Essay Assignment: The American Revolution

Overview: For your first essay, you will write a historical event paper on the American Revolution, using well-researched primary and secondary resources. This assignment will ask you to identify the cause of the event, the key people involved in the event, and the dates from start to finish.The final product represents an authentic demonstration of competency because you will need to seek out historic claims and support them with evidence from primary and secondary resources

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Articulate the development of The American Revolution by accurately and clearly explaining its causes, chronologies, and participants
• Incorporate relevant evidence from primary and secondary sources to logically support historical claims about your argument.
• Draw conclusions about the American Revolution, Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals by interpreting historical evidence

Research Question: Were the British colonists who opposed the revolution being pragmatic or were they anti-liberty?Your paper will ultimately be the answer to this question.

Your paper will need to be at least 2-3 pages. You must include an introductory paragraph with a well stated thesis statement. Instructions on how to write a proper thesis statement are posted in blackboard. You will need to include at least three body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph for a total of five paragraphs.

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 research question.

B. Discuss the purpose of the essay in broad terms. Your discussion should include why the research question 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 and outside sources regarding the time period in which the American Revolution 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 the American Revolution 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 American Revolution?
2. Participants: Who was involved?
3. Chronology: When did this happen?

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 three 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.

Your Works Cited must be on a separate page from your paper. They must be in alphabetical order and they must have hanging indentations.

You must include in-text citations either in parenthesis form (Hewitt p. 234) or in the form of a footnote.

You must include at least two primary and two secondary sources in your paper and all of your secondary sources must be scholarly. Your textbook does not count at one of the four sources.