Up until now, you have been learning about the different components of your writing plan (and eventual historical analysis essay) through the frame of historical case studies. Breaking down the paper into these various components should make the final assessment seem less daunting when you submit the final essay in Theme: Thinking About History, Learning Block 8-4.
A major step toward that final essay is your writing plan. Between the draft of your writing plan, discussions with your classmates, and feedback from you instructor, you should have a writing plan that is almost complete. You will finish it during this learning block, which will require outside, independent work. You should plan to devote at least one hour to your writing plan in this learning block, and possibly more, depending on how many revisions you need to make.
Your writing plan will consist of:
A brief description of your topic—that is, the historical event you have chosen to analyze
The research question you will attempt to answer in your essay
Some primary and secondary sources you plan to utilize
A working thesis statement and the message of your essay
The audience for your essay and a description of how you plan to communicate your ideas to the chosen audience
SAMPLE WRITING PLAN
It is time to put the finishing touches on the writing plan for your historical event analysis essay. Reopen firstname_lastname.Writing_Plan and review what you have written to date. Be sure that you have already incorporated any feedback you have received from your instructor.
If you like, you can cut and paste these different elements into a single, separate document—or you can make all your edits to the current document.
Either way, the first step is to delete the section headings (e.g., Sources or Audience and Message).
Next, use transitional language—transitional words, phrases, or sentences—to guide the reader from one section to the next. Transitions help smooth out your writing, by helping readers see the logical connection between two sentences, paragraphs or sections; when readers see how the pieces of your essay fit together logically, it’s easier for them to make the jump from one piece to another.
Consider the following excerpt from a preliminary writing plan for an essay about the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment:
One important secondary source is How the Vote Was Won: Woman Suffrage in the Western United States, 1868 – 1914, by Rebecca J. Mead (New York: NYU Press, 2004).
Another good secondary source is New Women of the New South: The Leaders of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the Southern States, by Marjorie Wheeler (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1993).
A good transition will show the reader how these two sources relate to each other logically. For instance, do they both tell similar stories, or do they deal with two different sets of circumstances? Note the transitional sentence in bold italics:
One important secondary source is How the Vote Was Won: Woman Suffrage in the Western United States, 1868 – 1914, by Rebecca J. Mead (New York: NYU Press, 2004). While this valuable book explains the reasons for the suffrage movement’s success in the Western states, it’s equally important to understand why the cause of suffrage met such determined resistance in the South. Another good secondary source, then, is New Women of the New South: The Leaders of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the Southern States, by Marjorie Wheeler (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1993).
Finally, add context and explanatory information. What makes your topic historically significant? Why did you choose to use these particular sources—what unique insights do they provide? And how do they help you to present your argument?
When you are done, you should have a document that looks something like the sample below—a sample writing plan on the debate over ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Read it over as a reminder of what’s expected in your own writing plan; pay particular attention to the sections on thesis statement, audience, and message.
Click on the highlighted text to learn more about the individual pieces of the writing plan.This is the Sample of the paper need.
Jane Doe
HIS 200: Applied History
Southern New Hampshire University
April 12, 2016
Final Writing Plan
For my historical event analysis, I have chosen to focus on the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment to win strong support from Republican women during the mid-1970s. Despite decades of institutional backing from the Republican Party and the strong and vocal support of First Lady Betty Ford, the ERA was unable to attract clear-cut support from GOP women, many of whom sided with ERA critic Phyllis Schlafly.
In looking at efforts by the national Republican leadership to promote ratification of the ERA, I will pay particular attention to the high-profile advocacy many of the party’s “stars,” including Mrs. Ford. Specifically, I will try to answer the following research question: Why didn’t more Republican women respond to their party’s concerted efforts to build support for passage of the ERA?
The debate over the ERA highlighted the sharp differences between the Republican Party’s conservative and moderate wings. And probably no public figure of the time more clearly personified moderate Republicanism than Betty Ford, whose controversial comments about marijuana, contraception, and premarital sex attracted considerable media attention during her husband’s presidency.
Did Mrs. Ford’s progressive attitudes on these issues, which endeared her to many Democrats and liberals, affect her credibility with Republicans and conservatives? Was the emergence of Phyllis Schlafly as the ERA’s most visible opponent a reflection of grass-roots dissatisfaction with the perceived moderate image of the Ford White House? How did the Republican debate over the ERA reflect the larger Republican fight for the 1976 Presidential nomination between President Gerald Ford and conservative challenger Ronald Reagan?
In researching the impact of Mrs. Ford’s public comments, the first step is to look at the comments themselves. While Mrs. Ford spoke out frequently on controversial topics, her October 1975 interview on 60 Minutes, the widely viewed CBS newsmagazine program, caused a real sensation. A vital primary source, then, would be the transcript of her August 10, 1975 interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer, on file at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library (https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0204/1511773.pdf). In this interview, Mrs. Ford’s comments about abortion and premarital sex generated widespread public commentary.
A fuller picture of Mrs. Schlafly’s emergence as the principal opponent of the ERA—and the philosophical and ideological rationale for her decision to take on the amendment—can be found in her own words. Another important primary source, then, is Schlafly’s critique of modern feminism, The Power of the Positive Woman (1977; New York: Arlington House).
