A POWERFUL COMBINATION OF CIVIL
RIGHTS AND COLLEGE READINESS:
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
RESEARCH PAPER PROJECT
[Title of Your Paper]
Your Name
United States History, Mr. DeNardo
February 24, 2015 [Date You Submit Your Paper]
Guiding Question: How effective are research papers
as a way to deepen one’s understanding of history and
develop the skills one needs for higher education?
0
Civil Rights Movement Research Paper Project Table of Contents
Research Paper Requirements
Due Dates & Internet Links
List of Guiding Questions
Using Wikipedia
How to Do Source Cards
How to Do Information Cards
Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing
Your Thesis Statement
Creating an Outline
Sample Outline
Sample Vignette and Intro Paragraph
Topic Sentences
How to Do Footnotes
Plagiarism vs. Citing Sources Properly
Writing the Conclusion
How to Do the Bibliography
Rubric—Source & Info Cards
Rubric—Outline
Rubric—Introduction (Vignette + Intro Paragraph w/Thesis)
Rubric—First Three Pages of Paper w/Footnotes
Rubric—Final Paper + Bibliography
Sample Bibliography
Page 1
Page 2
Pages 3-4
Page 4
Page 5
Pages 6-7
Pages 7-9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Pages 15-16
Page 17-19
Page 20
Pages 21-23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Pages 27-29
Pages 30-33
Page 34-35
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YOUR MISSION:
Your mission is to write a 6-7 page paper that responds to a historical question. The paper you write must
demonstrate both detailed research and analytical interpretation of historical relevance. Your paper should not
simply be a report of information on your topic, but rather, should be a logical and thoughtful examination guided by
a probing question answered with a clear thesis, supporting evidence, and original analysis. Your research will cover
a topic related to one of the several civil rights movements of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
Writing a research paper helps to develop the skills of researching (hunting for something in the information
universe), problem solving (the principal work of most people), critical thinking (a lifelong skill if ever there was
one), writing (language is the most powerful weapon on earth), perseverance, and commitment. It follows that the
more you learn and develop these skills, the more effective you will be in your future lives.
Required Components of the Paper:
You will pick a Guiding Question from the list given to you by Mr. D. There can be no overlap of topics within the
same class. If you have another idea, it may be ok, but it must be cleared with Mr. D. Once you have chosen your Guiding
Question, you should begin your research by reading about the event or person you have chosen (remember to record
information about each source you consult on a source card for reference in your bibliography). As you research, you will take
notes on information cards that are linked to your source cards (to make citation/footnoting of your evidence easier). Once you
have gathered enough information you can begin writing your paper. Each paper must include the following common elements:
 Title Page: Use the front cover of this packet as a model. Since you will already have identification information on the
title page, you will not put your name or identification info on the pages of your paper. Remember to use vivid,
provocative language in your title to capture the interest of your reader.
 Opening Vignette: This is a brief, creative application of historical information to a description of a scene taken from
the time period of your paper.
 Focused Introduction: The introductory paragraph (actually the second paragraph of your paper) must clearly give an
answer to your guiding question in the form of a clear, debatable thesis. Proving your answer to your guiding question,
your thesis must be the overriding focus of everything in your paper. That is what the whole paper is about. In this
paragraph you will also outline the subtopics of your paper.
 Thesis: Not to belabor the point, but a clear and focused thesis summarizes the answer to your guiding
question and sets the specific course for the rest of your paper. The thesis statement must be in the
introductory paragraph of your paper and should be bolded to be easily found.
 Background: After the introduction, a few (2-3) paragraphs should discuss the historical context of your topic. This is
where you should tie your topic into the greater historical trends of the era.
 Analysis: In the body of your paper, it is very important to personalize your writing with insight and interpretation.
Your analysis will interpret the evidence given and offer commentary on that evidence that links to your thesis; this is
what makes the paper “yours” and not just a regurgitation of facts you found. Your analysis should show a skillful use
of primary and secondary sources. Blending thoughtful analysis in your own voice with the facts and details you
discover is the most important part of a successful research paper. Superficial or minimal analysis will greatly decrease
the score your paper earns. This is the most important and should be the longest section of your paper (3-5 pages).
 Conclusion: The final section of the paper should integrate all of the other parts of your paper. It should not be a
simple restatement of your thesis. It is in the conclusion that you may explain what you learned about your topic.
 Bibliography and footnotes in proper format. You are required to consult and cite from at least six (6) substantial,
relevant sources for your paper. Of these six sources you must have:
o At least two (2) primary sources.
o At least two (2) books and/or periodicals (magazines, newspapers)
Follow proper format for footnotes and bibliographic references a described later in this packet. Remember that
footnotes run in a continuous sequence from the beginning of your paper until the end. We will be using Chicago style
of citation for this paper. We will NOT use MLA or APA.
 Typed & 6-7 pages long not including Title Page or Bibliography. Your final paper should be double-spaced, 12point font (either Times New Roman or Palatino) with 1 inch margins. Also, be sure to include page numbers so that
you, peer editors, and I can easily reference the page of the paper we are talking about.
 Conventions. There is no “I,” “we,” “you,” or “our” in this paper. Contractions and informal language/slang have no
place in a formal paper. The paper should be free of grammatical and spelling errors.
 Transition sentences. Writers often report that one of the most difficult parts of essay writing is making the transition
from one paragraph to another. A good transition sentence involves a two-part sentence. The first part refers back to
the previous idea or paragraph, while the second part moves on to the new idea. Transitional devices are like bridges
between parts of your paper. They are words or phrases that help carry a thought from one sentence to another, from one
idea to another, or from one paragraph to another. And finally, transitional devices link sentences and paragraphs
together smoothly so that there are no abrupt jumps or breaks between ideas.
Important Dates and Deadlines:
Choose Guiding Questions
Evidence of Research: Source and Notecards. (Turn in at least 4 Source
Cards—with correct citation—and their accompanying information notecards.
You should have at least 6 notecards per source card.
You will also turn in a formal outline of your paper on this day.
Introduction (Vignette + Intro Paragraph with Debatable Thesis) Due
First 3 Pages of Body Paragraphs With Footnotes & Title Page +
Final Revised Paper Outline Due
Final Paper Including Footnotes, Transition Sentences & Bibliography Due
You will also turn in:
Previously turned in Introduction with my comments
Draft outline and first three pages with my comments
Friday, March 13
Tuesday, March 24—
PEER EDIT
Tuesday, March 31—
PEER EDIT
Tuesday, April 7—
PEER EDIT
Friday, May 1—
PEER EDIT
Internet Searches and Links
Note on internet research:
For your research, use the Advanced Search option on Google searches and
specify one of the following domains: .edu , .org , or .gov
Avoid the .com domains and websites.
You can reach the Advanced Search page by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner of the
search results page then clicking Advanced search. You can also simply type in “Google advanced
search”
General searches that may be of interest:
 Marin Public Library (http://marinet.lib.ca.us – contains several reference databases
 Redwood High Library website (http://rhsweb.org/library/) --contains several reference databases for student use
 Redwood Library Social Studies Resources http://rhsweb.org/library/Social_Studies.htm
 Marin County Library http://www.marinlibrary.org/
Website Credibility This link from George Mason University has a series of questions to help you
evaluate the credibility of a website for research and annotated bibliographies.
http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm
History Matters Designed for high school and college teachers and students, History Matters serves as a gateway to web
resources including in-depth articles and interviews with historical figures U.S. history http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
Chicago Style Footnotes—This link shows you how to properly footnote any type of source
imaginable. http://history.hanover.edu/courses/handouts/footnotes.htm
2
Guiding Questions
African American Civil Rights Movement
1. In what ways has the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case lived up to and not lived up to its promise?
3. To what extent was Jackie Robinson impactful or not impactful as part of the Civil Rights Movement in the years after his
baseball career was over?
4. Which event was more important to the Civil Rights Movement, James Meredith’s admission to the University of Mississippi
or the Freedom Rides campaign?
5. What factors allowed the existence of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission (Sov-Com), a state-run anti-civil rights
movement spy agency, which existed from 1956-1977?
6. Would the Civil Rights Movement have been successful without the contributions of James Lawson?
7. Was Fred Shuttlesworth even more important than Martin Luther King, Jr. in fighting for civil rights for African Americans
in the city of Birmingham, Alabama?
8. Was A. Philip Randolph even more important to the Civil Rights Movement than Martin Luther King, Jr.?
9. Only a handful of Americans have ever been honored for their contributions with a statue on the Washington Mall--should
John Lewis be so honored for his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement?
10 . What factors best explain the dramatic changes that occurred within the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement?
11. Was Stokely Carmichael more helpful or more hurtful to the advancement of African American civil rights?
12. Why was the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968 so unsuccessful and how might American history have been different if the
campaign had been successfully carried out?
13. Only a handful of Americans have ever been honored for their contributions with a statue on the Washington Mall--should
Thurgood Marshall be so honored for his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement?
14. How might have treatment of minorities and the poor changed if Robert Kennedy had been elected president in 1968?
Women’s Rights Movement
15. What social and economic factors best explain why Betty Friedan’s famous book The Feminine Mystique had such an
impact, and to what extent is the book’s message relevant today?
