I. A concise and precise overview of each text:
- Who is the author and why did he/she write this book?
- When was this book written and published?
- What is the author’s central thesis and what are the other major arguments in the text?
- How does the author structure his/her work? What is his/her methodology?
- What sources does the author utilize? Does he/she provide sufficient citations (i.e., is the volume well-documented)?
II. Your in-depth reaction to a minimum of two chapters:
- What are the author’s detailed arguments in these sections?
- Why do you find these chapters compelling?
- Does the author tell an interesting story? Why or why not?
- Why might you highlight these sections in a presentation to your colleagues? Are these the strongest sections of the book?
- What have you learned about the history of New England here?
III. Conclusion:
- Is book persuasive? Does the author craft a persuasive historical work? Why or why not?
- Strengths and weaknesses? Comments and criticisms?
In preparing your essay, you will want to follow these steps:
- Develop a thesis statement and line of argument.
- Identify examples/evidence from the readings that support your thesis and how they do so.
- Organize your examples/evidence and arguments into a coherent, logical outline.
- There should be a clear correlation between your evidence and your arguments.
Additional Instructions
- Include a relevant thesis that addresses the assignment and support the thesis with specific information from the primary and secondary sources.
- In order to capture the reader’s attention, open the paper with a brief story, a discussion of a major event or historical figure. You should then introduce your thesis and explain how you will support it (i.e., outline your argument).
- After the introduction, be sure to place your topic in its historical context.
- When writing formal essay always use a formal writing style. Please avoid the conventions of spoken English.
- Do not use block quotes in short papers.