Historical Argument
OCTOBER 3, 2013
Argument
AN ARGUMENT IS AN ATTEMPT TO
ESTABLISH THE TRUTH OF A CLAIM.
AN ARGUMENT OFTEN INCLUDES
PREMISES, OR SUPPORTING
ARGUMENTS.
Arguments and Explanations

ARGUMENTS DIFFER FROM EXPLANATIONS.
ARGUMENTS ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH THE
TRUTH OF SOME CLAIM.
 EXPLANATIONS ASSUME THE TRUTH OF A
CLAIM, AND MERELY TRY TO SHOW HOW IT
CAME ABOUT, WHAT CAUSED IT, HOW IT
WORKS, ETC..
For Example…
ARGUMENT: ROVER HAS FLEAS. HE’S
BEEN SCRATCHING ALL DAY.
(WILL TRY TO PROVE THAT ROVER HAS
FLEAS)
EXPLANATION: ROVER HAS FLEAS. THE
NEIGHBOR’S DOG HAS FLEAS, AND HE’S
BEEN PLAYING WITH HIM ALL MORNING.
(ASSUMES THE FLEAS AND EXPLAINS
WHY)
Argument Premises
Independent
Dependent
 Independent premises are
 Dependent premises are
premises that do not rely
on each other as support
for the conclusion.
 If the assumption that a
premise is false does not
cancel the support another
premise provides for the
conclusion, the premises
are independent.
 Textbooks tend to have
independent premises.
premises that depend on
one another as support
for their conclusion.
 If the assumption that a
premise is false cancels
the support another
provides for the
conclusion, the premises
are dependent.
Premises
Independent
Dependent
 Example: [Premise]
 Example: [Premise]
Raising the speed limit will
wear out the highways
faster. [Premise] In
addition, doing so will
result in more highway
deaths. [Main Argument]
Therefore, we should not
raise the speed limit.
 You can view it as two
separate arguments with
the same conclusion.
Raising the speed limit
will waste gas.
[Premise] We don’t
have any gas to waste.
Therefore, [Main
Argument] we should
not raise the speed
limit.
However…
•WHILE IDENTIFYING PREMISES CAN
OFTEN HELP STUDENTS IDENTIFY AN
ARGUMENT,
•AND EXPLANATIONS CAN OFTEN SERVE AS
PREMISES,
• BOTH PREMISES AND MAIN ARGUMENTS
ARE SOMETIMES UNSTATED,
PARTICULARLY IN TEXTBOOKS.
•SO, HOW DO WE HELP STUDENTS
IDENTIFY AND UNDERSTAND THE
ARGUMENT?
Key Words and Phrases Can Help
For Premises
For Main Arguments
 Since...













 For...
 Because...
 In view of…
 Given that…
It follows that...
We may conclude that...
This serves to show that...
Thus...
This suggests that...
This proves that..
Hence...
Accordingly...
Consequently...
So...
Therefore...
This shows that...
This implies that…
But in the end…
 There is no magic bullet.
 The only real way to help kids identify the argument
is to practice.
 Primary sources are often easier in this regard than
textbooks, which tend to obscure their arguments
under a cloak of neutrality and balance.
Sentence by sentence..
 Read a sentence. Is it a fact? An explanation? A
clear opinion/interpretation/argument? Label the
sentence in the margin (F, E, A).
 Read the next sentence, etc.
 Go back and look at explanations and arguments.
Which ones serve as premises for another (main)
argument? Label those with a P. What is that main
argument?
 Is the argument explicit or implicit? If it’s implicit,
summarize it in the margin.
Paragraph by Paragraph..
 Identify the main argument in each paragraph.
 Does the main argument of one paragraph serve as a
premise for the main argument of another?
 Which paragraph(s) contain the main argument the
author of the source is trying to make?
 **Note: There will probably be some debate about all
of this. That’s as much a part of the intellectual
process as anything. Just make the kids justify their
answers.
Textbooks
 Read and discuss the section heading. Discuss what the
heading is asking the reader to look for. Note that
headings often contain implicit arguments.
 Go through the same process as with a primary source.
 Textbook paragraphs are more likely to serve as
explanations to an implicit argument (often indicated by
the heading) than paragraphs in other sources.
 However, this is complicated by the fact that textbooks
often just stick in information that needs to be covered
and that doesn’t clearly tie in with any argument.
Nehru on Building a Modern Nation
The octopus of war grips and strangles the world…
India: Democracy, Progress, and Problems
India adopted a British-style parliamentary system,
with democratic rights guaranteed for all…
Standards
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly
and to make logical inferences. CCRA R.1
Analyze the structure of texts. CCRA R.5
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific
claims in a text. CCRA R.8