16. Why has Title 9 been a source of controversy, and have its benefits outweighed its costs?
17. How successful or unsuccessful has the National Organization for Women (NOW) been at accomplishing its goals?
18. How would the U.S. be different today if the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) had been ratified by enough states and
had become part of the Constitution in the 1980s?
19. Who has had the more lasting impact on the Women’s Rights Movement, Gloria Steinem or Betty Friedan?
20. How successful or unsuccessful has the Equal Pay Act been in reaching its goal and what economic, social, and cultural
factors best explain this?
21. What social, cultural, and/or economic factors best explain the Connecticut v. Griswold decision?
22. What social, cultural, and/or economic factors best explain the Roe v. Wade decision?
Latino Civil Rights Movement
23. To what degree was Cesar Chavez successful in gaining rights for Latino farmworkers?
24. What, if any, lasting impacts have there been from the 1968 Latino student protests in Los Angeles?
25. To what extent could it be argued that Dolores Huerta played an equal, if not even more important, role than Cesar
Chavez in promoting civil rights for Latinos?
26. To what extent have Luis Valdez and El Teatro Campesino impacted the United Farm Workers movement and the
Chicano Movement in the United States?
27. What impact, if any, did the school desegregation case Mendez v. Westminster have on the more famous desegregation case
Brown v. Board of Education?
Other Civil Rights Movements
28. What social and cultural factors best explain why the Stonewall Riots happened and the impacts the riots have had on the
Gay Rights Movement?
29. Have the costs of the Americans with Disabilities Act outweighed the benefits?
30. To what degree was the occupation of Alcatraz effective in helping the cause of Native Americans?
31. To what degree was the protest at Wounded Knee effective in helping the cause of Native Americans?
32. To what degree was the Trail of Broken Treaties Caravan and takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building effective in
helping the cause of Native Americans?
33. Have the benefits of the Immigration Acts of 1990 and 1996 outweighed their costs?
34. In the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill sexual harassment controversy, was Thomas justified in his claim that he was a victim of
a “high-tech lynching,” what did the incident reveal about gender relations in the U.S., and what was the most important
outcome of the controversy?
3
Environmental Movement
35. What social, cultural, political, and/or economic factors explain the impact of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring?
36. Have the benefits of the Endangered Species Act outweighed its costs?
37. Which had a more lasting impact on the environmental movement in the U.S., the publication of the book Silent Spring or the
Santa Barbara Oil Spill?
38. How successful or unsuccessful has the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) been at fulfilling its mission?
39. What, if any, lasting impacts have there been from the Love Canal controversy?
Using Wikipedia
As you know, if you have 'Googled' any topic recently, you've probably found links to a website called Wikipedia near the top of
the results list. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that differs from other encyclopedias in a significant way: along with
reading the articles in Wikipedia, anyone can add or edit articles however they like. According to their website, Wikipedia was
created in 2001 and has since grown to be one of the largest sites on the web, passing one million entries in the English-language
version of the encyclopedia in March of 2006. It is a collaborative effort with articles written by individuals from around the
world using wiki software that allows content to be added or changed by anyone. 1 Thus…..
Wikipedia is a good place to start your research, but the information you find should be used as background only. Below
are ways to use Wikipedia to find other sources and subtopics within your topic area.
Cross-referencing: Wikipedia actually makes cross-referencing easy. The useful entries are those which do NOT have a warning
at the top about either the incompleteness of the entry or the bias. To cross-reference a fact that may be questionable or may
represent one of several viewpoints on a topic, click on the footnote number at the end of the fact. If there is no footnote, it may
be unreliable or an accepted fact like someone’s birthdate. Find the source in the footnote section then find the information in
that source.
Using “Notes” Section: Scroll down to the bottom of an entry and you will find a list of notes that have been linked to
information in the text of the entry. Use these sources to find more information on your topic and related subtopics. Cite these
sources separately. For instance, if a fact is from an article in Time Magazine, cite the actual article in Time Magazine after you
have read it.
Using the “references” or “bibliography” section: At the bottom of a Wikipedia entry should be a list of sources. Many of these
are often books, unlike footnoted sources which are often available at other sites on the Web. These books might also be useful
to you so find them at our library or a Marin County Branch Library.
(Journal articles and some books also have footnote and bibliography sections that are useful in the same way.)
“Using Wikipedia,” Carleton College, Date of Access February 27, 2014,
https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/library/help/help/researchit/general/?guide_id=201867.
1
4
Source Cards (Blue index cards—you’ll need 6 or more)
1. You must keep a working bibliography (list of all sources you used such as books, magazines, web
sites, etc.,.)
2. To do this, you will make a “source card” for every source you take notes from.
3. You will number each card, beginning with “Source Card # 1”.
4. When you are finished writing your paper, you will use these cards to create your “Bibilography” page.
5. What you should write on each card…
Books:
Source Card #: _____
--All authors, any editors or translators
--Title and subtitle
--Edition (if not the first)
--Publication information: major city where published, publishing company, and year published
[For online also include: Date of access (the date that you printed out the information or logged in to the
website), name/title of webpage/database, complete web address]
Periodical (newspaper/magazine) articles
Source Card #: _____
--All authors of the article
--Title and subtitle of article
--Title of magazine, journal, or newspaper
--Date and page numbers
--Volume and issue numbers if relevant
[For online also include: Date of access (the date that you printed out the information or logged in to the
website), name/title of webpage/database, complete web address]
Electronic sources
Source Card #: _____
--All authors if author(s) are identified (sometimes they are not)
--Name/title of the webpage/database
--Date of posting/revision (when the website was created or last updated)
--Date of access (the date that you printed out the information or logged in to the website)
--Complete web address
Example Source Cards
Source Card for Website
Source Card #1
“In the Richmond Slave Market”, History Matters,
(date accessed: 2/20/2012) George Mason University
(last update, 11/17/1998). <http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6762>.
Source Card for Book
Source Card #2
Crowe Eyre, With Thackeray in America, London, Cassell
and Co., pages 130–136.
5
Information Notecards (White index cards—you’ll need 25+)
Research is a difficult and time-consuming process, but writing informative and accurate note cards is
important for creating a quality finished product. You will need at least 25, 3x5 (or 5x7) index cards. Please keep
these cards in a safe place so that you do not lose them.
Research is like a giant scavenger hunt. Some days you will hit the jackpot, other days you will struggle to find
useful information. Taking notes on notecards will help you in two important areas: 1) to avoid plagiarism and 2) to
organize your information before you begin writing.
1. Use a new information notecard for each new fact, idea, event, etc. This is important because later you will
shuffle and re-shuffle your notecards as you organize your paper.
2. Your notecard should be set up as below:
a. Sub-topic: You will indicate what sub-topic of your outline you are taking notes about. This will help you
when you go to organize your paper.
b. Source & Info Card #s: Indicate what source this information came from. In the upper right corner of your
notecard, write the number of the matching source card, i.e. Source Card #4. Also, identify the number of
the info card that has been taken from this source. For example, if the informational notecard is the seventh
one from your third source it should say Source Card #3, Card #7
c. Notes: These can take different forms. See the section in this packet on Quoting, Paraphrasing &
Summarizing
d. Page number: Write the page number(s) of where the information was found, if it was found in a book or
periodical
e. Analysis: Briefly state to what degree the notes help address your Guiding Question
Subtopic: _____________
Source Card #_____ # ______
Take your notes here: paraphrasing and/or summarizing of source material in
your own words, and, perhaps once in a long while, a direct quote. Remember, DO
NOT plagiarize!
Analysis: To what extent does this information help address your Guiding Question?
Page #(s): _____
# of the source it
came from & the #
of the notecard from
this source goes here
Information Notecard Examples
[Topic: Women’s Changing Roles during WWII]
Subtopic: Women in the military
S.C. #3 Card #4
Due to shortages of men in the military, the U.S. opened up the military to women. 350,000
women served in different branches of the military: army (WACS), navy (WAVES), Coast
Guard (SPARS), and marines (MCWR), & Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).
Analysis: While this explains why women had military jobs, it does not indicate specific jobs,
treatment, or women of color. I need to gather more on how the military viewed having
women in service.
Pg. 127-129
Briefly analyze how your notecard answers
your research question and your subtopic. If
it does not explicitly address these, do not
use it. Also state what further research you
may need to do to answer your research
questions
Information should
be paraphrased/
summarized; also,
keep it simple, direct,
and complete. If you
don’t understand
the info, don’t use
it. Write direct
quotes only when
absolutely necessary.
6
More examples:
[Topic: Slavery in the 1850s]
Subtopic: living conditions on the plantation
S.C.#1 Card #6
Slaves lived in small rooms w/ no heat, water
Work hours were long: 14-18 hour days, 6 days/week, on Sundays tilled their own gardens
Christianized slaves would often sneak into the nearby woods and hold secret church services
Clothing was often inadequate ex: no coats in winter
Analysis: Moderately useful information; I need to find more details about relationships between slaves, slavemasters, and
overseers
[Topic: Slavery in the 1850s]
Subtopic: Slave markets
S.C. #2 Card #5
“Thus I read:—“Fifteen likely negroes to be disposed of between half-past nine and twelve—
five men, six women, two boys, and two girls.” Then followed the dealer’s signature, which
corresponded to that inscribed over the doorway.” written in Mary Chestnut’s diary 8/14/1853
Analysis: I’ll need more context about who Mary Chestnut was and her attitudes about slavery
Pg. 133
How do I take Notes?
