Developing a Strong History Day Thesis
A thesis is an argument or a Hypothesis. It is the main point of your work. The purpose of your work is to present evidence/research that supports your thesis. Everything in your project revolves around your thesis statement. State your thesis very clearly in your project.
Scream the Theme!
Be sure to connect it to the theme of:
Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
It must include the topic, connect to the theme, AND you need to take a stand about your topic!
SO WHAT? !
Why is your topic important? What is good/bad about it? It is very important that you take your time to develop a strong thesis statement. Look at the two examples below (Note: This is from a previous year’s theme “Triumph & Tragedy in History”):
1) “Ray Kroc founded McDonalds and changed America.”
2) “While Ray Kroc’s founding of McDonalds was clearly a triumph of American entrepreneurship for its economic success, it must ultimately be viewed as a tragedy due to the negative impact his work had on the health of American citizens.”
Which one of the above is a weak thesis statement? Explain why! ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Which one is a strong thesis? Explain Why!
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Now that you have read about and taken some notes on your topic (right?J), you should know enough about your topic to write a rough draft of your thesis. Remember, this will establish the main purpose, or idea, of your paper. Remember, your thesis is the “So what!?” of your project. This question should be answered in your thesis. It must give us, the reader, a reason to care by showing us how it is important and that is an example of:
Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
***Remember, a thesis statement for a research project may be several sentences (40 – 80 words), unlike the five paragraph essay!
Name (s): ______________________________________________________________
Thesis Statement Development:
What is the “Debate” and/or “Diplomacy” concerning your topic?
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Who is involved? ________________________________________________________
Where did it take place? __________________________________________________
When did it occur? _______________________________________________________
The following two questions address “Why is it important?”…
What is the “Success” and/or “Failure”? (The SHORT term…what impact did it have at that time in history?) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is the “Consequence”? (The LONG term…How did it change the way people thought/lived? Was the influence of your topic felt locally, or did it extend to the country and beyond?)
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Now, put it all together in 40 – 80 words that argue the point you are trying to make about your History Day topic! (You may want to practice on notebook paper)
Debat e & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
Thesis Statement:
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