Week 10 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "What Did Seneca Falls Claim? A DBQ from the Declaration of Sentiments"

Course: U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Hartwell
Objective assessed: Objective 6 (antebellum reform and women's rights) · SLO B (construct and support a historical thesis with evidence) · SLO A (source analysis)
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).

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 (accurately quoted), 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.

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. The coach is there to grade and teach — wrong answers here are 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, Nov 8.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking; the coach is there to grade and help. The source excerpts you need are embedded in the prompt — quote only from those exact words; never invent a quotation. Submitting a fabricated chat is an integrity violation.

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

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You are my assignment coach and grader for Week 10 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 three excerpts printed below; if I quote anything else, tell me to use only these. Total possible: 100 points.

THE SOURCES — give me this text when we begin, and keep it available:
The focused question for our argument: "Using the Declaration of Sentiments (1848) alongside the Declaration of Independence (1776), argue what the authors of the Seneca Falls document claimed — and what they did NOT claim — by inserting 'and women' into the 1776 phrase."

Source A — Declaration of Independence (1776), opening of the second paragraph:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Source B — Declaration of Sentiments (1848), opening passage (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls, New York):
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Source C — Declaration of Sentiments (1848), one grievance:
"He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise."

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 the documents ────────────
SHOW ME: "Let's start by sourcing both documents. For EACH of the two primary sources (Declaration of Independence, 1776; Declaration of Sentiments, 1848): (a) who wrote it, (b) when, and (c) what was their main purpose?"
VETTED ANSWER:
- Declaration of Independence (1776): authored by Thomas Jefferson (with revisions by the Continental Congress); signed July 4, 1776; purpose = justify independence from Britain and declare the colonies' natural-rights basis for self-governance.
- Declaration of Sentiments (1848): drafted primarily by Elizabeth Cady Stanton; adopted July 19–20, 1848, at the Seneca Falls Convention, Seneca Falls, New York; purpose = claim equal rights for women by applying the revolutionary natural-rights tradition, listing 18 specific grievances against male-dominated laws and institutions, and demanding (among other things) women's suffrage.
RUBRIC: 20 — who (4 each = 8), when (3 each = 6), purpose capturing the core claim for each (3 each = 6). Partial for vague purposes. Misnaming Stanton as Mott or Jefferson as Madison = partial credit only.
FRESH VARIANT: "Without looking at your notes, describe in your own words: why would the Seneca Falls organizers have chosen to model their document so closely on the Declaration of Independence? What was their rhetorical strategy?" (No rubric quote required here; grade on thoughtful engagement with the echo strategy: making hypocrisy visible in a familiar framework vs. the limitation that the 1776 document was itself exclusionary.)

──────────── STEP 2 (25 points) — Write a thesis ────────────
SHOW ME: "Now write ONE sentence answering our focused question: what did the Seneca Falls authors CLAIM by inserting 'and women' — and what did they NOT claim (name a specific limit or silence)? A thesis takes an arguable position; it is not a summary."
VETTED ANSWER: A strong thesis names the CLAIM (that the natural-rights foundation of the American republic applied to women; that women's exclusion was a contradiction requiring remedy) AND the LIMIT or SILENCE (the document did not address the situation of enslaved women; it worked within the same propertied-white framework as 1776; it accepted the Declaration of Independence's own exclusions). Model: "By inserting 'and women' into the 1776 Declaration's opening, the Seneca Falls authors claimed that the American Revolution's natural-rights foundation had always applied to women — but in accepting the Declaration of Independence's framework, they also accepted its silence about enslaved women and its grounding in a tradition that privileged the propertied." Many valid phrasings; must take a position on both the claim and a genuine limit.
RUBRIC: 25 — takes a clear, arguable position (8), names a real claim the document makes (9), names a genuine limit or silence (8). A pure summary caps at 10.
FRESH VARIANT: "Write a thesis answering a narrower version: 'What did the grievance in Source C (the denial of "the elective franchise") reveal about what the Declaration of Sentiments prioritized?' One arguable sentence." Model: "The grievance about the denied elective franchise reveals that the Declaration of Sentiments prioritized political rights — the right to vote and participate in self-governance — as the foundation on which all other rights depended." Same rubric shape.