It’s easy! If you take notes correctly, actually sitting down and writing your paper will be a snap!
How do you take notes properly then? Read on…
Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
What are the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?
These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the
closeness of your writing to the source writing.
Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must
match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.
Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase
must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the
original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main
point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source.
Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source
material.
Writers frequently intertwine summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. As part of a summary of an
article, a chapter, or a book, a writer might include paraphrases of various key points blended with
quotations of striking or suggestive phrases.
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More on Using Direct Quotations
Rule #1: For any quotation that appears in your essay, there must be a compelling reason
for that quotation to be included.
This is by far the most important rule, and in fact, this rule can easily be expanded beyond the realm of quotations to
include everything that appears in your writing.
More on Rule #1:
Typically, the reason to include a quotation is that the quotation supports the thesis of your essay, or supports an
assertion related to your thesis. Rule #1 has some important corollaries. First, you must indicate in your essay why
the quotation is included. You will need to state explicitly that a quotation supports your claim. Second, you must
explain the value of this particular quotation to your paper as a whole.
A good rule of thumb is that any quotation should involve a three-step process:
1) claim you are trying to make
2) quotation used as evidence
3) explanation of the quotation’s importance.
If you use this three-step process (and you always should), then a quotation will never begin a paragraph or end a
paragraph. Your own words will always precede and follow it.2
Rule #2: You should always mention who said or wrote the quotation, and never ever
use freestanding quotations. A freestanding quotation is a quote from the text that is
its own sentence. Instead, you should weave the quotations into your own sentences.
Incorrect: “Congress was finally taking action for racial justice.”
Correct: Nixon responded by saying, “When dissent turns to violence, it invites tragedy.”
You are permitted to modify quotations to make them fit properly into the grammar of your sentence. Just make sure
you maintain the meaning of the original text. Square brackets [ ] are used to indicate modified text. This technique
is particularly useful if you are incorporating a first-person quotation into a third-person essay. For instance, at the
beginning of Oedipus, Oedipus tells the crowd: “I did not think it fit that I should hear of this from messengers, but
came myself.” In the context of an essay, these lines might be included as follows:

Oedipus informs the crowd he is gravely concerned by telling them he “did not think it fit that [he] should
hear of this from messengers, but came [himself].”
The other permissible modification is the removal of extraneous words. Use the ellipsis (…) when you leave words
out of a quotation.

Oedipus tells the chorus, “if you will hear my words […] you will find strength and lightening of your
load.”3
One last note: Only place quotations around word-for-word phrases.
2
“Using Quotations,” University of Nevada Las Vegas, Date of Access February 22, 2014,
http://faculty.unlv.edu/kirschen/handouts/writing/usingquotations.html.
3
Ibid.
8
Guiding Question: To what extent is the American public education system failing?
So That Nobody Has To Go To School If They Don't Want To
by Roger Sipher, Professor State University of New York, Cortland
A decline in standardized test scores is but the most recent indicator that American education is in trouble. One reason for the crisis
is that present mandatory-attendance laws force many to attend school who have no wish to be there. Such children have little desire to learn
and are so antagonistic to school that neither they nor more highly motivated students receive the quality education that is the birthright of
every American.
The solution to this problem is simple: Abolish compulsory-attendance laws and allow only those who are committed to getting an education to
attend.
This will not end public education. William Landes and Lewis Solomon, economists, found little evidence that mandatoryattendance laws increased the number of children in school. Most parents want a high school education for their children. Unfortunately,
compulsory attendance hampers the ability of public school officials to enforce legitimate educational and disciplinary policies and thereby
make the education a good one.
Abolition of archaic attendance laws would produce enormous dividends. First, it would alert everyone that school is a serious place
where one goes to learn. Schools are neither day-care centers nor indoor street corners. Young people who resist learning should stay away;
indeed, an end to compulsory schooling would require them to stay away.
Second, students opposed to learning would not be able to pollute the educational atmosphere for those who want to learn. Teachers
could stop policing recalcitrant students and start educating.
Third, public esteem for schools would increase. People would stop regarding them as way stations for adolescents and start thinking
of them as institutions for educating America's youth.
Schools should be for education. At present, they are only tangentially so. They have attempted to serve an all-encompassing social
function, trying to be all things to all people. In the process they have failed miserably at what they were originally formed to accomplish.4
Summarizing Practice: Summarize the entire passage above in two or three sentences.
Paraphrasing Practice: Paraphrase part of the above passage that seems particularly useful to answering
the above Guiding Question. How is paraphrasing different from summarizing?
Direct Quotation Practice: Write a sentence directed toward answering the Guiding Question above that integrates a direct quote from the
above source. Right after that sentence, include a sentence of commentary/explanation that expands on how that direct quote gives insight into
the Guiding Question.
Roger Sipher, “So That Nobody Has to Go to School If They Don't Want To.” The New York Times. December 19,
1977, pg. 31.
4
9
Your Thesis Statement:
1. Provable, 2. Arguable, 3. Shows how you will prove your argument
(Roadmap), 4. Leaves the reader with the sense that your topic is important
First form a tentative thesis. A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for information. But don't rush! You must
do a lot of background reading before you know enough about a subject to identify key or essential questions. You may not
know how you stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence. You should begin your research with a working,
preliminary or tentative thesis which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence leads.
Writing your thesis statement
What is a thesis? The thesis is the controlling idea around which you construct the rest paper. Every word of your paper should
support your thesis. Information you do not directly relate to your thesis will appear irrelevant. This means, of course, that in a
paper with a weak or no thesis, much of the paper will appear to be irrelevant and unguided.
How do I present the thesis? The thesis should be contained in one or two sentences that are concise and grammatically correct.
This is usually at the end of the first paragraph (although in our case it will be the last sentence of the 2 nd paragraph because we
will start the paper with a vignette.) More than one sentence may be necessary to establish the thesis, and that is fine. The
remainder of the introductory paragraph should draw the reader’s attention to the problem the thesis confronts, and define what
the reader needs to know to understand the thesis.
The thesis is a scholarly argument that attempts to convince the reader of something. You will be arguing that, in a question
about the civil rights movement that can be answered more than one way, your answer to the question is the correct one.
Below are some thesis statements. Based on the criteria established above assess if they are
good or bad thesis statements. What aspects make them “good” or “bad”?
GOOD OR BAD THESIS EXAMPLES?
Good
Bad
1.High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service projects before entering college
in order to increase their maturity and global awareness.
2.Penicillin has provided great benefits to society.
3. The Red Scare that swept the nation after the end of the WWII showed the flaws in the fabric of American society.
4.The Bay of Pigs invasion was planned during the Eisenhower Administration and executed during the Kennedy
Administration despite the fact that the two presidents were from different political parties.
5.Because of the high profile nature of their jobs, the Hollywood Ten were a scapegoat for the House Un-American Affairs
Committee (HUAC) as opposed to a legitimate source of fear.
Here is an exercise that might help you develop your thesis. Complete the following sentences:
(1) Dear Reader: I want to convince you that
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________[This is your claim or an argument]
(2) The main reasons why you should believe me are that
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
(3) You should care about my thesis because
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
[This provides the seeds of your conclusion, and checks the significance of your thesis.]
10
Why and How to Create a Useful Outline
Outlining is an important step in organizing a paper. When done well, it clearly shows the relationships
between ideas in your paper and provides a plan for writing. It also helps you to think about your topic and
to reach the level of synthesis and evaluation in learning. Further, it can help you to determine whether you
have researched the topic thoroughly. Finally, it can help you to determine whether the paper makes a
convincing argument, before you spend time agonizing over grammar, sentence structure, word choice, and
transitional sentences (etc.). Before continuing, I should mention what you should do before serious
outlining. Some important activities that are generally done prior to outlining include extensive reading,
taking notes on important ideas (with citations), brainstorming and listing ideas, grouping related ideas
together, ordering groups from general to specific (abstract to concrete). After you have done a lot of these
activities, you are ready to start outlining. (You may need to revisit these activities as you outline,
whenever you need to come up with new ideas and material for your writing). 5
Below are the primary reasons for creating an outline.






Aids in the process of writing
Helps you organize your ideas
Presents your material in a logical form
Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing
Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
Defines boundaries and groups
How do I create an outline?



Determine the purpose of your paper.
Determine the audience you are writing for.
Develop the thesis of your paper.
Then:




Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper.
Organize: Group related ideas together.
Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.
Label: Create main and sub headings.
Remember: creating an outline before writing your paper will make organizing your thoughts a lot easier.
Whether you follow the suggested guidelines is up to you, but making any kind of outline (even just some
jotting down some main ideas) will be beneficial to your writing process.6
Amy Stewart, “How To: Outlining a Research Paper,” University of Southern Florida,
http://www.eng.usf.edu/~cunning/CGN6933-drinkingwater/CGN6933-drinkingwater-project/HowToOutline.pdf.
