Consider carefully the following time periods. Explain which period you believe was the most consequential for Arkansas and why the other period was less so. Period 1: Late Antebellum through Reconstruction (1840-1877) Period 2: The Progressive Era through World War II (1900-1945) The essays for the second exam will be graded according to a rubric. That rubric requires students to address all parts of the writing prompt and assigns a point value to the following. Thesis Contextualization Use of Evidence Demonstration of Understanding I felt this

information may be helpful: Thesis – The thesis is the main argument you are making in the essay. The most common mistake students make that results in a low score is not answering the question (or not responding to the writing prompt.) It is essential that you carefully read the writing prompt and zero-in on the exact question being asked. The thesis must respond to the question. Simply put, the thesis is the argument or claim

you are making in the essay. You may want to think of the thesis as a succinctly-put answer to the question. The thesis can be 1 to 3 sentences long. It should not simply rephrase the question into a statement; rather, it must respond to the question with a statement. The thesis will drive the essay and is the most important part of the paper. It orients the reader to your argument or claim. The more sophisticated your thesis is, the stronger your essay will be – presuming you provide adequate evidence in the essay. Historical Context – The historical context is the background information needed to put everything into perspective. For example, if a person were writing an essay on the US entry into World

War I in 1917, he/she would need to help the reader understand the context. To do this, he/she could briefly mention why the war started in Europe in 1914 and how the US tried to stay neutral between 1914 and 1917. This would be the historical context. Then he/she could explain why the US entered the war in 1917. Likewise, saying that the war ended in 1918 could also be considered historical context. Or, If someone was writing an essay on the importance of the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, he/she would want the reader to know how the Great Depression began in 1929 and how President Hoover’s economic policies failed to improve the economy in the years leading up to the 1932 election. Once the reader understands that historical context, the writer can focus on the importance of Roosevelt’s election of 1932. Just as in the example above, if the writer wrote about how the economy really didn’t recover from the Great Depression until World War II, it could also be considered historical context. In other words, the historical context helps the reader understand the times you’re writing about. Without background information, the essay will not make sense. We have to place our essays in context. Evidence – Your thesis must be supported by historical evidence. Let’s say you are writing an essay on President Trump. If your thesis is that President Trump is a better president than President Obama, you need historical evidence to back up your claim. Likewise, if your thesis is that President Obama was better than President Trump, you must have evidence to support your thesis. To do this, you would pull specific facts on the economy, the state of the Union, the War on Terror, the unemployment rate and job growth…. The thesis is only as strong as the evidence. Imagine a trial. How could the prosecution win without any evidence? You should read the writing prompt carefully, determine your position, and assemble evidence to support that position. Demonstration of Understanding – The reader should get a clear sense that you know what you are writing about. Your essay should provide a solid discussion and point to specific examples. In other words, you should avoid making generalized statements. Imagine, for example, you

were asked to write an essay on the experiences of women in the Chesapeake during the early-Colonial Era. If you were to write, “It was really hard for women in the Chesapeake. Women were expected to do a lot of work. They suffered a lot of difficulties and didn’t live very long.” it would not provide any details and does not demonstrate any understanding of the experiences of women. A better example would be to write, “In the Chesapeake during the early Colonial era, the men greatly outnumbered the women. This imbalance in the ratio of men to women placed

tremendous pressures on women to marry at a very young age. Often, these young brides died during childbirth. The warm climate of the Chesapeake also facilitated the spread of deadly diseases, especially malaria. The life expectancy of women in the Chesapeake was a mere 40 years. In contrast, women in the early New England Colonies married at an older age, were more likely to survive childbirth, less likely to die of

malaria, and could reasonably expect to live to age 70.” The details in this example gives the reader a clearer understanding of what the lives of women in the Chesapeake would have been like. The writer’s demonstration of understanding is obvious.