HIST 1301 Paper: For Cause & Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War

Due Date: November 27, 2018

Identify the author’s thesis (this is the argument he is making about the soldiers’ motivations for fighting in the Civil War)

Read the book and take notes on how McPherson develops his thesis in each chapter.

Write an outline for your paper that includes these elements:

Introduction: give some background on the author, discuss his initial question that shaped the book and how he answers it with his thesis (important to clearly state the author’s thesis here)

Body: evaluate the thesis by analyzing the various points of the argument – you may address some or all of these questions to help your evaluation:

What evidence (facts) does the author provide in support of his thesis?

Is the argument logical? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the argument?

What kind of sources (primary or secondary) does the author use?

What methods does the author employ to analyze his sources?

Does the author define his terms?

Are the author’s interpretations convincing?

What are the author’s underlying assumptions? Are these assumptions valid?

How does the thesis compare to other studies of the same question? To other wars?

Conclusion: reflect on how this book impacted you personally – were you surprised by any of the data? How did the book shape your understanding of the Civil War?

Write the paper! – a good method is to quickly write the rough draft based on your outline and then go back and edit

Optional Draft: you may turn in a draft or outline of your paper by November 25th if you would like my assistance or feedback. The draft will not be graded.

Format: the paper must be at least four (4) full pages (but no more than 6 pages), double-spaced, 1 inch margins, Times New Roman or Calibri size 12 font. Use parenthetical citations with the page number for direct references or quotations from the book.

Place the book’s bibliographic information at the top of the page (title page is not necessary):

Author’s last name, author’s first name. Title of the book (including the sub-title). Place of publication: name of publisher, year of publication.

**Correct formatting is important and points will be deducted if format is not followed.

HIST 1301 Paper: For Cause & ComradesName ___________________________

Grading Rubric 20 pts. 15 pts. 10 pts.

Content Clear identification of the author’s thesis (argument) and analysis of the strength of the thesis; personal reflection on the book in the conclusion Vague sense of the thesis; more of a summary of the book No identification of thesis;

Evidence Discusses specific examples from the book that illustrate the argument; evaluates effectiveness of the evidence Few specific examples discussed; no evaluation of the evidence No specific examples from the text

Organization Uses a logical structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Clear transitions guide the reader from one idea to the next. Faulty transitions but each paragraph contains a clear idea. Rambling ideas with no clear structure or organization.

Writing Style Varied sentence structure, good use of vocabulary, transitions Some run-on sentences, ineffective use of vocabulary.Many run-on sentences or incomplete sentences. Poor vocabulary.

Mechanics Excellent spelling/grammar. Follows required formatting and length. Few spelling/grammar errors. Some errors in format/length. Many mechanical and formatting errors.

Grading Rubric 20 pts. 15 pts. 10 pts.

Content Clear identification of the author’s thesis (argument) and analysis of the strength of the thesis; personal reflection on the book in the conclusion Vague sense of the thesis; more of a summary of the book No identification of thesis;

Evidence Discusses specific examples from the book that illustrate the argument; evaluates effectiveness of the evidence Few specific examples discussed; no evaluation of the evidence No specific examples from the text

Organization Uses a logical structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Clear transitions guide the reader from one idea to the next. Faulty transitions but each paragraph contains a clear idea. Rambling ideas with no clear structure or organization.

Writing Style Varied sentence structure, good use of vocabulary. Some run-on sentences, ineffective use of vocabulary. Many run-on sentences or incomplete sentences. Poor vocabulary.

Mechanics Excellent spelling/grammar. Follows required formatting and length. Few spelling/grammar errors. Some errors in format/length. Many mechanical and formatting errors.