The History Paper, Part I: Seven Suggestions for Writing Good Historical Essays

The History Paper, Part I: Seven Suggestions for Writing Good Historical Essays

by Ronald Schatz and Jeff Nelson

Accessed at:

First of all, read the assignment very carefully. Even if you choose to alter or challenge it, you must understand it precisely. Then,

1) Write clearly. Among other things, that means developing a major theme or themes; introducing that thesis in the first paragraph; reviewing subsequent paragraphs to check that they are relevant to your point; eliminating sentences which are convoluted or meandering; checking to see that you have not used the same adjective repeatedly; spelling correctly; and using correct punctuation.

In addition, be careful with quotations which students writing history essays often either misuse or use excessively. In general, it is not necessary to quote secondary sources. Quote them only if you wish to challenge the author or if the author is particularly eloquent. Do not let another author speak for you. When you do use a quote, identify the speaker ahead of time, as in “As Senator Borah, the progressive Republican from Idaho, said. . . .”

2) Back up your assertions with evidence. What is evidence? Not the opinion of a historian, but rather an article published at the time, a government document, a pamphlet produced by the organization you are discussing, a transcript of an interview of a person who was involved in or personally observed that organization, or similar material. You can find quite a bit of evidence in the readings assigned for the class. Look also at the bibliographies of the secondary works the professor is using. If you want to go further, your professor should be glad to offer suggestions.

3) Always put your subject(s) in context. What was the general situation in that society at that time that helps us understand why the person or a group of people whom you are discussing acted as they did?

4) Be wary of simple explanations. Among other points, examine your essay critically for statements like “farmers felt. . .,” “business leaders acted. . .,” or “but to women this meant. . . .” Virtually all the groups discussed in this course were diverse. Do not be shy about conceding the existence of variations within the groups under consideration, even if that partially contradicts your thesis. History is complex. Acknowledging that is one way to demonstrate that you are thinking historically. It is essential to generalize, but when you do so, be aware—and let the reader know—that that is precisely what you are doing.

5) Offer comparisons. This is one of the best ways to develop a historical point. You might compare your subject—for example, the white textile workers who were living under highly repressive conditions in North Carolina in the early twentieth century but nonetheless went out on strike in 1929—to other people living in that society (e.g., the black people excluded from the cotton mills, the families of the white mill workers who had remained on the farm, or industrial workers living in other parts of the country), to their predecessors or people living in the same place at a later date, or, if it is relevant, to similar people in other nations.

6) Cite your sources. When in doubt, cite. An example of a proper citation is as follows: C. Vann Woodward, Origins of the New South, 1877-1913 (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1951), 51. However, do not assume that a citation by itself proves a point.

7) Revise, revise, and revise.

Ronald Schatz is Professor of History at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut. His academic interests include labor history, history of American radicalism (on the left and right), and American-Jewish history. He is currently writing The Last Progressives, a study of industrial-relations reformers. Jeff Nelson just graduated with a B.A. from Wesleyan. He wrote his senior thesis on labor in Bridgeport, Connecticut during the 1950s.