Developing a Thesis

The Thesis THE THESIS STATEMENT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR PAPER; IT IS, ESSENTIALLY, THE JUSTIFICATION FOR ITS VERY EXISTENCE.

A THESIS STATEMENT DECLARES WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND WHAT YOU INTEND TO PROVE.

The Framework for Your Paper  A good thesis serves as the blue print or plan for your paper  The thesis can be broken down into sections of your paper

Generating Questions  Your thesis statement needs to answer a question about the topic you’d like to explore.  Your job is to figure out what question you’d like to answer...  For example...

Select Your Topic Civil War

Identify Your Angle The confederate defeat in the Civil War

Develop Research Questions WWho? WWhat? WWhen? WWhere? WWhy? HHow?

Research Questions  Who was responsible for the Confederate defeat in the Civil War?  When did the defeat occur?  Where were most of the battles lost and did that have an impact on the defeat?  Why was the Confederate army defeated in the Civil War?  What was the primary reason or major factors that lead to the Confederate defeat in the Civil War?

The answer to your question becomes your thesis...  What was the primary reason or major factors that lead to the Confederate defeat in the Civil War?  Although poor military strategy contributed to the Confederate defeat in the Civil War, the primary reason for the loss was the South's lack of an industrial base which is a necessity in modern warfare.

The answer to your question becomes your thesis...  Why was the Confederate army defeated in the Civil War?  The Confederate defeat in the Civil War was the result of poor military strategy and economics - mainly the South’s lack of industrial centers due to its failure to keep up with the North during the Industrial Revolution.

Formula for a Strong Thesis Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument + A little tension = THESIS

Useful Formulae for Thesis Statements [SOMETHING] [DOES/DID SOMETHING] BECAUSE [REASON(S)]. BECAUSE [REASON(S)], [SOMETHING/SOMEONE] [DOES/DID SOMETHING]. ALTHOUGH [OPPOSING PERSPECTIVE/EVIDENCE], [REASONS] WAS THE PRIMARY REASON [SOMETHING] [DOES/DID SOMETHING].