In his book Bruce Kuklick describes the establishment of the Philadelphia Athletics franchise, the building of the Shibe Park grounds, the economic and social relationships of the residents of the neighborhood with Shibe Park, and the decline of the North Penn area. Discuss each of these things and then describe the demise of Shibe Park (1953-1976). What developments led to the loss of community identification and the withdrawal of support for the ballpark?

Your essay should be approximately 1000 words (five typewritten pages). Quotation from sources may constitute no more than 10% of your paper. Papers that exceed this limit will receive a failing grade.

The final draft of your essay should be carefully crafted and devoid of spelling errors. Proofread your papers for typographical errors. Remember that pronouns and their antecedents must agree in number and recall how to form the possessive case.

Do not use contractions in a formal essay. Avoid the passive voice ("is," "was," and other forms of the verb "to be"). Watch for convoluted syntax and imprecise or faulty diction (word choice). Strive for the active voice and try to compose sentences that are compact and periodic (subject-verb-object).

Your paper is due in class on Tuesday, 22 July.  Late papers will be penalized five points per day.