1.) You are required to base your essay on one of the sets of questions/topics from assigned readings. You have eleven topics to choose from.
When writing your essay, you should be sure to incorporate all of the questions asked in the chosen topic. Your essay must be based on these questions. If it is not, you will not receive a passing grade on the essay. Don’t incorporate questions from other discussion topics.
2.) Your essay should be based on at least three (3) scholarly academic sources. Assigned classroom readings outside of the textbook are permissible sources. You Must directly quote and analyze one primary source; identify in Works Cited. How to analyze primary documents can be found in Modules. Remember, a good essay should be based on a central thesis/argument and be persuasive. Thus, you should incorporate your own ideas when and where appropriate. But DO NOT use first person in your writing. If I discover your essay is plagiarized, you will receive an F.
Tips for writing a History paper:
Develop a Thesis: A thesis statement reflects what you have concluded about the topic of your paper, based on analysis and interpretation of source materials.
Construct an Argument: Historical issues are seldom clear-cut, and historians often disagree. Convince your reader that your interpretation is valid.
Support your Thesis: Offer evidence from your sources to validate your argument.
Acknowledge Counter-Evidence: Strengthen your argument by addressing opposing viewpoints.
Organization: Introductory Paragraph (include thesis in first paragraph); Clear and Connected paragraphs; Effective Conclusion (most important points in support of thesis)
3.) You are required to provide a “Works Cited” page and you should properly cite any quotes/ideas that you take from the readings/sources using MLA writing format. Your paper will be submitted to Turnitin to check for plagiarism and AI. All papers with a 20% or higher score will be double checked for poor citation and/or a misunderstanding of academic conventions and AI generated text before point reductions are taken or a failing grade assigned. Remember: Use your own words.
4.) Proofread your essay. Points will be deducted for grammatical errors.
5.) Your essay must be a minimum of 850 words but no more than 1250 (4-5 pages) . If you incorporate all of the questions, you should easily meet this requirement. You will not receive a passing grade if you fall short of this requirement.
6.) Be sure not to simply write a research paper. I am interested in hearing relevant and subjective opinions. Do not regurgitate what you have read. Think about, react to it, and form an opinion. History is always written with an agenda/motive. There are few absolute truths in written human history. You should always question what the agendas are of the authors you will be reading.
7.) All papers should be typewritten and double-spaced using WORD. If this is not available, your work should be saved in Rich Text Format (.rtf). Please make sure that you include a title page and the topic question is listed. Also, remember to upload one file only.
Topic:
What was the goal of the Susan B. Anthony Amendment to the Constitution? Why do you think it fomented so much opposition? What was President Wilson’s position on the woman’s suffrage issue at the start of his administration? How did Alice Paul pressure him to recognize the importance of her cause? What were the conditions endured by suffragists in the Washington D.C. jail and the workhouse in Virginia? How did the suffragists protest such harsh treatment? In your opinion, why did Wilson ultimately decide to support the passage of the 19th Amendment?
