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GRADE 11 - CIVIL RIGHTS ARGUMENT TASK RESPONSE
Teacher’s Edition
Sample Essay – Organization/Purpose: 4; Evidence/Elaboration: 4; Conventions: 2
This essay scored 10/10 points.
Note: This is a student essay; there may be some errors. Some editing has occurred.
Writing Task: Your assignment is to write an argumentative essay that argues for which person
(Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Rosa Parks) most
impacted civil rights.
1. What is the writer’s
argument? (see yellow)
The author argues that Martin
Luther King Jr. was far more
prominent in America and
fought harder than anyone
else in regard to civil rights.
2. How does the writer show
support using information from
the passages? (in pink)
The author uses information
from the text.
3. How does the writer point
out other viewpoints? (in blue)
The writer acknowledges the
contributions of both Rosa Parks
and George Washington Carver.
4. What precise language is
used in this paragraph? (in
green)?
The writer uses content-specific
vocabulary and language.
Copyright © 2014 by Write Score LLC
The Civil Rights Movement was a long battle fought by African
Americans for their rights and to end discrimination and racism. The
movement wasn't led by one single person in particular; it was a joint
effort made by many who strongly believed that the way African
Americans were treated was wrong. Some prominent figures that
contributed to the Civil Rights Movement are Booker T. Washington,
George Washington Carver, Rosa Parks, and most especially, Martin
Luther King Jr. Dr. King fought for dreams that no one else even thought
could be accomplished. Martin Luther King Jr. was far more prominent in
American society, allowing him to impact the Civil Rights Movement the
most.
Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the end of racism and
segregation in the United States (Source #3). He believed in a future
where society was not divided in two by race; it was coherent with all
able to work, eat, and live in the same place. While the other figures
fought for ideas specific to themselves, like Rosa boycotting the
segregated buses (Source #4), or George Washington Carver fighting for
better education for blacks (Source #2), Martin Luther King Jr. took in all
factors that these individuals brought about, and created a bigger picture
for what needed change. He studied and researched key ways to help his
fight for Civil Rights, and along the way took in the individual battles that
blacks were facing to add to his evidence of the mistreatment of African
Americans.
Without the popularity that Martin Luther King Jr. received, the
Civil Rights Movement would have not been possible. Rosa Parks, George
Washington Carver, and Booker T. Washington were ample players in the
Civil Rights Movement, but none of them reached the level of
recognizability of Dr. King. Without his prominence in the United States,
the evidence of the discrimination on African Americans wouldn't have
been made a mainstream problem. His name allowed them to get the
attention of the people in Washington D.C., to get the attention of the
media, and to get the attention of the normal citizen (Source #3).
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Without the widespread broadcasting of the Civil Rights Movement, it
would not have been possible. Martin Luther King Jr. made sure their
voices were heard all throughout the country.
5. How does the writer develop
a conclusion that supports the
argument presented?
The author ties the conclusion
back to the prompt and the
supporting argument (in grey).
In addition, the author ends with
an allusion to the Declaration of
Independence (double
underlined).
Copyright © 2014 by Write Score LLC
While Rosa Parks, George Washington Carver, and Booker T.
Washington all played important roles in the Civil Rights Movement,
Martin Luther King Jr. encompassed all the problems that blacks faced,
and brought them to the nation’s attention. He didn't focus on one major
problem; he focused mainly on the broad subtopics of racism and
segregation, which were prominent in every aspect of life. Schools, jobs,
buses, and restaurants were all divided unequally and unfairly between
the blacks and whites. Martin Luther King Jr. worked to combat those
issues to create the world we live in today, where all men are created
equal and are entitled to inalienable rights, no matter what race or
religion.
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