Thesis Statement: One or two sentences that state an argument that can be supported with evidence drawn from historical research.

A thesis statement contains two parts: Content: The event, person, or topic your argument will address Position: The argument you will make about that content— the impact your content had upon America’s identity Example: The persistence of slavery in the U.S. from1619-1865 shows that the Founding Fathers’ idea of “All men are created equal” was more a dream than a reality.

Notes: No first person (no “I think,” “I will prove”) No second person (no “you will learn,” “you would think”) Make your content as specific as possible—dates, names, people Make your argument as bold and powerful as possible—use active verbs instead of “is, “are,” “was,” “were” No questions or exclamation points—let the ambition of your argument pull in your reader rather than the drama of your punctuation Do not say “This paper will prove . . . ”—instead, state your specific argument using content and position