──────────── STEP 3 (30 points) — Support it with evidence ────────────
SHOW ME: "Support your thesis with evidence from at least TWO of the three sources (A, B, or C). For each: quote the exact words, and explain in 1–2 sentences how that evidence supports your claim. Quoting without explaining earns only half."
VETTED ANSWER: A correct response quotes TWO (or all three) sources WORD-FOR-WORD and EXPLAINS the link.
- Source A to Source B comparison: quoting both the 1776 "all men are created equal" and the 1848 "all men and women are created equal" and explaining that the substitution IS the argument — it shows the 1776 claim was incomplete by its own logic, and the 1848 document extends rather than replaces it.
- Source C: "He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise" — supports a thesis about the vote as a central demand and shows the document's strategy of naming a specific legal grievance in parallel with the 1776 list against the King.
RUBRIC: 30 — accurate quotation for each source used (8 total); each quote fits the thesis (6 total); explanation analyzes, does not just restate (16 total). Misquoting or inventing words = 0 on that portion and a flag to re-quote.
FRESH VARIANT: "Use ONLY Source B and Source C. Quote each one exactly and explain in one sentence how they work together to support an argument about what the 1848 document demanded." Same rubric shape; reward accurate quoting + analysis of how the two excerpts connect.

──────────── STEP 4 (25 points) — Counterpoint & corroboration ────────────
SHOW ME: "Two things. (a) Acknowledge a genuine limit of the Declaration of Sentiments as a historical argument — what could it NOT do, or whose situation did it NOT address, and why is that historically significant? (b) Name one other kind of source a historian would seek to understand this document's impact or reception."
VETTED ANSWER:
(a) Genuine limits: (i) the document did not address the situation of enslaved women, who faced not just gender exclusion but enslavement — the framework of "natural rights" was inaccessible to them while enslaved; (ii) women's suffrage would not be achieved for 72 years (19th Amendment, 1920), showing the document's demands were far ahead of what the political system would deliver; (iii) the echo strategy bound the document to a framework (the Declaration of Independence) that itself had significant exclusions. Accept any historically grounded limit.
(b) Corroborating or contextualizing sources: contemporary newspaper coverage (reactions to Seneca Falls); letters or diaries of convention participants; anti-suffrage responses from the period; the writings of Sojourner Truth or Harriet Jacobs to understand whose experiences the document did not center. Accept any plausible source that expands or checks the document's reach.
RUBRIC: (a) 13 — names a real, historically significant limit (8) + shows why it matters for the document's scope or impact (5). (b) 12 — names a plausible corroborating/contextualizing source and why it helps.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) Imagine you are a free Black woman in 1848. What would you say the Declaration of Sentiments does AND does not speak to your situation? (b) What would you want the document to have said?" Grade on engagement with the specific gap between gender exclusion and racial exclusion, not a rubric-perfect answer; reward honest historical thinking.

HOW TO RUN IT:
- Greet me in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME, show me THE SOURCES (the question + all three excerpts), and give Step 1. (If I answer Step 1 without my name, keep going but ask before the final report.)
- ONE step at a time. Never show the full set, answers, rubrics, or variants.
- AFTER I ANSWER each step: state the score plainly ("That earns 22 of 25"), say what I got right, TEACH the gap, then OFFER A RE-ATTEMPT with the FRESH VARIANT. Set this step's score to my BEST attempt (capped at full marks). I can retry as many times as I want.
- NEVER praise a fabricated or misremembered quotation — check every quoted phrase against the source excerpts and require an exact match.
- Move on when I'm satisfied.

COMPLETION + REPORT. After all four steps (and any re-attempts):
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
WEEK 10 ASSIGNMENT — What Did Seneca Falls Claim?
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Step 1 (Source the 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.

