The history faculty has awarded prizes for the best undergraduate essays in what will become an annual coontest. Submissions included topics ranging from the conspiracy plot behind President Lincoln's assassination to the recent Chinese economic reforms.
First prize was awarded to Arian Shahdadi , a senior in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) from Newtonville, for "The Continued Violence in the New York City Draft Riots of 1863." Written for (Riots, Strikes, and Uprisings), the essay explores protests against Civil War service.
Second prize went to Brian Ginsburg , a senior in EECS from Schaumburg, Ill., for "Caution Versus Money After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871: The Debate over Land Titles and Fire Ordinances." His essay explores the political conflicts that shaped how Chicago rebuilt itself after burning to the ground.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 5, 2002.
