The Battle at Washita
Select a topic–it can be an event, a person, and idea–that interests you, and one you feel is important. Then, having settled on the topic, provide a bit of background on it but most importantly, explain why it is important for your reader to know. This is the most important part of your papers: your theses! Please do not just tell me about the Boston Tea Party, or the Seneca Falls Convention, for example. Instead, explain the importance of these events and how they helped shape history.
The topics can be on well known events, or obscure ones. . .that is up to you. I will be looking for your argument. To help you develop a strong thesis, imagine you are discussing your topic with someone who has no interest in history. How would you convince him/her that your topic is important for them to know. And. . .this is very important. . .your papers should only be three-to-five pages. With that said, I advise against picking a topic as huge as the history of slavery in America or the Civil War, for they are much too broad and it is almost impossible to adequately cover such vast topics in so short a paper.
Narrow your focus. For example, if you were interested in exploring slavery, choose an aspect of it: the 3/5 Clause, or perhaps Nat Turner’s Rebellion; or, if you were interested in the Civil War, select a campaign, battle, or individual and not the entire war. One final time, the topic must relate to American history from pre-Columbia America through the Era of Reconstruction. Page through your textbook for ideas, if necessary.
A few other pointers. . .avoid using personal pronouns in your writing. For example, do not use phrases such as “I believe it is important to know about the Battle of Antietam. . . .” Remove the “I believe” and it makes for a stronger, more effective sentence: “The Battle of Antietam was important because. . . .” Also, please do not write “we,” or “our,” when describing the people of the past. For example, do not write: “In 1776, our ancestors decided to break away from Great Britain.” This implies a common ancestry and ethnicity with your readers, which should never be assumed. My people, for example, were thousands of miles away from Philadelphia in the 1770s. . .somewhere in Eastern Europe! Personal pronouns in papers is one of my pet peeves, so I will be on the lookout for them!
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