Letter of Complaint About a Zero Grade for Essay

I am writing to complain about a zero grade given to me by my teacher in regard to an essay question that required one to take a position on the evolution of liberty in the United States. The topic of the essay was "Has liberty continually evolved in the United States during the period covered by these readings, or not?" one was required to take a position in relation to the essay. Upon consulting with the teacher, he gave me comments showing why I got the zero grade, which disappointed me further because it came too late and was not convincing. There are other students in my class who also received a zero grade on the essay and others also got poor marks on the essay. I believe that I met all the requirements the essay required, and this is why I am seeking further assistance.

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I started the essay by explaining the meaning of liberty, which guided me in explaining the evolution of liberty. Throughout the essay, I discussed how liberty evolved in the United States up to modern times. I defined liberty as the state of being under no oppressive control of authorities. In the discussion, I highlighted how various groups in the American history got their liberty over time, up to the modern times.

First, I discussed the liberty of the US citizens after the independence, when the country was under the colonial rule. During the time, some people in the US were under the control of the colonial authority but gained the freedom after independence and could own land and make decisions without being influenced. The adoption of the Constitution also led to a greater level of liberty because it provided for liberty and protected all the citizens as per its provision.

I also discussed about the issue of slavery, where the black Americans were under the control of their masters and after a long struggle, they got their freedom, slavery was ended, and they were given greater powers to make their own decisions including voting and vying for political seats. The constitutional amendment ensured that the liberty of this group of people was protected.

I discussed about the separation of the church from the government which gave the worshippers greater liberty than before because they could decide what to contribute to their religious organizations and this ensured that citizens could control the way religious groups were run.

Throughout the paper, I discussed how various movements and constitutional amendments gave the people greater freedom to make decisions affecting them without being controlled by the government or other people. Through all these facts, I was for the position that liberty has evolved throughout the history of the United States. I concluded the essay by summarizing the points in the essay.

I understand that I do not probably deserve all marks for the essay. However, I believe that I do not deserve zero marks in the essay. The essay is my own, and I used the various reading materials that were studied. I also cited these materials appropriately as required and this is why I believe that I deserve some marks in the essay. Getting a zero in the essay affects my grade as well as my morale considering that I worked hard to do a good assignment. It took me days to answer the questions appropriately and develop a good argument for the paper, and it is unfair for me to get a zero mark. I believe this is unprofessional and unfair treatment. I am requesting for assistance that may be availed to me in relation to my essay.

References

Bodenhamer, D. J. (2012). The revolutionary Constitution. New York: Oxford University Press.

Helms, J. (2001). Empire for Liberty: A sovereign America and her moral mission. Washington, DC: Regnery Pub.

League of Women Voters (U.S.). (1956). Liberty and security: Our federal loyalty-security programs: origins, operations, and improvements which have been proposed. Washington, D.C: The League.

Munoz, V. P. (2015). Religious liberty and the American Supreme Court: The essential cases and documents. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

Murray, B. T. (2008). Religious liberty in America: The First Amendment in historical and contemporary perspective. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press in association with Foundation for American Communications.

Troesken, W. (2015). The pox of Liberty: How the Constitution left Americans rich, free, and prone to infection. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Tsesis, A. (2004). The Thirteenth Amendment and American Freedom: A legal history. New York: New York University Press.

Immerman, R. H. (2010). Empire for Liberty: A History of American Imperialism from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Wolfowitz. Princeton: Princeton University Press.