5
Purdue Owl, “Developing an Outline,” Date of Access February 26, 2014,
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/.
6
11
Student Name,
Mr. DeNardo Period 6, March 25, 2014
Outline
Guiding Question: Was Franklin Delano Roosevelt more of a hero or a villain regarding the actions he
took during the Great Depression?
Thesis: Franklin Delano Roosevelt took advantage of the Great Depression to become a virtual dictator by
giving the federal government much more power than ever before, by attempting to thwart the separation of
powers, and by continuing to seek re-election past the traditional two term limit.
I. Opening Vignette
II. Introduction and Thesis
III. Historical Background: The 1920s & the Start of the Great Depression
A. Weaknesses in the Economy and the Stock Market Crash
B. Hoover’s Efforts to Battle the Depression
1.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
2.
Emergency Relief Act
C. The Bonus Army
IV. Historical Background: FDR’s Election and the New Deal
A. Promises Made During the 1932 Election Campaign
B. The First 100 Days in Office
C. Other New Deal Programs
V. FDR Dangerously Expanded Control of the Federal Government
A. National Recovery Administration (NRA) Took Control of Businesses
B. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Led the Nation into Socialism
C. Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) Led to Government Control of Farms
VI. FDR Attempted to Take Over the Judicial Branch
A. FDR’s Court Packing Scheme
B. Public Outrage
C. Disregard for the System of Checks and Balances
VII. FDR Failed to Step Down After Two Terms in Office
A. George Washington Established Tradition of Only Two Terms
B. No President Had Ever Served More than Two Terms
C.FDR Elected Four Times in a Row
VIII. Conclusion
12
Opening Vignette: The opening vignette provides a brief scene that focuses on an important
historical moment related to the subject of the paper and/or gives a penetrating impression about a
character, idea, setting, or object related to the subject of the paper.
Letters from historical figures (primary source documents) can be very helpful in creating an opening
vignette. In addition, “History Matters” is an excellent website for locating interviews that can be
similarly useful. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
Samples
Essential Question: How did the House Un-American Activities Committee compromise American values
in the face of the threat of Communism, and was this compromise justified?
Sample Opening Vignette:
The lights in the room were blinding and the panel of men in suits on the raised platform were all
looking intently at the man in the middle. Camera flashes popped and there was a brief murmur among the
rows of spectators as the chairman of the House Un-American Activity Committee cleared his throat. The
first question boomed forth from his mouth, and though loud in tenor, not surprising in substance: “Are you
or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” The man in the middle of the room, Arthur
Miller, looked small but confident as he faced down his interrogators. “No!” he simply but emphatically
stated.7
Sample Introductory Paragraph:
And so the notorious trials of the House Un-American Activities Committee went. Although the
committee was initially established in 1938 as a tool to reveal the identities of Fascists and Nazi
sympathizers, by the 1940s the committee changed its target. Ironically, the committee was more
supported in the 1940s than the 1930s by Americans because in the 1930s HUAC publically opposed
Roosevelt’s policies which were popularly supported.8 By 1947, the fear of Communism had set in and
Americans feared the threat of subversive actions taken by “Reds.” The House Un-American Activities
Committee, though the precursor to Senator Joseph McCarthy’s failed attempt to expose Communist
infiltration in the federal government, remained in action until 1975. As a result of the prolonged
existence of the committee, Americans witnessed the undermining of American values, especially the
rights embodied in the First and Fourteenth amendments, for more than three decades. The form
the questioning took, the use of the media and the consequences of the hearings all revealed an
erosion of fundamental republican values that was clearly not justified.
7
"House Un-American Activities Committee," Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, National Park Service, Date of
Access February 27, 2014, http://www.nps.gov/elro/index.htm.
8
Ibid.
13
Topic Sentences
Every paragraph should include a topic sentence that identifies the main idea of the paragraph. A topic
sentence also states the point the writer wishes to make about that subject. Generally, the topic sentence
appears at the beginning of the paragraph. It is often the paragraph’s very first sentence. A paragraph’s
topic sentence must be general enough to express the paragraph’s overall subject. But it should be
specific enough that the reader can understand the paragraph’s main subject and point.9
Why is the first sentence in the following paragraph not a good topic sentence?
James Forman was born on October 4, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois. When Forman was around the age of six he had his
first experience with racial segregation. While visiting an aunt in Tennessee, Forman attempted to buy a Coca-Cola
from a local drugstore. He was told that if he wanted to buy one that he would have to drink it in the back and not at
the counter. Confused, Forman asked why and was told "Boy, you're a nigger." This was the first time in his life he
realized that because of the color of his skin that there were "things [he] could and could not do, and other people had
the ‘right’ to tell [him] what [he] could and could not do.
The following examples show how a topic sentence (in bold) can unify a paragraph and how by introducing the
paragraph’s topic the sentence makes it easier for a reader to follow the main point:
Fruits contain many nutrients and offer a variety of health benefits. Oranges contain Vitamin C, a vitamin that
people widely recognize as helpful in maintaining immunity and fighting colds. The high potassium and low sodium
contents in bananas help regulate blood pressure. Apples have fiber, which aids the body’s digestive system. The
antioxidants in blueberries aid the body in many ways, including by reducing free radicals.
A post-secondary education can have very positive effects on income and employment. Numerous studies
conducted in the United States over the past ten years have demonstrated that earnings for anyone with a postsecondary education are on average twenty percent higher than the earnings of those whose education stopped with a
high school diploma. Incomes are higher still for those with four-year degrees, and even higher at the master’s and
doctoral levels. Regardless of the post-secondary degree level, graduates are fifteen percent less likely to be laid off
in difficult economic times.10
Topic Sentence Exercise
Write a topic sentence for the following paragraph.
During the 1990s, I really enjoyed watching Friends on television every Thursday night. I really wanted
Rachel’s haircut—I think every girl wanted Rachel’s haircut back then! Rachel’s haircut went really well
with the Guess Jeans that were so popular in the 1990s. I remember all the advertisements for Guess and
Calvin Klein Jeans that were in each month’s Sassy magazine. I don’t think Sassy magazine exists
anymore, but it was one of the most popular magazines for young women in the 1990s.11
“Topic Sentences,” Purdue Owl Engagement, Date of Access, January 28, 2015,
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/29/.
9
10
“Topic Sentences,” Thompson Writing Program, Duke University, Date of Access, January 15, 2015,
http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/dws-topic-sentences-handout.original.pdf.
11
“Topic Sentences,” Purdue.
14
Footnotes
For this research paper you are required to properly cite your sources. This means that you will need to cite any ideas
that are not your own as well as direct quotations from the original source. This should be done in two places. First, you will
need to cite your sources in the text of your paper. You will be using Chicago-style footnotes, which can easily be formatted
using Microsoft Word. Second, as you already know you will include a bibliography at the end of the paper, a complete list of
the sources you consulted, whether or not you cited from them in the text of your paper.
 What information should I cite?
Keep in mind that history is the study and interpretation of facts, people, and ideas. As a result, most of the information on your
topic will come from a source other than your own mind. Much of your paper will be cited and that’s okay. Anytime you utilize
information from a source, you should cite it, but you should also provide your own analysis of the information. As a quick
reference, you should cite quotes, ideas (that aren’t your own), and facts that are so specific they could only come from a book.
Do cite: From 1934 to 1936, General Motors paid $994,855 to spy on its workers.
Don’t cite: The bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed many Japanese civilians.
Formatting your footnotes requires careful attention to detail. You will be citing most often from one of three types of
sources: a book with one author, a magazine article with one author and a website. Listed below are the basic forms for each of
these sources. If you find a source that does not fit one of these models, you can check the Redwood High School library
website (http://rhsweb.org/library/) to find the proper format for your source.
An important note on citations: AVOID WEBSITES THAT ARE BRIEF SUMMARIES OF THE SAME INFO
OVER & OVER. Strictly speaking, information that can be found in multiple sources is considered common knowledge and
is not cited. Remember that footnotes run in a continuous sequence from the beginning of your paper until the end. That means
you will only have one footnote in your paper with the number 1—that will be the very first footnote of your paper. The second
footnote will be numbered 2 and so on.
REMEMBER: EVERY FOOTNOTED CITATION MUST ALSO APPEAR ON THE BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE
In addition to the basic footnote examples below, the following link will show you how to properly format footnotes from
a myriad of source types:
http://history.hanover.edu/courses/handouts/footnotes.htm
Book with one author:
Author’s first name, Author’s last name, Title of book (italicized) (City of publication: Publisher, Year published),
page number where you obtained the idea from.
1
1
Eleanor Flexner, Century of Struggle: The Woman's Rights Movement in the United States (New York: Atheneum,
1959), 155.
Magazine or Newspaper article with one author:
2
Author’s first name, Author’s last name, “Title of article,” Name of magazine or newspaper the article came from,
date of publication, page number of the article.
2
Barbara W. Tuchman, “If Asia Were Clay in the Hands of the West,” Atlantic, September 1970, p. 72.
A website with name of author given:
3
Author’s first name, “Title of article,” Publisher of website, date accessed, web address.