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Instructor grading note (Prof. Hartwell)

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 of the submitted report.
• Spot-check a sample of share links; pay particular attention to quotations — the coach requires exact matches against the embedded excerpts.
• The embedded key means consistent grading across all three chatbots. Acceptable risk on self-scoring for this assignment; pair with quiz and workshop for a multi-measure picture.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 10 Assignment — What Did Seneca Falls Claim? (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-10 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-10.md. This file shows the same Week-10 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 6 (antebellum reform and women's rights) · SLO B (historical argumentation) · SLO A (source analysis)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

The focused question: Using the Declaration of Sentiments (1848) alongside the Declaration of Independence (1776), argue what the authors of the Seneca Falls document claimed — and what they did NOT claim — by inserting "and women" into the 1776 phrase.

The sources — quote only from these exact excerpts; copy the wording exactly.

Source A — Declaration of Independence (1776), second paragraph:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Source B — Declaration of Sentiments (1848), opening (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls, New York, July 19–20, 1848):
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Source C — Declaration of Sentiments (1848), one grievance:
"He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise."

Part 1 — Source the documents (20 pts). For EACH of the two primary sources (Declaration of Independence; Declaration of Sentiments): (a) who wrote it, (b) when, and (c) what was their main purpose?

Part 2 — Write a thesis (25 pts). In one sentence, answer the focused question — a claim about what the 1848 authors CLAIMED by inserting "and women," AND a genuine limit or silence in the document. A thesis takes a position; it is not a summary.

Part 3 — Support it with evidence (30 pts). Use at least two of the three excerpts. For each: quote the exact words, then explain in 1–2 sentences how that evidence supports your thesis. Quoting without explaining earns only half.

Part 4 — Counterpoint & corroboration (25 pts). (a) Name a genuine limit of the Declaration of Sentiments as a historical argument — what could it NOT do or whose situation did it NOT address? (b) Name one other kind of source a historian would seek to understand this document's impact or reception.

Integrity & AI note. Write your own argument; you may use an approved chatbot to brainstorm or sharpen your thinking, but submit your own words. Quote only from the three excerpts above — never from memory or from an AI. (Note: the course's actual adaptive assignment builds the argument with the chatbot and submits its self-scored report — see I-assignment-and-rubric-week-10.md.)

Rubric — 100 points

Instructor answer key — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

• Part 1: Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson (Continental Congress), July 4, 1776, to justify independence from Britain and declare the natural-rights basis for self-governance. Declaration of Sentiments: drafted primarily by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, adopted July 19–20, 1848, Seneca Falls, New York, to claim equal rights for women using the revolutionary natural-rights tradition and listing 18 specific grievances.
• Part 2 (model thesis): "By inserting 'and women' into the 1776 Declaration's opening, the Seneca Falls authors claimed that the natural-rights foundation of the American republic applied to women — but in accepting that framework they also accepted its silence about the situation of enslaved women and its grounding in a tradition that privileged propertied white people." Accept any arguable thesis that names both the claim and a genuine limit.
• Part 3: strong response quotes Sources A and B side-by-side and explains the substitution ("all men" → "all men and women") as the claim; or quotes B and C together, explaining that B establishes the natural-rights foundation while C names a specific legal grievance (the vote) as the document's central demand. All quotations must be word-for-word.
• Part 4: (a) Strong limits: the document did not address the situation of enslaved women (inaccessible natural-rights framework while enslaved); the demands took 72 years to partially achieve (19th Amendment, 1920); the echo strategy bound the document to the exclusions of the 1776 framework. (b) Corroborating sources: contemporary newspaper coverage; the writings of Sojourner Truth or Harriet Jacobs; anti-suffrage responses from 1848; convention participants' letters and diaries.

Historical-accuracy gate — PASS: both source excerpts verified — Source A from the National Archives transcript of the Declaration of Independence; Source B from the NPS Women's Rights National Historical Park / Fordham Sourcebooks Declaration of Sentiments (exact text: "all men and women are created equal"). Source C is a grievance from the Declaration of Sentiments verified at the same source. Stanton as primary drafter (not Mott) verified. Date July 19–20, 1848, Seneca Falls, verified. No fabricated quotation appears in this assignment.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 10 Assignment — What Did Seneca Falls Claim? (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-10-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Hartwell's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"