The Quality History Essay

Three Components 1.clear thesis that answers the question 2.three to five topic sentences that, taken together, add up logically 3.evidence that supports and illustrates each of the topic sentences

Thesis  makes a clear assertion in response to the question  a statement of what your reader will believe if your essay is persuasive

Topic Sentences  should appear at beginning of clearly marked paragraphs  each topic sentence makes a clear assertion that you will illustrate and support in the body of the paragraph  all topic sentences should add up logically to your thesis

Evidence  specific examples explained to support and illustrate your claim

Five Steps to Follow 1.Find the action words in the question and determine what the question wants you to do To determine what the question is asking you to do, you must pay attention to the action words – the words that give you a specific task.

 Compare and contrast the roles played by the various social classes in the unification of Italy and Germany in the 1860s and 1870s.

2.Compose a thesis that responds to the question and gives you something specific to support and illustrate

 Compare the following: A. German and Italian unifications have a lot in common but also have many differences. B.The unifications of both Italy and Germany were engineered by the aristocracy.

3.Compose your topic sentences and make sure that they add up logically to your thesis.

 for example … A. The architects of both Italian and German unification were conservative, northern aristocrats. B. The middle classes played virtually no role in Italian unification and, in the south, initially opposed the unification of Germany. C. The working classes and peasantry followed the lead of the aristocracy in both the unification of Italy and that of Germany.

4. Support and illustrate your thesis with specific examples Paragraphs that follow the topic sentences should present specific examples that illustrate and support its point. Each paragraph is made up of two things: factual information and your explanation of how that factual information supports the topic sentence.

 for example … Thesis – The unifications of both Italy and Germany were engineered by the aristocracy. Topic sentence A – The architects of both the Italian and German unification were conservative, northern aristocrats. Specific examples – Cavour, conservative aristocrat from Piedmont; Bismarck, conservative aristocrat from Prussia. Both took leadership roles and devised unification strategies.

 for example … Thesis – The unifications of both Italy and Germany were engineered by the aristocracy. Topic sentence B – The middle classes played virtually no role in Italian unification and, in the south, initially opposed the unification of Germany. Specific examples – Italy, mid-century Risorgimento, a middle class movement, failed, and played virtually no role in subsequent events. Germany, middle- class liberals in the Frankfort Parliament were ineffective; middle-class liberals in southern Germany were initially war of Prussian domination; they rallied to the cause only when Bismarck engineered the Franco-Prussian War.

 for example … Thesis – The unifications of both Italy and Germany were engineered by the aristocracy. Topic sentence C – The working classes and peasantry followed the lead of the aristocracy in the unification of both Italy and Germany Specific examples – Italy, the working classes played no role in the north; the peasantry of the south followed Garibaldi, but shifted without resistance to support of Cavour and the king at the crucial moment. The working classes in Germany supported Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia; the socialists, supposedly a working-class party, rallied to the cause of war.

5. If you have time, compose a one-paragraph conclusion that restates your thesis A conclusion is not necessary, and you will get little or no credit for one. But, it does give you one more opportunity at the thesis point.

Things to Avoid! 1. Avoid long sentences with multiple clauses. Your goal is to write the clearest sentence possible, most often the clearest sentence is a relatively short sentence. 2.Do not get caught up in digressions. No matter how fascinating or insightful you find some idea or fact, if it does not directly support or illustrate your thesis, do not put it in.

3. Skip the mystery. Do not ask a lot of rhetorical questions, and do not go for a surprise ending. The readers are looking for your thesis, your argument, and your evidence; give these to them in a clear, straightforward manner.