Final Project

I'm working on a history project and need support to help me learn.

PART 1:

Prompt For your final project, you will write a historical event paper that connects an event in American history taking place between 1607 and 1865 to the larger historical context of the time period. To begin, you will select a historical event from a provided list on which to focus your paper. A list of events/topics is provided in the Final Project Research Kit section of the course. Along with the event, you will be developing a thesis statement on which to focus your paper, and you will defend that thesis and other historical claims using a provided list of primary and secondary sources. Your historical event paper will contain an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion, and a references page. In your paper, you will describe your selected event, explain the historical significance of the event to the time period, and support your claims with relevant evidence from at least two of the provided primary sources and two of the provided secondary sources. You will not need to locate any additional sources. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Introduction: Your introduction paragraph will summarize the main points of your essay and lead into your thesis statement. It must include the following: A. Identify your chosen research question. Your research question must center on a specific historical event. B. Discuss the purpose of the essay in broad terms. Your discussion should include why the research question you chose is worth investigating in terms of its significance to the larger historical time period. C. Develop a thesis statement that responds to the research question and includes three components you will defend in your essay. II. Establish the Context: In this section, you will write multiple paragraphs using information from the course regarding the time period in which your historical event took place. You will use this section to set the stage for your argument. This section of your essay must include the following: A. Describe your chosen historical event with clear and accurate information about why it happened, when it happened, and who was involved. The description must include: 1. Cause(s): What events led to the event you selected? 2. Participants: Who was involved? 3. Chronology: When did this happen? B. Illustrate the larger historical setting. 1. Identify major trends relevant to your chosen historical event. 2. Explain the significance of the major trends of the time period, connecting the trends to your chosen historical event. In other words, why were the trends that defined this historical age important, and what is the relationship between those trends and the event? III. Defend your Argument: Now that you have established the historical context, you will move into a defense of each piece of the argument you made in your thesis statement. Through several paragraphs in the body of your essay, you will defend your thesis using carefully selected evidence from your sources. You must include each of the following in this section: A. Component 1 of Thesis Statement 1. Claim: State your historical claim that supports your thesis statement. For example, the South lost the Civil War because of racial divisions. 2. Evidence and Defense: Incorporate logical evidence from primary and secondary sources that supports your claims, and explain how the evidence supports your claims. B. Component 2 of Thesis Statement 1. Claim: State your historical claim that supports your thesis statement. For example, the South lost the Civil War because of economic imbalances. 2. Evidence and Defense: Incorporate logical evidence from primary and secondary sources that supports your claims, and explain how the evidence supports your claims. C. Component 3 of Thesis Statement 1. Claim: State your historical claim that supports your thesis statement. For example, the South lost the Civil War because of philosophical discord. 2. Evidence and Defense: Incorporate logical evidence from primary and secondary sources that supports your claims, and explain how the evidence supports your claims. IV. Conclusion: In your conclusion, while you cannot introduce new information, you can sum up your essay with a thought-provoking discussion related to your topic. For example, you might comment on the significance of historical study generally, or make a “call to arms” inviting the reader to take some sort of action as a result of understanding the new perspective you have presented. No matter your approach, your conclusion must include the following: Write a clear conclusion where your thesis is restated in different words and the major points of your essay are summarized.

PART 2:

please see chapter 13 (13.16 and 13.17) in the web text and work on it