COMMENTS ON WRITING A HISTORY ESSAY FROM PRIMARY DOCUMENTS    

Many of you have your own tried and tested ways of writing papers; here are some suggestions
for how to go about the process of organizing and writing a history essay, especially about how to
formulate a thesis statement.  A major point I want to emphasize is that, when you begin working on
your essay, you will not yet have a thesis statement (in most cases).  You need to find a thesis, or
an issue about which you can make an argument, an assertion or a statement about the material.  So, if you
feel unsure about how to get from a document to a paper, let me make the following suggestions. 

GENERAL PROCEDURE:   After choosing a topic, reread relevant sections of the text book;
also review lecture notes.  This is part of placing the topic or question in its historical context,
which is a crucial part of history papers.  "Context" does not mean giving a synopsis of all of the relevant
history in one paragraph, but giving some indication indicating where the document or text you are
discussing fits in one or more of multiple possible contexts (political, intellectual, religious etc)

Gathering material: Re-read the documents on which your essay will draw.
            Look for themes, issues, examples that relate to your topic.
            Keep a list of these as you read.
Take notes on each theme or issue, using separate pages or index cards for each theme; your notes
      should include brief quotes, summary, specific examples, plus page # so you can refer back.

Think about how the themes, issues &/or examples are connected.   Try to formulate a series of questions,
     problems, that help you to think about the material you have pulled together in notes.

Make an outline.  In the best possible scenario your notes may start to take shape on their own, as
      connections in the material may suggest themselves to you. At times they have been known to go so far as
      "jumping off the page" at an author, but this cannot be guaranteed.  If your themes do not "fall into place"     
      on their own, then you need to take charge and impose your own interpretative scheme on the evidence
      you are dealing with. 

Arrange themes, issues, material in a logical order, one that develops from point A to point B in a
      coherent manner.  Once you find a "logical order" (and remember, there are always many more than one
      logical orders that can be imposed on, or seen in, any group of documentary materials) you are close
      to being ready to "say something" about the material, that is ready to:

Formulate a thesis statement, at least a tentative one; it can be worked on, revised, refined etc in the
      course of writing your paper. Generally, this statement is presented in the first paragraph, but usually that first
      paragraph is written (or rather re-written) last, as your ideas evolve. 

Write a draft of the paper, beginning with your tentative thesis statement
     and following the outline that you made above .  (Everything can be changed as you go along, of course.) 
     Your conclusion should re-present the thesis statement in somewhat (but not too) different form..

Reread and edit your own paper for grammar, wording, syntax, sentence structure, etc.  Notice how
     evidence, central argument, examples and/or thesis are presented, whether the essay reads smoothly and well.
      Pay  attention to word choice, repetitious phrasing, agreement of tense  (past vs present), number (singular vs plural). 

REMEMBER: ALL GOOD WRITING IS REWRITING. 

Recommended for purchase:  Struck and White, Elements of Style: good, SHORT and
very helpful little book on how to write more effectively, clearly and tersely.