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