book essay

Book Report

Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berkin

Required Sources: Berkin, Carol. Revolutionary mothers: women in the struggle for Americas independence. New York: Vintage Books, 2006.

Shi, David E., and George Brown. Tindall. America: The Essential Learning Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.

At least One Primary Source written around or during the American Revolution

Book Report Guidelines –

At Least a 4 Full Page Essay (not including Title, name, & bibliography)

The paper is required to use and cite the Assigned Book, the Textbook, and at least One Primary Source for any and all details, facts, and quotes included in the paper. Do not include any alternative sources or website sources (i.e. Wikipedia, History.com, etc.). At least 6 direct quotes are required to be included from Revolutionary Mothers and another 6 from the textbook America: The Essential Learning each, plus another 3 quotes from one or two Primary Source are expected, totaling 15 direct quotes.

The Textbook should be used to provide historical facts and details about the American Revolutionary War time, requiring that information to be cited many times throughout the paper. You should directly quote the Textbook for any of the author’s wording, but do not include too much quoting and describe some of the events in your own words. However, all wording taken directly from the sources should be put in quotations, even if only a few words are borrowed from the author. The authors’ last names should be properly cited for all important historical facts and details, which will require a proper citation at the end of each of those sentences (Shi & Tindall, 2015, p.101) or (Berkin, 2006, p. 85) or (Warren, 1775). This may seem excessive at times, but you will notice that the Textbook or any other historical source cites author quite often and your writing should be similarly frequent in its citations.

Cover Page

Identify Title of Book, Student, Class, Assignment, Date, and Instructor- name. Center it on the page, not underlined, below the heading and above the first paragraph. Double space and use a legible 12-point font and one-inch margins throughout.

Introduction (first paragraph)

Begin with a catchy opening statement. Go on to identify the book's title (italicized), author, and history that it covers. Briefly introduce the main subtopics, events, or themes covered in the book. If you wish, you may also mention other titles by the author and /or pertinent details of the author's background.

Body of Paper/Following Paragraphs

Observations and summaries of each chapter should make up each of the following paragraphs, which should be supported by some details and facts from about time period to put the writing in historical perspective. These will likely be cited from your Textbook. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that makes an observation about a particular aspect of the Chapter/subtopic/event.

Conclusion (Last Paragraph)

Begin this paragraph with your reaction to the history book. Avoid writing, "I think," "I feel," "I believe," or "In my opinion," but do try to express how the work has affected you, deepened your understanding, alerted or enlightened you (or even a wider audience) in some way. Go on to integrate the themes of various chapters. End with a thoughtful closing statement: a concluding remark for the whole report. This could be your most important evaluative point or a compelling historical observation.

Bibliography

A properly formatted bibliography that includes all the proper information from the McPherson book, Keane textbook, and the one Primary Source you chose for your paper. The bibliographic style is not important, but historians usually use Chicago style.

Required Material:

Berkin, Carol. Revolutionary mothers: women in the struggle for Americas independence. New York: Vintage Books, 2006.

Shi, David E., and George Brown. Tindall. America: The Essential Learning Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.

Warren, Joseph. "Account of the Battle of Lexington." Editorial. Massachusetts in Provincial Congress, April 26, 1775. Accessed July 13, 2017. http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/history/MHL/US/docum ents/Warren_Battle_of_Lexington_1775.html.