Midterm Essay

1. Midterm Essay Overview: In history, themes develop over time. One can argue that the developments of these themes have brought America closer to the ideals that the U.S. was founded upon, while others have brought us further from those ideals. The following essay prompt deals with these ideals: Prompt: “Explain how the United States has moved closer to or further from America’s founding ideals throughout the time period of 1890-1945. Choose three specific examples from history to explain and support your position.” One week to prepare One class period to write May use your completed graphic organizers (double-sided)

2. You can only argue in one direction, but you can relate it to any of the founding ideals. Rights Liberty Opportunity Equality Democracy

3. STEPS… Choose three historical examples that you can explain from the first half of the school year. (These could be specific events, laws/acts that were passed, actions taken by the U.S. government, etc.) For the three examples, decide which founding idealsthey relate to and explain whether the example brought the U.S. closer to or further from that ideal based on which direction you chose. You can only argue in one direction!!!!!!!

4. Thesis Statements • A thesis statement is usually one sentence long and is a brief, to-the-point answer to the prompt that you are writing. It should appear somewhere in the introduction. • Explain the effects of KADMF on Tamanend Middle School. • Of the charities that TMS is involved in, KADMF might be the most exciting. It is a very worthy cause that helps families of sick children. The fund was created by Peggy Dolan, a mother of a cancer patient. By creating a basketball tournament and inspiring a beard-off, KADMF has given Tamanend a true sense of community.

5. You write an intro with a thesis statement A thesis statement: • tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. • is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. • directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel. • makes a claim that others might dispute. • is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/

7. Explain how America’s role in the world since 2000 brought us closer to or further from America’s founding ideals. Write just a thesis statement (see examples below). • The founding fathers would have had a lot to say about the war in Iraq and U.S. aid to Israel. • By studying the war in Iraq and U.S. aid to Israel, one can see whether or not the U.S. has achieved its founding ideals. • If a student of history wants to see whether or not we’ve achieved the goals of our founding fathers, she need not look further than the war in Iraq and the aid we’ve given to Israel.

8. Important General Tips… • Have a specific, focused thesis. (Try to directly answer the prompt in one sentence.) • Be sure the mention the theme that you chose in your thesis • Give specific historical examples and contexts • (What groups/people were important? What was the cause/effect? What was going on at the time?) • Do not write “In conclusion!” Just conclude. • Proofread