Primary Source-Based Paper
Primary Source-Based Paper
Goals of this Paper: The purpose of this assignment is to advance your ability to reason through an answer to a specific historical question and to express your ideas in writing. Thus:
- Your paper should briefly introduce your paper’s topic or question and provide a thesis statement. In a paper of this size, your introduction and thesis statement should appear on the first page, in the paper’s first paragraph.
- Your paper should show that you reasoned through the evidence in a fair-minded way. In other words you should state (paraphrase) what your evidence says and not what you wish it said or think it should say. You need to state the evidence fairly, even if you think it wrong or offensive.
- Your paper should use evidence to answer the historical question. You need to explain how the evidence answers the question. The easiest way to figure this is to think through your evidence and argument using one or more of the key concepts for this course.
- Your paper should develop and organize your thoughts clearly and logically. Use paragraphs and topic sentences. Outlining is a necessary, but not required, step in writing a well-organized paper.
- Your paper should draw a conclusion that addresses the paper’s chief topic or question and that states your answer to the question or your contribution to the topic.
Format:
- Submission via the Assignment Link on Blackboard Learn
- Typewritten, double-spaced
- Papers must be 500 words minimum (recommended 750 words minimum) and double-spaced.
- 1 inch margins, Times New Roman, 12 pt font
- Citation – Parenthetical page citations accepted.
Prompt:
The source for this assignment is a primary source. A primary source is a firsthand account produced during the historical period under study. It is full of clues about the past. Explain the main idea that the primary source communicates and the clues that it offers us about the historical context in which it was produced. What do you think is an important limitation of the source? How does the history found in the source seem to connect to a broader idea, theme, debate, or issue in history? Support your analysis with specific evidence from the source.
Required Sources:Students should review one of the primary sources listed below:
Students may select one of the following sources:
- http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=4029
- http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=4031
In this case, you could choose what topic you would like to write about.