While these primary sources illustrate the public and private thinking of Betty Ford and Phyllis Schlafly, understanding the reaction to their statements and private efforts requires scholarly analysis. One valuable secondary source, then, is ” Competing conceptions of the first ladyship: Public responses to Betty Ford’s 60 Minutes interview” a detailed analysis of the reaction to the 60 Minutes interview by Maryanne Borrelli (2001; Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol. 31, No. 3 (September 2001); 397-414). This scholarly article analyzes more than 1,400 letters that Mrs. Ford received after the interview, almost 67 percent of which expressed negative reactions.
Another extremely valuable secondary source is Republican Women: Feminism and Conservatism From Suffrage Through the Rise of the New Right, by Catherine Rymph (2006; Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press). This book includes an account of Phyllis Schlafly’s decision not to make a public issue of Mrs. Ford’s comments, even as the primary battle between Gerald Ford and Reagan was showing the divisions in the Republican Party.
Based on my research to date, I will try to support the following thesis: Even with the strong support of an extremely popular Republican First Lady, the ERA could overcome neither the divisions within the Republican Party, nor the conservative appeals of Phyllis Schlafly.
I plan to write this historical analysis for > an audience that is already familiar with the history of the ERA, such as a seminar conducted by the National Organization for Women. This is an audience that does not need a great deal of background about the ERA itself, but one that would be interested in new insights into the factors the ultimately led to its defeat.
In writing for this audience, I plan to focus on the larger political divisions within the Republican Party that Mrs. Ford was not able to bridge—but which Mrs. Schlafly was able to take advantage of. Without devoting much time to the specifics of the ERA debate, with which my audience is already quite familiar, I will attempt to place this debate within the larger context of the Ford-Reagan contest, and the ongoing “culture wars” within the Republican Party and the public-at-large.
For this audience, my message will be a clear but perhaps disappointing one: The problem was not that Betty Ford was too controversial to rally Republican women to the cause; it’s that the Republican Party was already too divided to come together behind this or any other issue.
Spend some more time reviewing and tweaking your Final Writing Plan.
History is for human self-knowledge . . . the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is. —R. G. Collingwood
Historical awareness informs various aspects of our lives. We live in a time of rapid change, and we often think more about the future than the past. However, studying history can help us better understand our own lives in the context of the places we live and society in general. In America, specifically, the government is informed by its citizens. If the ideals of society shift, that shift will eventually move throughout the different levels of government, effecting widespread change.
For the projects in this course, you will select a historical event that has impacted American society in some way. You may select an event that was discussed in the course, or you may select your own event, with instructor approval. You may consider using the event you chose to work on in your Perspectives in History class, if that event is something you wish to investigate further through this assessment.
In Project 1, you will develop a plan for an essay on this historical event. The plan will include a brief description of the selected historical event and the resources you will use in your research. In addition, you will identify an audience for your essay and decide how to communicate your information to this audience. In Project 2, you will write an essay analyzing the historical event you selected, examining its impact on society as well as its impact on you personally.
Project 1 addresses the following course outcomes:
Select appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in investigating foundational historic events
Communicate effectively to specific audiences in examining fundamental aspects of human history
Apply key approaches to studying history in addressing critical questions related to historical narratives and perspectives
Prompt
Your writing plan should answer the following prompt: Select a historical event that has impacted American society. Develop a plan for writing your essay, describing the historical event, selecting appropriate resources for your research, and identifying an audience for your essay. The purpose of this writing plan is to provide you with a way to gather your thoughts and begin thinking about how to support your thesis statement. The following critical elements will be assessed in a 1- to 2-page word processing document.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Describe the historical event that you selected. Why is this event significant?
II. Describe at least two secondary sources that you could use to research your historical event. Your sources must be relevant to your event and must be of an appropriate academic nature. In your description, consider questions such as: What are the similarities and differences in the content of your sources? What makes these sources appropriate and relevant for investigating your event? What was your thought process when you were searching for sources? How did you make choices?
III. Describe at least two primary sources that you could use to research your historical event. Your sources must be relevant to your event and must be of an appropriate academic nature. In your description, consider questions such as: How do these sources relate to your secondary sources? What do they add to your understanding of the event? What makes them appropriate and relevant for investigating your event?
IV. Based on your review of primary and secondary sources, develop a research question related to the historical event you selected. In other words, what would you like to know more about? V. Identify an audience that would be interested in your historical event and research question. For example, who would benefit most from hearing your message?
VI. Describe how and why you can tailor your message to your audience, providing specific examples. For example, will your audience understand historical terminology and principles associated with your event, or will you need to explain these? How will you communicate effectively with your audience?
Project 1 Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your writing plan should adhere to the following formatting requirements: 1–2 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.
These are the comments in my rubric from my instructor:
Criterion Feedback
Week 2-You have an excellent topic for your project. I cannot wait to see what you come up w/ in coming weeks on your topic. I am sure you will do great. Excellent description on the topic as well. Good set of secondary sources in this submission. I am sure these sources will help you out greatly in this journey. Great description of the sources as well. Good work. One suggestion, find sources which oppose each other. Analyze each, and then discuss which one makes more sense to you as a researcher. Just a suggestion. good research question regarding your topic. Moving forward I want you to use these questions to form a good, strong thesis statement.
week 1-You have chosen a great research topic. I know you will knock this out of the park. It is a very broad topic w/ immense implications for US development. Well done. I like your research question(s). They are well-written and thought provoking. I am sure they will lead on an amazing path. Well done. A good starting point on this would be the actual wording of the VRA. See what you can find.
Sample Solution
