Directions:
Read each thesis and put a check mark next to any sentence you believe qualifies as a good historical thesis. Is this simply a factual statement? If so, this is not a thesis. Is there an argument being setup? Is this something that can be proven with evidence? If yes, check this statement.
Next, the thesis needs to include an argument about changes in social and political life in the US between 1750 and 1763. Can you find anything in the thesis that gives the reader a hint that these things will be addressed? If yes, circle the entire thesis.
______
PROMPT: Analyze and explain to what extent salutary neglect and the French and Indian War contributed to the changes in social and political life in the United States between 1750 and 1763.
____Salutary neglect created a rift between the colonies and Great Britain, this kind of laissez-faire attitude allowed the colonies to develop a feeling of independence which was expounded upon by the Seven Year War due to the fact that these colonists felt that they were being sent to fight in a war that was not their own.
_____Despite having won the French and Indian War, which granted Britain more power and land, they faced many repercussions that posed issues on the colonists in the United States, sparked arguments between the different groups of people, and raised questions on the new imperial policies imposed on them, which were poorly regulated, overall damaging the relationship between the colonies and the British government permanently.
_____Although the colonies had established individual assemblies (as a result of England's lack of a colonial office) that previously refused to collaborate because of petty differences, the relations between the colonies improved because the French and Indian War compelled the colonies to fight as one force.
______Although salutary neglect had gotten the colonies used to self-sufficiency, they still felt they were loyal to England; however, the French and Indian war created tensions between the colonies and England because it began to create unity within the colonies themselves, as well as forcing Britain to exert its power over the colonies.
_____Although salutary neglect gave the colonies a sense of individualism, it was then taken away at the end of the French and Indian War which adversely affected the colonies socially and politically between 1750 and 1763.
_____Salutary neglect, along with the French and Indian War altered the social and political life in the United States by showing the United States that they could rebel and act freely without the old world interrupting them.
______The way of life the colonists followed was disrupted during the French and Indian war through British actions such as forcing colonists to shelter troops, impressment, and taking equipment from farmers.
______Although there were many factors that changed Colonial America, salutary neglect and the French and Indian War brought the birth of a nation which drastically changed the political and social structure of America for the better.
*Tip: Avoid specific evidence in your thesis. Evidence is laid out in the body of the paper, never in the thesis.
*Tip: Never restate or use same words in your thesis that are found in the prompt. “motives and effectiveness”, figure out a way to re-word this in your thesis.