Writing a Thesis Statement

Letters About the Civil War

Letters About the Civil War

Source:  Letters About the Civil War retrieved 4/3/2012 from http://www.civilwarhome.com/letters.htm

What makes a good thesis statement?

What makes a good thesis statement?

What makes a good thesis statement?
3 supporting sentences: 81 votes (44.51%)
2 definition sentences: 11 votes (6.04%)
A single sentence in the opening part of the essay: 90 votes (49.45%)
Total Votes: 182

The Thesis Statement

The Thesis Statement

A thesis statement identifies a specific part of your writing topic.  The statement declares your unique perspective on the topic.  It gives you the necessary focus and direction to develop your essay.  As your ideas evolve, you may find it necessary to revise your thesis once or twice.  The following informtion will help you write clear, effective thesis statements.

A thesis statement:

  • is usually a single sentence and appears in the opening part of an essay
  • may be based on a feature of the topic or on a particular stand that you want to defend
The Formula:                                                                                   Example:                                                                                              
A manageable topic Multicultural education
+ a specific stand, feeling or feature + is vital to a society made up of many different people
= an effective thesis statement = an effective thesis statement!
Thesis Statement:  Multicultural education is vital to a society made up of many different people.

**The stronger your thesis statement, the easier it is to bring the rest of your paper into focus.**

Checklist for a Thesis Statement
If you can answer yest to each of these question, then you have written an effective thesis statement:

___  Does my thesis focus on a specific writing idea?

___  Does my thesis accurately address the purpose of the assignment?

___  Is my thesis stated in a clear, direct sentence (or sentences)?

___  Is my thesis supported by the information I have gathered?

___  Does my thesis suggest a pattern of development for my essay?
              (Comparison, cause-effect, classification...)

The Process

Photo Credit:  http://www.ehow.com/how_12001491_make-hortatory-exposition.html

Research Project Ideas

54th Massachusetts Regiment

Abolitionists

Abraham Lincoln

African Americans in the war

Andersonville Prison

Antietam

Appomattox Court House

Battle of Shiloh

Battle of the Wilderness

Bull Run

Causes of death in the Civil War

Civil War foods

Civil War weapons

Clara Barton

Emancipation Proclamation

Frederick Douglass

George McClellan

Gettysburg

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Tubman

Jefferson Davis

John Brown

John Wilkes Booth

Medical Personnel of the Civil War

Medical Practices during the Civil War

Navy's role

Railroads in the war

Robert E. Lee

Rose Greenhow

Slavery in America

Sojourner Truth

Southern plantation life & buying slaves

Stonewall Jackson

Transportation during the Civil War

Ulysses S. Grant

Underground Railroad

Velazquez

William Tecumseh Sherman

Women in the war