3
William Howland Kenney, “Jazz on the River: Louis Armstrong and Riverboat Culture,” University of Chicago, Date
of Access October 19, 2014, http://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/437337.html.
A website with no author given:
4
“Title of article,” Publisher of website, date accessed, web address.
“McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy Safety Facts,” McDonald’s Corporation, Date of Access July 19, 2008,
http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about/factsheets.html.
4
Note: Single-space within a footnote and double-space between footnotes.
15
Can you locate the eleven errors in the following
example footnotes at the bottom of this page?
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14
12
McGovern, George, The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our Time (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), pg. 100.
13
Ibid., 214.
Gandy and Alimuddin Zumla, The Return of the White Plague : Global Poverty and the "New" Tuberculosis (Verso, New
York 2003), pg. 223.
“Alice Paul,” Americans Who Tell The Truth, http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/alice-paul, Date of
Access February 22, 2014.
16
The Civil War, a Narrative: Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote. (New York: Vintage, 1986), pg. 110.
15
17
Foote, Civil War, 177
16
Plagiarism vs. Citing Sources Properly
Plagiarism is copying even one sentence from a source, “semi-copying” or altering some words from a
source, or taking someone else’s ideas and not giving them explicit credit. Plagiarism is a serious offence
and will result in an F for this entire research paper. Here are some ups to help you avoid that trap:
What information should I cite?
History is the study and interpretation of events, people, and ideas. As a result, most of the information
about your topic will come from a source other than your own mind. Much of your paper will be cited and
that’s okay—in fact, that’s the way it should be! Anytime you utilize information from a source, you
should cite it, but you should also provide your own analysis of the information.
For example, the following helpful hints come from another source:
 “Document EVERY quotation, paragraph, or crucial idea that you borrow from a source.”
 “Document those facts which you cannot consider common textbook knowledge––
especially those which could be controversial or which are crucial to the development of
your argument, thesis, or narrative”
 “If there get to be too many citations, combine some or all that refer to a given paragraph.
However, never make one citation cover material in more than one paragraph.”
 “When in doubt, footnote.” 18
Rules for Avoiding Plagiarism
IF…
THEN…
The information is common knowledge
You do not need a citation.
The words are your own
AND
The idea is your own
The words are someone else’s
The words are your own BUT the idea
is someone else’s
You do not need a citation.
Place them in quotation marks AND
include
a citation.
Acknowledge the author of the idea by
referring to him or her in the text AND
include a citation.
Reminders about citing quotations effectively:
Keep quotations to a minimum, and use only those that add a particular flair to your paper or are
needed because paraphrasing them would make them lose their meaning. You should only quote someone
who was directly involved in the history, not the author of a textbook. You should always mention who
said or wrote the quotation.
In addition, quotations from sources cannot simply be dropped into your paper; even if a quotation
is relevant, you cannot assume that its significance is immediately obvious to your readers. Always make it
clear to your quotation supports your argument.19
Theron Schlabach, “The Ten Commandments of Good Historical Writing,” Date of Access, January 29, 2015,
http://www.geraldschlabach.net/about/relationships/benedictine/courses/handouts/historical-writing/.
18
19
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 3rd ed. (Boston: Bedford Books/St. Martin's Press,
2001), pg. 37.
17
Examples of How to Cite Direct Quotations and Paraphrases
Determining what information in your paper needs a citation can seem a difficult task for
students. Of course, you must cite any information that is directly quoted from any work you consult
in your research. Just as importantly, you must cite any material that you have paraphrased or
summarized the author’s ideas into your own words. In this case you may not have borrowed the
exact passage from another source, but you have borrowed their idea. Below is is an original passage
from Clarice Stasz’ book, The Vanderbilt Women, followed by an example of how information from
that source is used and cited.
Despite her inflammatory rhetoric, Alva was not yet ready to ape [imitate] the Pankhursts. While
she admired their courage and befriended them, initially Alva was like other American suffragettes of the
day, which is to say a constitutionalist, committed to change through law. Thus when she returned, she
decided to put both her money and her energies behind NAWSA [the National American Woman Suffrage
Association], and its equivalent New York state organization. Recognizing the importance of sufficient
office space she bought 505 Fifth Avenue, providing it virtually rent free to the two organizations,
furnished it, and underwrote the majority of the operating expenses. She also established the National
Press Bureau, in the same building, to serve as a major public relations branch of the suffrage movement.
This latter creation in itself was to be a significant boost to the cause because it centralized suffrage
publicity and sent it out to papers and magazines throughout the country.
The following paragraph provides two examples of each type of citation and provides the
appropriate footnotes.
During this period Alva Belmont was growing more and more committed to the suffrage cause. She
often talked about the importance of gaining votes for women, sometimes making statements that were
defiant and suggested a more aggressive spirit. Yet “despite her inflammatory rhetoric,” notes historian
Clarice Stasz, “Belmont was not yet ready to ape [imitate] the Pankhursts.”20 Belmont’s actions suggested
she was a bit more cautious than the British suffragettes led by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter, who
were known for their militant actions, which frequently landed them in prison. At that time, Alva much
preferred an approach centered on working with politicians of the day to get suffrage laws passed. To work
for a referendum in the state of New York, and to provide more centralized location for the NAWSA
headquarters, Belmont bought a building in New York City and allowed the NAWSA and the New York
state suffrage organization to use it as their headquarters without requiring them to pay rent. 21 Belmont’s
new-found cause was beginning to demand more of her energy and her vast financial resources.


Points to keep in mind:.
The first citation is a direct quote and the second is an example of the use of a paraphrased sentence.
Only the first footnote from any source needs to include all of the information about the source.
Subsequent footnotes should reference the author’s last name and the page number for the citation
or the author’s last name and title of the webpage. If you cite from the same source two or more
times in a row, you simply use the word Ibid and the page number to show that you have cited from
the same source as the previous footnote.
Clarice Stasz, The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour and Tragedy (New York: St. Martin’s Press,
1991), p. 213.
20
21
Ibid.
18
More on Plagiarism:
CITING SOURCES CORRECTLY: WHAT IS WRONG WITH
THESE PARAGRAPHS OF A STUDENT’S PAPER?
CAN YOU SPOT THE PLAGIARISM?
Many people say we are now in the Internet Age. This means people use the internet for everything: from
finding a restaurant to researching a long paper for history class. You might say that we could not live without the
internet! But does the internet make it too easy to plagiarize? The shifting pre-modern, modern, and post-modern
understandings of text and authorship show how the dominant modernist paradigm has always been filled with
tensions and ambiguities. These confusions around plagiarism lead to difficulties and hypocrisies in how textual
borrowing is understood.
Plagiarism is “academic dishonesty” and it could result in being kicked out of school. In order to not allow
this to happen it is important to understand the meaning of plagiarism. Plagiarism is “the action or practice of taking
someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft.” However, there are plagiarism
supporters who use others’ work and refuse to cite sources. “I think plagiarism should be OK, it is ridiculous how
nit-picky teachers and publishers are.” Sadly, this supporter does not see that stealing another’s ideas without
crediting them is not legitimate.
THIS IS MUCH BETTER…..
Many people say we are now in the Internet Age. This means people use the internet for everything: from
finding a restaurant to researching a long paper for history class. You might say that we could not live without the
internet! But does the internet make it too easy to plagiarize? Sometimes it is confusing to even know what
plagiarism is. According to Alistair Pennyworth, plagiarism expert from the University of Melbourne, in our modern
world it is hard to tell what is plagiarism and what is not. Because it is so muddled and confusing, there are many
difficulties that people have in understanding how to borrow text without plagiarizing. 22 One must put effort into
understanding, though, because plagiarism is considered by many to be a serious offense.
Plagiarism is “academic dishonesty” and it could result in being kicked out of school. In order to not allow
this to happen it is important to understand the meaning of plagiarism. According to the Oxford English dictionary,
plagiarism is taking words from another source without quoting and giving credit.23 Bob Smith of “Students in
Support of Plagiarism” (SSP) speaks out on his website against the harsh punishment afforded plagiarizers: “I think
plagiarism should be OK, it is ridiculous how nit-picky teachers and publishers are.”24 Sadly, this supporter does not
see that stealing another’s ideas without crediting them is not legitimate.
1.You got it—it was obvious that I plagiarized the section about “post-modern understandings of text and
authorship” because the “voice” was different than my own. I could have quoted that passage, but since it is highlevel academic language I chose to make it more understandable in my own words. HOWEVER, it is not my own
idea. This is why I gave credit to Mr. Pennyworth.
2. I needed to give credit to the Oxford English dictionary for the definition I gave.
3. It makes it more understandable that the person in support of plagiarisM belongs to an organization dedicated to
plagiarism. You, the reader, gain more understanding of his point of view now that it has been cited correctly.
22
Alistair Pennyworth, Plagiarism (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1999).
23
Oxford English Dictionary, Date of Access January 29, 2015,
http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/144939?redirectedFrom=plagiarism#eid.
24
Bob Smith, Students in Support of Plagiarism, 2006, Date of Access January 11, 2012,
http://inpraiseofcopying.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/.
