European History Research Paper



Name____________________________________ Period______

H US History Palmatier

United States History Research Paper

You will be writing a persuasive position paper related to one of the research questions listed below. After randomly choosing a topic, you and a partner will determine which side of the issue you will defend. Thus, there will be two people writing about each topic, from opposing perspectives. This will in turn create the basis for the debate project for the 4th marking period.

Library Research Days -- Feb 12-18, Mar 6 editing (all other research must be done on your own time)

1. Did immigrants to the United States between the years 1900-1929 arrive in an equal “land of opportunity”?

2. Did Franklin Roosevelt consolidate too much power as President during the Great Depression and WWII?

3. Did Harry S. Truman make the correct decision to use atomic weapons against Japan in 1945?

4. Was the Cold War (between 1945-1965) overall good or bad for America?

5. To what extent was the 1950s (post WWII years) an age of progress and prosperity?

6. Did television help or harm America from the 1950s through the 1980s?

7. Could the Civil Rights movement have succeeded without Martin Luther King Jr.?

8. Does JFK’s reputation exceed his record and effectiveness as a President?

9. How confident are you in the accuracy of the official report of the Warren Commission

-declaring Lee Harvey Oswald the “lone killer”– in the assassination of JFK?

10. Should President Johnson be held largely responsible for the Vietnam War?

11. Did anti-war sentiment at home during the Vietnam War prevent the United States from

winning the conflict?

12. Was the Black Power movement helpful or harmful to the African-American community?

13. Were the liberal policies of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare good for America?

14. Has history judged President Richard Nixon fairly?

15. Did the 1970s change America for the better or for the worse? Consider also -- Was the Carter presidency a failure?

16. Were the Reagan administration’s economic policies overall good for America?

17. Who was more responsible for ending the Cold War –Ronald Reagan or Mikhail Gorbachev?

18. Was Bill Clinton’s presidency overall a success or a failure?

19. Did George W. Bush make the correct decision to invade Iraq in 2003?

20. Is the United States a declining world power?

Paper Requirements:

• Double Spaced, 12 Font/Times New Roman, 1 inch margins

• 5 pages of content- There is a deduction for significantly more or less than this amount.

• Title Page—not one of your 5 pages: Title, name, course, date and teacher name

• Format:

-Thesis Paragraph and background info (maximum 1 short paragraphs)

-First Support (approx. 2 paragraphs)

-Second Support (approx. 2 paragraphs)

-Third Support (approx. 2 paragraphs)

-Concession Paragraph (placed directly before conclusion)

-Conclusion Paragraph

• Bibliography (MLA Format) including in-text citations: You must access and cite at least five sources—diversify them! Wikipedia or your textbook are not allowed as sources.

• Submit the paper to ; also, submit a hard copy to the teacher on the due date.

Schedule and Due Dates

Thesis Paragraph Friday, February 27th

Bibliography *(must be initialed by librarian)* Friday, February 27th

Rough Draft Friday, March 6th

Final Paper Friday, March 13th

Creating an Introductory Paragraph

Any good introductory paragraph has three parts: a Grabber, Background Information and a Thesis Statement/Essay Map.

Grabber

The introductory paragraph should begin with a sentence that grabs the reader’s attention and interest. A grabber sentence may be a(n):

Quote

Startling statement

Question

Statement of general interest

Anecdote (a brief story)

Statistics

Definition

2. Background Information

Some information to identify what your paper is about, such as a broad description of your topic and its significance. This is your framework within which you will make your argument.

Thesis Statement/Essay Map

A good thesis is a one or two sentence statement that takes a position about an issue or an event. It is a debatable statement of opinion; a concise and specific statement of your argument. A thesis statement will often answer the question “So What? Who Cares? Why is this important?”

The essay map follows your thesis statement and states the major reasons (3) for your argument. Each reason will be expanded as support paragraphs to create the body of your paper. The essay map is a summary of your evidence or logic.

How to develop a thesis statement/essay map:

• Do some preliminary reading about your topic. You cannot develop a thesis unless you know something about the topic.

• Your thesis should answer your research question.

