WRITING A THESIS

STATEMENT

Mr. Goethals

AP US History

&

AP World History

What is a Thesis Statement?

An answer to the question your paper or

essay explores.

A substantial generalization that can stand

by itself as the foundation of the essay.

An assertion of what the writer believes is

right or wrong and why.

A statement that can be either true or false.

Why do you need a thesis

statement?

To test your ideas by boiling them down

into one or two effective sentences.

To better organize and develop your

argument or position on the topic.

To provide your reader with a “guide” to

your argument.

What a Thesis Statement is NOT!

It is NOT the Title of your essay.

It is NOT an Announcement of your intent

It is NOT a Statement of fact

It is Not a mere Description of the Subject

Thesis Statements Should be

Implicit NOT Explicit

An Implicit Thesis Statement Implies the

paper’s main idea

Does NOT use First Person “I, Me, or My”

An Explicit Thesis Statement Announces

the paper’s main idea in the First Person.

Generating your

Thesis Statement

Think about your essay topic or prompt.

Consider all the Facts that you know about

the topic.

Reduce topic or prompt to a single

question.

Compose one or two complete sentences

that effectively answer question.

A Strong Thesis Statement

The Author must Take a Stand or Position

on the topic

The Thesis must Justify your Discussion

The These must Express one Main Idea

but May Include sub-categories of analysis

The Thesis must Be Specific

A Thesis Must be a Specific

Statement not a General One

GENERAL STATEMENT

Global warming will have many negative

consequences for the environment.

SPECIFIC STATEMENT

Global warming will cause ice caps and

glaciers to melt, oceans to warm, and sea

levels to rise.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

Prompt: Compare and Contrast the reasons

why the North and South fought the Civil War

WORST THESIS

I think the North and South fought the Civil

War for many reasons that were both good

and bad.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

Prompt: Compare and Contrast the reasons

why the North and South fought the Civil War

BAD THESIS

The North and South fought the Civil War for

numerous reasons, some that were the

similar and some that were different.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

Prompt: Compare and Contrast the reasons

why the North and South fought the Civil War.

BETTER THESIS

While both sides fought the Civil War over the

issue of slavery, the North fought for moral

reasons, while the South fought to preserve

its own institutions and state’s rights.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

EVEN BETTER THESIS

While both Northerners and Southerners

believed they fought against tyranny and

oppression, Northerners focused on the

oppression of slave, while Southerners

defended their own rights to property and

self-government.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

Prompt: Was the New Deal of the 1930;s a liberal

plan to create a welfare state in America, or a

conservative defense of American Capitalism?

WORST THESIS

I Think the New Deal was a conservative

defense of American capitalism.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

Prompt: Was the New Deal of the 1930;s a liberal

plan to create a welfare state in America, or a

conservative defense of American Capitalism?

BAD THESIS

The New Deal was really a strong conservative

defense of American capitalism in the 1930’s.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

Prompt: Was the New Deal of the 1930;s a liberal

plan to create a welfare state in America, or a

conservative defense of American Capitalism?

A GOOD THESIS

Although the New Deal incorporated both

work programs and free market strategies,

it helped to preserve America capitalist

economy more than anything else.

What Does a Good Thesis

Look Like?

A GREAT THESIS

Despite its work relief elements, the New

Deal is best understood as a defense of

American capitalism because its main

programs attempted to create a stable

environment for private enterprise.

HINTS: Try some of these words

Because

Since

So

In Contrast

Unless

However

Although

Unlike

Likewise

Similarly

In Conjunction

While

Remember:

You are writing an analytical History

essay not an essay for English Class.

You are writing for a specific audience

(Fellow Historians).

Refer to your Essay Rubric or Writing

Handouts for detailed guidance on

writing better essays for History.