19
Writing the Conclusion




There are many types of conclusions you can create. Consider the following general guidelines:
summarize the ideas in the work
•follow logically from the introduction and the body of the work
make reference to the intro and a provocative title •offer satisfying closure for the reader
provide writing with a feeling of finality
•SHOULD NOT introduce new, unrelated material
leave the reader with something to ponder
•SHOULD NOT restate the same words from your thesis/ topic sentences
Types of Conclusions
A conclusion, like an introduction, should support your writing purpose and personal goals. Typical methods for concluding your
writing are presented below on the following pages.
1. Restating the Main Idea You can sometimes conclude by simply restating the main idea in a deeper way, adding new
reflection.
Dinosaurs ruled the earth for 150 million years, but 65 million years ago their reign ended. Although there are still questions about what
caused their death, it seems clear that climate changes played a role. The dinosaurs’ failure to adapt to a new climate brought about their
downfall.
A similar way to conclude a composition is to summarize or restate the main ideas or topic sentences of the body paragraphs.
Each sentence in such a conclusion summarizes the ideas from a different body paragraph of the composition. Use synonyms!
2. Generalizing About the Information Given / Universalizing/ Making an Abstraction
You may want to conclude a composition by making a general statement about the information you have dealt with. The
following generalization ties together information about three separate artists. This technique may also make a point universal to
all situations.
Robert Frost didn’t publish his first book of poems until his mid-forties. Vladimir Horowitz, in his eighties, was still one of the
greatest pianists on earth. Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until her seventies, and she was still going strong in her nineties. Obviously,
age is no barrier to accomplishment in the arts.
3. Making a Prediction
In the following example, the writer concludes by speculating on the possibility of travel between stars sometime in the
distant future. Notice his unusual, but effective, technique of adding a one-sentence “clincher” at the end.
It is difficult to go to the stars. But it is not impossible. Not one, but many, many future-magic technologies, suitably modified and
redirected, can give the human race a magic starship that will take us to the stars. And go we will.
- Future Magic
4. Asking a Question
Writers sometimes conclude by asking a provocative question that sums up their opinions:
Leave your reader pondering!
Of all the causes that attract the attention of these young people, the plight of nature is one that may truly be a last call. Things wild
and free are being destroyed by the impersonality of our attitude toward the land. What better way to fight the destruction of nature than to
place in the hands of the young this powerful plea for a land ethic?
-Carolyn Leopold, A Sand Country Almanac
5. Making a Recommendation
Writers often conclude persuasive pieces with a recommendation for action or a suggestion about what we might have
learned.
It is a terrible, an inexorable law that one cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one’s own: in the face of one’s
victim, one sees oneself. Walk through the streets of Harlem and see what we, this nation, have become.
-James Baldwin, “Fifth Avenue
Uptown: A letter from Harlem”
6. Ending with the Last Event
Some narratives (storytelling pieces) simply end with the last incident. An analytical piece may somehow make reference
to the ending of the literature to relate to the topic of the paper.
Oh, Horror upon horror! - the ice opens suddenly to the right, and the left, and we are whiling dizzily round and round…The circles
grow rapidly small - we are plunging madly within the grasp of the whirlpool - and amid a roaring, and bellowing, and thundering of ocean
tempest, the ship is quivering - oh God! - and - going down!
-Edgar Allen Poe, “MS Found in a Bottle”
And still more types!
7. End with a quotation. 8. Evoke a vivid image, perhaps related to your introduction. 9. Offer a judgment
10. Call for some sort of action to be taken. 11. End with a warning.
12. Suggest consequences. 13. Imagine the
future. 25
“Writing the Conclusion,” Woodside High School Senior Exhibition Project, Woodside High School, Date of Access
February 28, 2014, http://www.woodsidehs.org/+uploaded/file_20683.pdf.
20
25
Bibliography Instructions—See the last page of this packet
for a correctly formatted bibliography page








Should include all sources cited within the work and may sometimes include other relevant sources that were not
cited but that were read for more background information and context.
Should be arranged alphabetically by author’s last name; if no author or editor is listed, the title or keyword by
which the reader would search for the source may be used instead.
All entries in the bibliography will include the author, if available, (or editor, compiler, translator), title, and
publication information.
The author’s name is inverted in the bibliography, placing the last name first and separating the last name and
first name with a comma; for example, John Smith becomes Smith, John. (If an author is not listed first, this
applies to compilers, translators, etc.)
Titles of books and journals are italicized. Titles of articles, chapters, poems, etc. are placed in quotation marks.
The year of publication is listed after the publisher or journal name.
All major elements are separated by periods.
The first line of each entry is flush to the far left, but after that each line after that is indented in five spaces.
Note the differences between how the footnote is formatted and how the bibliography
entry will appear.
AND REMEMBER: EVERY FOOTNOTED CITATION MUST ALSO APPEAR ON
THE BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE
Book with one author:
Bibliography format:
Author’s last name, First name. Title of book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Flexner, Eleanor. Century of Struggle: The Woman’s Rights Movement in the United States.
New York: Atheneum, 1959.
Magazine or Newspaper article with one author:
Bibliography format:
Author’s last name, First name. “Title of article.” Name of newspaper or magazine. Date the article was
published. Page number(s) where the article appeared.
Tuchman, Barbara W. “If Asia Were Clay in the Hands of the West.” Atlantic, September 1970,
pp. 68-84.
On-line book:
Bibliography format:
Author’s last name, First name. Title of book [book on-line]. City of publication, Publisher, Date of
Publication. Date accessed. Web address.
Mitchell, William J. City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn [book on-line]. Cambridge,
MA: MIT Press, 2010. Accessed 29 September 2011. http://www-mitpress.
mit.edu:80/City_of_Bits/Pulling_Glass/index.html; Internet.
21
A website with author known or unknown:
Include as much of the following as can be determined: author of the content, title of the page, title or owner of the site, URL, and
(often) date accessed. If there is no author per se, the owner of the site may stand in for the author.
[Author's Last Name, First Name. (if known)] "Title of the web site." Month
day, year of publication or last revision if available. Date of Access. URL.
Examples:
Kehoe, Brendan P. "Zen and the Art of the Internet." Last revised January 7, 2014. Date of Access March 3,
2014. http://freenet.buffalo.edu/~popmusic/zen10.txt.
Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees, “Evanston Public Library Strategic Plan, 2000–2010: A
Decade of Outreach,” Evanston Public Library, Date of Access March 2, 2014.
http://www.epl.org/library/strategic-plan-00.html.
22
Can you locate the 13 errors in the following example Bibliography?
Bibliography
Cornish, Dudley. The Sable Arm: Black Troops in the Union Army, 1861-65. Lawrence: University Press
of Kansas, 1987.
Wills, Brian. A Battle from the Start: The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Harper Collins: New York,
1992.
Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies: Communicative Capitalism and Left Politics. Dean, Jodi.
Durham: Duke University Press, 2009.
The New York Public Library. "History." Date of Access December 22, 2008.
http://www.nypl.org/pr/history.cfm.
Pennacchio, Charles. "The East German Communists and the Origins of the Berlin Blockade
Crisis." East European Quarterly, Vol. 29, no. 3 (Fall 1995). Accessed January 4, 2012.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/penna.htm.
Welter, Barbara, "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860." American Quarterly 18, No. 2 (1966); 15174. Date of Access August 8, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/.
Smith-Rosenberg, Carroll. "The Female World of Love and Ritual: Relations Between Women in
Nineteenth-Century America." Signs 1, no.1 (1975): 1-30.
Stephen Toulmin. Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernism. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/humanrights/.saz. United Nations. "Human Rights." Date of Access
May 29, 2013.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. The Healthy Woman: A
Complete Guide for All Ages. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2008.
Yetman, Norman. “Born in Slavery: An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives.” Library of Congress.
http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0104/slaves.html
23
Name of the Student Whose Work is Being Evaluated
______________________________________
Name of Student Who Evaluated the Work
______________________________________
FOUR SOURCE CARDS, TWENTY-FOUR INFORMATION
NOTECARDS RUBRIC
Source Card Check
YES
NO
N/A
YES
NO
N/A
Student has four completed Source Cards; All Source Cards are of the same color & a different color than info
cards
If not, how many has the student completed? _______________
All Source Cards Have a Source Card Number in the Upper Right Hand Corner
All Book/Periodical Sources Have the Author’s Name, Title & Subtitle, Necessary Publication Information—
city where published, publisher, year published, Edition (if not the first). If not, underline what specifically
they are missing.
All Internet Sources, including Books & Periodicals on-line, have the name/title of the webpage, date when
the webpage was created or last updated, the date of access (when the student logged on to the site), and
the complete web address. If not, underline what specifically they are missing.
Informational Notecards Check
Student has 24 completed informational notecards. If not, how many does student have? ___________
Student has at least 4 info cards for each source card
Source card number is referenced in the upper right corner of every information card, i.e. S.C.#2 Card #5
Subtopic, which identifies what part of the student’s outline the card provides evidence for, is written in the
upper left corner of each information card. If not, on how many cards is the subtopic identified? __________
All paraphrased and summarized information is clearly in the student’s own words.
No more than 4 of the info cards are direct quotations.
Information on all cards is legible, detailed, and specific enough to be useful in the student’s paper.