• Try this pre-thesis/essay map activity to help develop your thesis:

Complete the following statements:

a. Dear Reader: I want to convince you that…

b. The main reasons why you should believe me are…

c. You should care about my thesis because…

Concession -- Once you have written a paper that uses evidence to support your thesis, you must also develop a concession argument that counters your thesis. A concession is not a complete reversal of your thesis. It is a paragraph where you acknowledge the validity of the other side of your argument, that your issue is much more complex than a mere one-sided, be-all-end-all argument. Your concession should be a full and well supported paragraph and should conclude with a statement as to why you still believe, all things considered, that your point of view is the strongest and most valid argument. The point here is to show that you have considered alternative arguments that answer your research question. However, you must then explain why your argument is still the strongest.

Rough Draft Peer Edit Worksheet

Name on Paper: Name of Peer Editor:

Format/Organization______________________________________________________________

Is the essay typed, double-spaced, 12 point Times Font? Y N

Is the essay divided into six sections including Y N

Intro., Supp. #1, Supp. #2, Supp. #3, Concession, and Conclusion with

no extra spaces between paragraphs? Y N

Is the paper at least 4 full pages in length (not counting title page?) Y N

Citations__(In-text and works cited)__________________________________________________

The essay contains correctly cited quotes and paraphrases Y N

The essay has on average two parenthetical citations per body paragraph Y N

The quotes help make the author’s points. Y N

The Works Cited page is in the correct format. Y N

Thesis/Introduction_______________________________________________________________

Does it contain an effective grabber? Y N

Does it provide a concise background/framework for the thesis? Y N

Does it contain an effective thesis statement that takes a clear position? Y N

Does it contain an essay map that states the major supporting arguments? Y N

Support #1_______________________________________________________________________

Does support # 1 reflect the essay map’s organization? Y N

Does the first support contain specific and persuasive information to

back up reason #1? Is it fully developed? Y N

Does the support contain satisfactory quality of the argument, quality of

evidence, and accuracy appropriate for this assignment? Y N

Support #2_______________________________________________________________________

Does support # 2 reflect the essay map’s organization? Y N

Does the second support contain specific and persuasive information to

back up reason #2? Is it fully developed? Y N

Does the support contain satisfactory quality of the argument, quality of

evidence, and accuracy appropriate for this assignment? Y N

Support #3_______________________________________________________________________

Does support # 3 reflect the essay map’s organization? Y N

Does the third support contain specific and persuasive information to

back up reason #3? Is it fully developed? Y N

Does the support contain satisfactory quality of the argument, quality of

evidence, and accuracy appropriate for this assignment? Y N

Concession Paragraph____________________________________________________________

Is the concession paragraph at least 5 sentences in length? Y N

Does the concession consider and dismiss an opposing argument? Y N

Conclusion_______________________________________________________________________

Is the conclusion paragraph well developed and supported? Y N

Does the conclusion sum up the main points of the argument in an

effective way? Y N

Does the conclusion lead the reader out of the essay with significant

understanding and insight into the issue that has been discussed. Y N

Details/Accuracy/Form/Clarity__________________________________________________________________

There are little to no spelling, punctuation, or grammar mistakes Y N

The same verb tense is maintained throughout. Y N

There are no major writing issues or mistakes

that detract from the quality of the paper Y N

The writing style makes for an easily understandable paper with good flow. Y N

The overall writing style is engaging and well-developed Y N

Quality/Analysis_____________________________________________________________________

The overall quality of the paper is solid, well-written

and well-supported Y N

The paper is analytical, thoughtful, and not merely descriptive Y N

There are at least 3 different specific arguments to support the thesis. Y N

Name:__________________________________________________Scoring Rubric

Grading Scale _____________________________________

Format/Organization 0----- 5 6 7 8 9 10

In-text Citations and

Works Cited * 0----- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Thesis and Introduction 0---- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Support #1 0---- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Support #2 0----- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Support #3 0---- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Concession 0----- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Conclusion 0----- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Details/Accuracy/

Form/Clarity

0----- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Quality of Support/

Sophistication of

analysis 0----- 5 6 7 8 9 10

Submitted to Y N

FINAL GRADE= _____ / out of 100

Major Deductions:

- Late (minus 10 points per day).

- Not Submitted on (No grade will be given)

*In text citations- -Conform to MLA style. Average 2 or more per paragraph. Quotes and paraphrasing of ideas are BOTH cited in the essay. Research is excellently diversified; sources are thoroughly and effectively integrated throughout all sections of the paper. Proper sources and legitimate websites are used.

Works cited page - Conforms exactly to MLA Style. The student has exceeded the required number (approx. one source per page) and type of required sources. All required sources a

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