In your essay, you should 1) summarize McPherson’s main argument(s), 2) discuss how he supports his arguments and the evidence he uses, and 3) explain whether or not you find his arguments convincing.
You should also find at least two academic reviews of McPherson’s book and incorporate these into your review, with proper citation. Reviews can be found through databases such as JSTOR and Project MUSE via the UTA Library website.
(These will let you see how other historians have evaluated McPherson’s book and provide you with some outside perspectives on the book and subject matter.)
By the assigned due date, you must submit your completed work as a Word document to the dropbox on Canvas under “Assignments.”
Length: Your review should be 4-5 pages of text, double-spaced. Include page numbers.
Structure: Your essay should meet a standard of college-level writing. It should be organized into paragraphs. It should have an introduction and conclusion. Some good writing advice is that the introduction should give the reader a sense of what you are going to say, the middle paragraphs should say it, and the conclusion should help recap what you have said.
You do not need a special header—your name on the first page is sufficient.
Quoting: Statements taken directly from the texts should be within quotation marks. Your essay shouldinclude direct quotations. You can also paraphrase an author by restating what they say in your own words.
Citation: Specific information from the text—quoted or paraphrased—should be cited using Chicago or Turabian style footnotes. You do not need a separate title page or works cited page.
Footnote citation for McPherson:
James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), page number.
Citation for academic review (format):
Author, review of Book Title, by Author of Book. Journal Title volume number, Issue no. (Date of publication): page number.
Example:
Jonathan Steplyk, review of Sing Not War: The Lives of Union and Confederate Veterans in Gilded Age America, by James Marten. Alabama Review 65, no. 2 (April 2012): 143.
Hint: Early in the book, McPherson uses the French term rage militaire. Do NOT assume this translates to “military rage.” Instead, refer to how McPherson defines the term.
One last tip: In tests and essays, I’ve seen students refer to history books as “novels.” For Cause and Comrades is non-fiction; it is not a novel. Now you know…and knowing is half the battle!
