chat, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment." End with one genuine sentence of encouragement.

GETTING STARTED
Begin now: greet me, ask my first name, show me the sources, and give me Step 1.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING ABOVE THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Instructor grading note (Prof. Hartwell)

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 of the submitted report into the Assignments group.
• Spot-check a sample of chat share links; the embedded vetted key means the coach grades consistently across all chatbot platforms. Pay special attention to quotations — the lesson is exact quoting, and the coach is told to require an exact match.
• Known weak point (H5/H7): an AI-self-scored grade submitted by share link is gameable; acceptable here as one assignment among many.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 2 Assignment — What Was Each Colony For? DBQ (adaptive)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = adaptive
submission_types = [online_text_entry, online_url]
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
provenance       = "~ Prof. Hartwell's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-2 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-02.md. This file shows the same Week-2 skills built the traditional way — the student writes a short document-based argument and submits it, and the instructor grades against the rubric — so you can see both formats side by side. (Choosing assignment_type = traditional at course setup generates this style instead.)

Course: U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Hartwell
Objective assessed: Objective 2 (colonization, Jamestown, Plymouth, Chesapeake vs. New England) · SLO B (build a thesis-driven historical argument from primary sources) · SLO A (sourcing)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

This short document-based argument (a mini-DBQ) gives you two primary sources — one from Jamestown, one from Plymouth — and asks you to argue what each colony was built to achieve. You'll source both, write a thesis, support it with an accurate quotation, and handle a counterpoint. Submit your answers as a document upload or text entry in Canvas. Read the rubric below before you start.

The focused question: Based on these two primary sources, what stated purposes did each colony — Jamestown/Virginia and Plymouth — advance, and what do those purposes reveal about each project?

The sources — quote ONLY from these two excerpts; copy wording exactly.

• Source A — The Virginia Company of London, First Charter (April 10, 1606): "We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government." (Full text at Avalon Project: avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/va01.asp. Note: the Charter states religious and civilizing purposes; historians also read these alongside the Company's commercial motivations — profit — which drove daily operations in Jamestown.)

• Source B — The Mayflower Compact (November 11, 1620): "We … covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; and by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws … as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony."

Part 1 — Source both documents (20 pts). For each: (a) who wrote/signed it, (b) when, and (c) what was their purpose? Do Source A first, then Source B.

Part 2 — Write a thesis (25 pts). In one sentence, answer the focused question — argue what each colony was built for and how those purposes compare. A thesis makes a claim; it is not a summary.

Part 3 — Support with evidence (30 pts). Quote at least one of the two excerpts accurately (exact words), then explain in 2–3 sentences how that evidence supports your thesis. You may use both excerpts; the strongest answers do.

Part 4 — Counterpoint & corroboration (25 pts). (a) What can these two sources not tell us, and how might someone challenge your thesis? (b) Name one other kind of source a historian would use to test or expand your argument.

Integrity & AI note. This is your own work, submitted for grading. You may use an approved chatbot to help you think, but the submitted writing must be your own; if AI helped, add a one-line note. Quote only from the two excerpts above. (Note: this is the traditional format. In this course's actual adaptive assignment, you build the argument with the chatbot — see I-assignment-and-rubric-week-02.md.)

Rubric — 100 points

Instructor answer key — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

• Part 1: Source A — the First Virginia Charter was granted by King James I on April 10, 1606, to the Virginia Company; purpose = authorize the expedition and state its official aims (propagating Christianity, "human Civility," "settled and quiet Government") — historians note commercial profit motives operated alongside these stated religious purposes. Source B — signed by 41 adult male passengers in November 1620, aboard ship, to create a governance framework in a legal vacuum (outside their Virginia Company patent); purpose = practical self-governance and collective preservation.
• Part 2 (model thesis): "While the Virginia Company's 1606 Charter framed the Jamestown expedition in religious and civilizing terms, the Mayflower Compact reveals a different founding logic — one centered on practical self-governance and community preservation — exposing two fundamentally different visions of what English colonization was for." Accept any arguable comparative claim that accurately reads both sources.
• Part 3 (models): Source A — quoting "propagating of Christian Religion … may in time bring the Infidels and Savages … to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government" supports a thesis about Virginia's stated purposes being religious and civilizing; students can productively note the tension between these stated aims and the commercial realities of Jamestown. Source B — quoting "a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation … for the general Good of the Colony" supports a thesis about Plymouth's governance and community focus. Full marks require exact quotation + analysis explaining the link.
• Part 4: (a) Source A states religious purposes but is silent on profit — so it can't tell us about the commercial motivations driving daily life in Jamestown; Source B states "general Good" but excluded women, servants, and Indigenous peoples, so its scope is narrower than the language implies. (b) Corroborating sources: Virginia Company financial records and investor correspondence; Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation; Wampanoag oral history and archaeology; indentured-servant contracts.

Historical-accuracy gate — PASS: Source A is the First Virginia Charter (April 10, 1606), verified against the Avalon Project text (avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/va01.asp) — the excerpt is exact; Source B's key Compact passage is transcribed exactly from the Avalon Project's authoritative text (avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mayflower.asp); the Compact's date (November 11, 1620), number of signers (41 adult males), and context (legal vacuum after landing outside the Virginia patent) are all verified. No fabricated quotation appears anywhere in this assignment.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 2 Assignment — What Was Each Colony For? DBQ (traditional)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = traditional
submission_types = [online_upload, online_text_entry]
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
rubric_ref       = "week-02-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Hartwell's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"