APUSH Essay

Thesis

1. Categories of support for thesis:
- SPICE
- time frames
2. Steps:
- Establish setting of essay: e.g. time period, a little general background of subject matter
- Provide basis for analysis: e.g. In determining whether the Civil War was a revolution in
American society, one must assess the extent to which society was changed by the war.
- Provide a partition that established 3 major sub-topics you want to discuss: e.g.
PoliticallySociallyConstitutionally
- Finish with clear thesis statement that est. purpose of essay: e.g. Thus, the war did represent a
revolution in these respects.

Complex-split thesis:
Politically, the war established the supremacy of the Republican party in natl politics for much of the
next 50 years. Socially, the war saw significant gains in African American rights. Constitutionally, the
war established the supremacy of the federal govt over the states. Thus, the Civil War did represent a
political, social, and constitutional revolution in America.

Body Paragraphs + Analysis:

Each body paragraph will have:
Topic Sentence
Term, event, detail, proof #1
- definition
- significance/relate to thesis
Term, event, detail, proof #2
- definition
- significance/relate to thesis
Term, event, detail, proof #3
- definition
- significance/relate to thesis
transition

Analysis:
1. What contributed to/influenced this event?
2. What are the implications?

Conclusion:
1. Return to theme in intro.
2. Synthesize, not summarize
3. Include provocative insight
4. Point to broader implicationsBIG PICTURE