History

Progress Check 2

Evidence

Does not speak for itself. Once you introduce a piece of evidence from one of your sources, you need to explain why and how it supports your argument. You have to make the link between the evidence and your argument for your audience.

Even if your audience is familiar with the topic, you cannot assume that it is familiar with the connections you make in your essay. Do not be afraid to be overly specific when incorporating evidence. You can always edit your draft later if you feel like you are being too obvious. The clearer you make your connections, the stronger your argument will be.

Types of Evidence

It's important to remember that your evidence is only as good as the sources where you found it. So take a few moments to review the A.R.I.A. criteria for sources, which we first saw back in Module Three: Communicating Historical Ideas, Learning Block 3-2.

There are a number of ways to present evidence for your argument in your essay. In this course, evidence will usually come in the form of text in the body of your paper. However, you can also include tables, photographs, or illustrations, for example. Click on the tabs below to learn more about the different ways to present evidence to support your argument.

The Body of Your Essay

You should have written the introduction to your historical analysis essay, and now it is time to start drafting the body of your paper. In this exercise, you will be required to draft three paragraphs that will go in the body of your paper. You should plan to spend one to two hours on this assignment.

Essay Progress Check 2

Review the introduction and three body paragraphs that you've written. Make sure your introduction contains your thesis statement. Check that the three body paragraphs follow the P.I.E. method (Point, Information, Explanation: A method for writing each body paragraph in your essay. You should clearly state the point you will make in your topic sentence, provide info or evidence that supports that point, and explain and connect why this evidence is relevant to your argument).

Structure of the Body:

You will use this section of your essay to provide further detail about your historical event while supporting the claim you made in your thesis statement. Make sure to cite your sources. Specifically, you should:

A. Describe the causes of the historical event. In other words, what were the underlying factors that led to the historical event? Were there any immediate causes that precipitated the event?

B. Illustrate the course of your historical event. In other words, tell the story or narrative of your event. Who were the important participants? What did they do? Why? How do the perspectives of the key participants differ?

C. Describe the immediate and long-term consequences of the historical event for American society. In other words, how did the event impact American society?

D. Discuss the historical evidence that supports your conclusions about the impact of the event on American society. Support your response with specific examples from your sources.