Writing Homework Help

US History to 1877 PAPER #2 GUIDELINES

Topic: Read the following Primary Source Documents from the LU9 folder:

Primary Source: Alexander H. Stephens (1812-1883): Cornerstone Address, March 21, 1861

Using both your primary document and the textbook, your paper topic will respond to the following question:

In what ways do these documents reveal that slavery, not states’ rights, was the root cause of the Civil War, and how did Abraham Lincoln use this against the South?

I will base your grade on the following:

General Information: Papers should be 600-800 words (which usually works out to 2-3 pages) double-spaced in 12-point Times font with one-inch margins. Word count begins at the first line of actual text in your paper and does not include the references section. You should use only your chosen primary document and the textbook in this paper. Both are necessary and should be used equally. Be sure to use relevant parts of the textbook to create a wider context of the era.

Title: Always include a title. Your title should convey both the primary document you’re using and your particular interpretation of it. Here are some examples of good paper titles: “’An Eye for an Eye:’ Social Class in the Hammurabi Code,” or “’Remember the Ladies:’ Challenging Coverture in the Revolutionary Era.”

Introduction: The introduction performs two roles. It introduces your topic and it sets up the thesis statement. Background information, such as historical context or biographical information on the author (if applicable), is appropriate in this section. Give the full name of the author and/or people in your document in the first reference and use only the last name in subsequent references. Avoid opening the paper with generalizations like, “Since the dawn of time…” or “Throughout history…;” the first sentence of the essay should be relevant to your topic. In a short paper, the introduction should be a paragraph long and end with the thesis statement. Your textbook and lecture notes are good resources to use for the introduction. Consult your Primary Source Assignments (PSAs) for the kinds of information that you should also include in your introduction.

Thesis: You must have a clearly-stated thesis statement. It should respond to the question. The thesis statement should contain your argument and a “blueprint” that lists the examples you will use to prove it (i.e.: a claim and evidence). It should be the last line of your introduction. Here is an example of a thesis statement: Abigail Adams’ letter “Remember the Ladies” reveals the prevalence of disease, the stresses placed upon wives and mothers, and the lack of political rights for women in the colonial period. Question 8 on the PSAs will help outline the thesis statement.

Body: The body of the paper serves to support the thesis statement with evidence from the document. Your body paragraphs should be solely devoted to the primary source and textbook. The first sentence of each paragraph (topic sentence) should refer to one of the examples listed in the thesis statement and each subsequent sentence in the paragraph should support the topic

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sentence. Make sure to show how the evidence you have presented in each paragraph supports your argument before moving on to the next paragraph. Make transitions between paragraphs. Questions 8-10 on your PSAs will help you write the body paragraphs.

Organization: The paper should progress logically using the thesis statement as a blueprint. Each paragraph and each sentence should have a natural, logical progression to the next without requiring the reader to “fill in” ideas. To test your organization, take a scissors and cut out all the paragraphs of your paper. Give the pieces to a friend and see if they can put the paragraphs in order. If they can’t, you need to rework the organization.

Conclusion: The conclusion has two functions: To summarize—not copy and repaste—the thesis statement and determine the significance of the paper’s topic. The conclusion may open up the issue to further thought. It should suggest implications for the argument presented in the paper by answering the question, “so what?” That is, what are the consequences of the historical events outlined in the paper? What happened after the events described in the primary source? In other words, put the primary source in context, just as in the introduction. You might also use Questions 11- 12 from the PSAs to help with the conclusion.

Citations and Documentation: Use quotes to back up your argument. Always explain the significance of each quote. Do not use them to “pad” your paper. Do not use block quotes in short papers like this. Avoid hanging quotes, that is, do not begin a sentence with a quotation mark. Always set up the quotes you use in your paper by explaining who is responsible for the quote. For example: Historian Eric Foner writes, “Freedom is the oldest of clichés and the most modern of aspirations.” (XXV). Ideas, other than those attributable to common knowledge, MUST be properly documented with an in-text citation at the end of the sentence that provides the last name of the author and page number. This includes your textbook. Here is an example of what a proper citation looks like (Foner 257). Any time you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or use statistics from a source you should provide an in-text citation. Keep direct quotations to a maximum of 10% of the total content of your paper. Please thoroughly review the document titled “How to Avoid Plagiarism” in the Resources folder, in addition to the statement on plagiarism in the course syllabus and the Turnitin.com tutorial on viewing Originality Reports. This type of source citation is utilized in MLA style formatting. Please view the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ for specific examples this style format.

Include a Works Cited or References section at the end of your paper that includes full reference information of all sources utilized in your paper. This should contain your primary source document and textbook, which are the only sources I want you to use in this paper.

When you submit your paper to the dropbox, you will be able to check your Turnitin.com “OriginalityCheck Report.” This will help ensure that you have used proper citation in the paper. It is your responsibility to check your Originality Report.

General Comments: Avoid informal language. Avoid personal statements such as “I think” or “I believe;” they are unnecessary and weaken your argument. Avoid making generalizations. Avoid making judgmental statements such as “it was horrible…” These kinds of statements do not contribute to the argument. Use precise language to describe time periods; avoid phrases like

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“back then,” or “in the olden days.” Do not use contractions in formal writing (i.e.: an example of this is using “do not” instead of “don’t”). Avoid the passive voice.

Resources: Don’t forget the resources available at IHCC’s SUCCESS Center. Contact http://www.indianhills.edu/success/index.php or call 641-683-5238 or (800) 726-2585, ext. 5238 for details. You can access the Online Success Center from your MyHills home page under “General Links.”

If you are not on campus, choose NetTutor from our Course Menu and select “Live Writing Tutor” for help with papers.

In addition to its excellent citation guides, the Purdue OWL has all sorts of helpful information on writing papers.

I am available in my office by appointment as well as through email and telephone to help you with the paper at any stage of the writing process. Good Luck!