For information from books and/or periodicals, page numbers are referenced in the bottom right corner.
Underneath the information on the card, there is a brief analysis, stating to what degree the
information/notes help address the student’s Guiding Question
25
Extremely well done in all aspects
22-24 Very well done in all/most aspects
19-21 Overall well done, but there are some areas that can be improved upon
17-18
Incomplete and/or quite a bit of room for improvement
Below 17 Very incomplete and/or a lot of room for improvement
Overall Score: _______________
24
Name of the Student Whose Work is Being Evaluated
______________________________________
Name of Student Who Evaluated the Work
______________________________________
Outline Rubric
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory
No mistakes in any of
the following:
Outline is typed with 12point standard font, 1”
margins
Guiding Question and
thesis follow the heading
Correct use and spacing
of Roman numerals,
letters & correct
capitalization
1 mistakes in any of the
following:
Outline is typed with 12point standard font, 1”
margins
Guiding Question and
thesis follow the heading
Correct use and spacing
of Roman numerals,
letters & correct
capitalization
2-3 mistakes in any of the
following:
Outline is typed with 12point standard font, 1”
margins
Guiding Question and
thesis follow the heading
Correct use and spacing of
Roman numerals, letters &
correct capitalization
More than 3 mistakes in any
of the following:
Outline is typed with 12-point
standard font, 1” margins
Guiding Question and thesis
follow the heading
Correct use and spacing of
Roman numerals, letters &
correct capitalization
Each Roman numeral in
the outline very
effectively identifies a
topic supporting the
author’s answer to their
Guiding Question
Each Roman numeral in
the outline effectively
identifies a topic
supporting the author’s
answer to their Guiding
Question
One or more of the Roman
numerals does not identify a
topic supporting the author’s
answer to their Guiding
Question or does so only
tangentially
5+ Roman numerals
(topics) with two
subtopics per topic
(not incl. opening
vignette, Intro, or
Conclusion)
4 Roman numerals
(topics) with two
subtopics per topic
(not incl. opening
vignette, Intro, or
Conclusion)
Each topic in the outline
identifies a topic
supporting the author’s
answer to their Guiding
Question, but one or more
need to be reworded and/or
are not specific enough
4 Roman numerals (topics)
with two subtopics per
topic
(not incl. opening vignette,
Intro, or Conclusion)
Each Roman numeral
(topic) is broken down
into two or more specific
parts (subtopics) that
very effectively show
what information the
author will cover when
addressing that topic
Each Roman numeral
(topic) is broken down
into two or more specific
parts (subtopics) that
effectively show what
information the author
will cover when
addressing that topic
FORMATTING
CONTENT
Topics
support
answer to
Guiding
Question
Includes 5 +
topics with at
least 2
subtopics per
topic (not
incl. opening
vignette,
Intro, or
Conclusion)
Subtopics
support topics
Each Roman numeral
(topic) is broken down into
two or more specific parts
(subtopics), but one or
more need to be reworded
and/or are not specific
enough
Fewer than four Roman
numerals (topics)
AND/OR
Not all topics have at least 2
subtopics per topic
(not incl. opening vignette,
Intro, or Conclusion)
One or more of the subtopics
are not effectively related to
the topic
MECHANICS
Writing
No errors
1 error
2 errors
More than two errors:
follows
Spelling
conventions
Punctuation
of standard
Capitalization
English:
S/V agreement/verb tense
spelling,
Complete sentences instead of
punctuation,
phrasing
capitalization,
Lack of parallel structure
parallel
structure.
10 Extremely well done in all aspects
9 Very well done in all/most aspects
8 Overall well done, but there are some areas that can be improved upon
7 Satisfactorily completed most of the above, but quite a bit of room for improvement
6 Incomplete and/or very much room for improvement
Below 6 Very incomplete and/or vast room for improvement
Outline Grade: ____________
25
Name of the Student Whose Work is Being Evaluated
______________________________________
Name of Student Who Evaluated the Work
______________________________________
RUBRIC—OPENING VIGNETTE & INTRO PARAGRAPH WITH THESIS
Write the paper’s GUIDING QUESTION HERE: _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
YES, Very
Well Done
Opening Vignette
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Does the opening vignette capture the interest of the reader by providing a brief (no more than ½
page) scene that focuses on an important historical moment and/or character related to the Guiding
Question of the paper?
Does the writer use accurate facts and details to create an interesting and believable introduction to
the paper?
Does the writer use an effective transition sentence to make a smooth transition from the opening
vignette to the introductory paragraph?
3
Does the paper have what appears to be a thesis statement? If so, write it here:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Intro Paragraph & Thesis
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
In the introductory paragraph, does the author provide details of the time and place that is the
subject of the paper?
Does the focus thesis statement give a very clear answer to the Guiding Question?
Is the focus thesis statement both arguable and provable?
Is the focus thesis statement powerful and persuasive, sophisticated and original?
Does the introductory paragraph outline the argument of the paper with reference to several
subtopics related to the main topic (organizational thesis)?
Written Expression
NO
Is the author’s work entirely free of spelling errors? (0 errors very well done; 1 error adequately
done; more than 1 error not adequately done)
Is the author’s work entirely free of grammar errors? (0 errors very well done; 1 error adequately
done; more than 1 error not adequately done)
Has the student successfully avoided using the first or second person voice (I, you, we)?
15
13-15
12
11
9-10
Extremely well done in all aspects
Very well done in all/most aspects
Overall well done, but there are some areas that can be improved upon
Satisfactorily completed most of the above, but quite a bit of room for improvement
Incomplete and/or very much room for improvement
Below 9
Very incomplete and/or vast room for improvement
Overall Score: ________
26
Name of the Student Whose Work is Being Evaluated
______________________________________
Name of Student Who Evaluated the Work
______________________________________
RUBRIC—FIRST THREE PAGES OF THE BODY OF
RESEARCH PAPER W/FOOTNOTES
Write the paper’s GUIDING QUESTION HERE:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Format
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Has the author turned in the following in this order: title page, opening vignette and intro
paragraph, first three pages of the body of the paper?
Has the student written 3+ complete pages (not including title page, vignette or intro paragraph),
double-spaced using 12-point Times Roman font with one inch margins?
If not, how many pages has the student completed? _________
Has the student avoided having extra space between paragraphs?
Title Page
Is there a title page with the complete Guiding Question, the title of the paper, the student’s name,
teacher’s name, and date submitted?
Does the title both use vivid, impactful language that captures the interest of the reader and
reflects the THESIS of the paper?
Does the paper have what appears to be a thesis statement? If so, write it here: _______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thesis to Be Proved
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Does the thesis statement give a clear answer to the Guiding Question, and is it both arguable and
provable (focus thesis statement)?
Does the thesis statement include mention of the topics that the author will use to prove their
argument (organizational thesis)?
Is the thesis statement powerful and persuasive, sophisticated and original?
27
Body of the Paper
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Does the paper give the reader 1-2 appropriate history/background information paragraphs
necessary to understand the rest of the paper?
Does each body paragraph start with a topic sentence that both makes an assertion supported by
evidence in the paragraph and offers part of the answer to the Guiding Question?
Circle any of the following that apply:
Entire essay is very thoughtfully organized with very effective, relevant topic sentences.
Essay is organized with effective and relevant topic sentences.
Adequate organization with relevant and adequately effective topic sentences.
Topic sentences do not tie back clearly enough to the stated thesis or the Guiding Question.
One or two topic sentences do not reflect the content of that paragraph.
In three or more paragraphs the concrete details are unrelated to the topic sentences.
Read through just the topic sentences of the paper. Do they give the paper an effective flow?
Does the paper have strong transition sentences that smoothly move the reader from one
paragraph to the next?
Evidence: Does the paper display excellent research with
ample and appropriate examples at all times?
Analysis: Does the author always relate their evidence directly
to the thesis or topic sentence?
Are any direct quotations the student has used not simply “stuck” into the paper--are they both
attributed to a specific person (i.e. According to Harvard Professor Bernard Johnson . . . ) and
blended into the student’s text (not stand alone sentences)?
Written Expression
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
As far as you can tell, is the paper entirely in the student’s own words except in the rare case of a
direct quote? If there are any places where the language used appears to be at a level of
sophistication set apart from the rest of the paper, list page numbers and questionable phrases
here:
Is the paper entirely free of spelling errors? (0-2 errors very well done; 3-5 errors adequately
done; more than 5 errors not adequately done)
Is the paper entirely free of grammar errors? (0-2 errors very well done; 3-5 errors adequately
done; more than 5 errors not adequately done)
28
YES, Very
Well Done
Written Expression continued
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Has the student successfully avoided using contractions and the first or second person voice (I, you,
we) in the paper?
Is the student’s written expression clear, formal, specific, and devoid of slang, profanity and
inappropriate language?
If any of these are present, identify page numbers and the improper words used:
Footnotes
How many footnotes does the student’s paper have? ______
How many primary sources has the author used?
______
How many book sources has the author used?
______
Magazine/newspaper articles? _______
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
As far as you can tell, has the student cited all places where information has been taken from a
source, whether it is paraphrased, summarized, or directly quoted?
Is the first line of each citation indented ½” and after that is every additional line flush
all the way to the left?
Are the student’s footnotes formatted correctly as far as having the correct information, in the
correct order, with commas separating each bit of information?

Website footnotes should have author (first name first last name last), if given, title of
webpage/title of article (italicized), date posted/last revised if available, date accessed, and
entire web address.

Also, footnotes should be single-spaced within each footnote and double-spaced
between footnotes.
¹William Mitchell, City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn, Last Revised February
17,2013, Date of Access March 22, 2014, http://www-mitpress.mit.edu:80/City_of_Bits/Pulling_
Glass/index.html.
²Poverty in the United States: A Snapshot, National Center for Law and Economic Justice,
Date of Access April 14, 2013, http://www.nclej.org/poverty-in-the-us.php.

Book footnotes should have author (first name first, last name last), title of book
(italicized), city of publication, publisher, year of publication, and page number cited
from.
³Eleanor Flexner, Century of Struggle: The Woman’s Rights Movement in the United States
(New York: Antheneum, 1959), pg. 155.
56-60
Extremely well done in all aspects
53-55
Very well done in all/most aspects
48-52
Overall well done, but there are some areas that can be improved upon
42-47
Satisfactorily completed most of the above, but quite a bit of room for improvement
36-41
Incomplete and/or very much room for improvement
Below 36
Very incomplete and/or vast room for improvement
Overall Score: _______________
29
Name of the Student Whose Work is Being Evaluated
______________________________________
Name of Student Who Evaluated the Work
______________________________________
RUBRIC—FINAL PAPER
Write the paper’s GUIDING QUESTION HERE:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Format
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Is the student’s paper in the following order: title page, paper, and bibliography?
Has the student written 6-7 complete pages (not including title page, or bibliography), doublespaced using 12-point Times Roman font with one inch margins?
If not, how many pages has the student completed? _________
Has the student avoided having extra space between paragraphs?
Title Page
Is there a title page with the complete Guiding Question, the title of the paper, the student’s name,
teacher’s name, and date submitted?
Does the title both use vivid, impactful language that captures the interest of the reader and
reflects the THESIS of the paper?
Does the paper have what appears to be a thesis statement? If so, write it here: _______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction, Thesis and Conclusion
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Does the paper have a clear, strong opening vignette (first paragraph) that captures the interest of
the reader?
Does the paper have an introduction (second paragraph) that clearly sets out the issue to be
discussed?
Is the thesis statement powerful and persuasive, sophisticated and original?
Does the thesis statement give a clear answer to the Guiding Question, and is it both arguable and
provable (focus thesis statement)?
Does the thesis statement include mention of the topics that the author will use to prove their
argument (organizational thesis)?
Does the conclusion of the paper connect back to the thesis? Does the conclusion answer the
question “so what?”
30
Body of the Paper
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Does the paper give the reader 1-2 appropriate history/background information paragraphs
necessary to understand the rest of the paper?
Does each body paragraph start with a topic sentence that both makes an assertion supported by
evidence in the paragraph and offers part of the answer to the Guiding Question?
Circle any of the following that apply:
Entire essay is very thoughtfully organized with very effective, relevant topic sentences.
Essay is organized with effective and relevant topic sentences.
Adequate organization with relevant and adequately effective topic sentences.
Topic sentences do not tie back clearly enough to the stated thesis or the Guiding Question.
One or two topic sentences do not reflect the content of that paragraph.
In three or more paragraphs the concrete details are unrelated to the topic sentences.
Read through just the topic sentences of the paper. Do they give the paper an effective flow?
Does the paper have strong transition sentences that smoothly move the reader from one
paragraph to the next?
Evidence: Does the paper display excellent research with
ample and appropriate examples at all times?
Analysis: Does the author always relate their evidence directly
to the thesis or topic sentence?
Are any direct quotations the student has used not simply “stuck” into the paper--are they both
attributed to a specific person (i.e. According to Harvard Professor Bernard Johnson . . . ) and
blended into the student’s text (not stand alone sentences)?
Written Expression
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
As far as you can tell, is the paper entirely in the student’s own words except in the rare case of a
direct quote? If there are any places where the language used appears to be at a level of
sophistication set apart from the rest of the paper, list page numbers and questionable phrases
here:
Is the paper entirely free of spelling errors? (0-2 errors very well done; 3-5 errors adequately
done; more than 5 errors not adequately done)
Is the paper entirely free of grammar errors? (0-2 errors very well done; 3-5 errors adequately
done; more than 5 errors not adequately done)
31
YES, Very
Well Done
Written Expression continued
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
Has the student successfully avoided using contractions and the first or second person voice (I, you,
we) in the paper?
Is the student’s written expression clear, formal, specific, and devoid of slang, profanity and
inappropriate language?
If any of these are present, identify page numbers and the improper words used:
Footnotes
How many footnotes does the student’s paper have? ______
How many primary sources has the author used?
______
How many book sources has the author used?
______
Magazine/newspaper articles? _______
YES, Very
Well Done
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
As far as you can tell, has the student cited all places where information has been taken from a
source, whether it is paraphrased, summarized, or directly quoted?
Is the first line of each citation indented ½” and after that is every additional line flush
all the way to the left?
Are the student’s footnotes formatted correctly as far as having the correct information, in the
correct order, with commas separating each bit of information?

Website footnotes should have author (first name first last name last), if given, title of
webpage/title of article (italicized), date posted/last revised if available, date accessed, and
entire web address.

Also, footnotes should be single-spaced within each footnote and double-spaced
between footnotes.
¹William Mitchell, City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn, Last Revised February
17,2013, Date of Access March 22, 2014, http://www-mitpress.mit.edu:80/City_of_Bits/Pulling_
Glass/index.html.
²Poverty in the United States: A Snapshot, National Center for Law and Economic Justice,
Date of Access April 14, 2013, http://www.nclej.org/poverty-in-the-us.php.

Book footnotes should have author (first name first, last name last), title of book
(italicized), city of publication, publisher, year of publication, and page number cited
from.
³Eleanor Flexner, Century of Struggle: The Woman’s Rights Movement in the United States
(New York: Antheneum, 1959), pg. 155.
32
YES, Very
Well Done
Bibliography
YES,
Adequately
Done
NO
In addition to footnotes, does the student have a separate Bibliography?
Has the student’s bibliography been correctly formatted according to Chicago format?
The first line of each entry should be flush all the way to the left & every line after should be indented 5 spaces.
Entries should be listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name or title of article/webpage.
There should be a period after each “chunk” of information, i.e. name, title, publication info, web address, etc.
Flexner, Eleanor. Century of Struggle: The Woman’s Rights Movement in the United States. New
York: Antheneum, 1959.
Mitchell, William. City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn. Last Revised February 17, 2013.
Date of Access March 20, 2014. http://www-mitpress.mit.edu:80/City_of_Bits/Pulling_Glass
/index.html.
Poverty in the United States: A Snapshot. National Center for Law and Economic Justice. Date of
Access October 14, 2013. http://www.nclej.org/poverty-in-the-us.php.
190-200
Extremely well done in all aspects
175-189
Very well done in all/most aspects
160-174
Overall well done, but there are some areas that can be improved upon
140-159
Satisfactorily completed most of the above, but quite a bit of room for improvement
120-139
Incomplete and/or very much room for improvement
Below 120
Very incomplete and/or vast room for improvement
Overall Score: _______________
33
Bibliography
“Alice Paul.” Americans Who Tell The Truth. Date of Access February 22, 2014.
http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/alice-paul.
Foote, Shelby. The Civil War, a Narrative: Red River to Appomattox. New York: Vintage, 1986.
"House Un-American Activities Committee". Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. National Park
Service. Date of Access February 27, 2014. http://www.nps.gov/elro/index.htm.
McGovern, George. The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our Time. New York: Simon & Schuster,
2001.
Oxford English Dictionary. Date of Access January 29, 2015.
http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/144939?redirectedFrom=plagiarism#eid.
Pennyworth, Alistair. Plagiarism. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1999.
Purdue Owl. “Developing an Outline.” Date of Access February 26, 2014.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/.
Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford Books/St. Martin's
Press, 2001.
Schlabach, Theron. “The Ten Commandments of Good Historical Writing.” Date of Access, January 29,
2015. http://www.geraldschlabach.net/about/relationships/benedictine/courses/handouts/historicalwriting/.
Sipher, Roger. “So That Nobody Has to Go to School If They Don't Want To.” The New York
Times. December 19, 1977. Page 31.
Smith, Bob. Students in Support of Plagiarism, 2006, Date of Access January 11, 2012.
http://inpraiseofcopying.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/.
Stasz, Clarice. The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour and Tragedy. New York: St. Martin’s
Press, 1991.
Stewart, Amy. How To: Outlining a Research Paper. University of Southern Florida.
http://www.eng.usf.edu/~cunning/CGN6933-drinkingwater/CGN6933-drinkingwaterproject/HowToOutline.pdf.
“Topic Sentences.” Purdue Owl Engagement. Date of Access, January 28, 2015.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/29/.
“Topic Sentences.” Thompson Writing Program. Duke University. Date of Access, January 15, 2015.
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