How To Write A Successful History Essay For Highschoolers, how to write a good history essay.

How to write a good history essay

For example, the Iliad by Homer would be considered as a primary source when writing about The Trojan War.

The risk of having convoluted language is also that you can end up becoming redundant, which can bore the reader. It is better that you have simple, language to communicate your argument clearly than have unnecessary words that doesn't make sense.

A secondary source would the movie 'Troy' when talking about The Trojan War.

Within history essays, it is mostly expected that you would use past tense. The exception to this is to use present tense only when speaking of other historians, or (rarely) when your subject is a text itself.

The Movie 'Troy'

How to write a good history essay


Long quotes that exceed three lines should not be used within the paragraph. If it's necessary, it should be used as an indented quote. In an MLA format you should start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented ½ inch from the left margin

Most when unsure about their own judgement would be tempted to use the word 'may' or 'perhaps.'

An essay must have an introductory paragraph that lets your reader know what your thesis is and what the main points of your argument will be. The first sentence should be a direct response to the question that is presented or what you're trying to argue.

How to write a good history essay

If you wanted to write a longer essay, you could include additional paragraphs under the ‘YES/AND’ category, perhaps discussing the ways in which Curley’s wife reveals her vulnerability and insecurities and shares her dreams with the other characters

It’s important to set out your line of argument in your introduction, introducing your main points and the general direction your essay will take, but don’t forget to keep something back for the conclusion, too. Yes, you need to summarise your main points, but if you’re just repeating the things you said in your introduction, the essay itself is rendered pointless.

  • YES – descriptions of her appearance
  • AND – other people’s attitudes towards her
  • BUT – her position as the only woman on the ranch gives her power as she uses her femininity to advantage

Think of your conclusion as the climax of your speech, the bit everything else has been leading up to, rather than the boring plenary at the end of the interesting stuff.

2. Have a clear structure

How to write a good history essay

The rhetorical question “An’ what am I doin’?” signifies that Curley’s wife is very insecure

  • Tricolon – a group of three words or phrases placed close together for emphasis
  • Tautology – using different words that mean the same thing, eg ‘frightening’ and ‘terrifying’
  • Parallelism – ABAB structure

    T his may sound time-consuming, but if you make a really good plan you will actually save yourself time when it comes to writing the essay, as you’ll know where your answer is headed and won’t write yourself into a corner. Don’t worry if you’re stuck at first – jot down a few ideas anyway and chances are the rest will follow. I find it easiest to make a mind map, with each new ‘bubble’ representing one of my main paragraphs. I then write quotations which will be useful for my analysis around the bubble.

    How to write a good history essay

    Virginia has been a university English instructor for over 20 years. She specializes in helping people write essays faster and easier.

    How to change your brake pads. How to make a perfect coffee. How to live on Top Raman for a year.

    How do viruses evolve? How do birds migrate? How does photosynthesis happen? How is aluminum made?

    How to attract butterflies to your garden. How to photograph butterflies with your phone.

    How to Choose a Topic

    How to write a good history essay

    Know Your Audience: You can vary the way you write this topic depending on who your audience is. For instance, depending on the knowledge of your audience, you can write several different essays on the simple topic of “How to Shoot a Free Throw":

    1. What is the history of marriage?
    2. What is the history of divorce in America?
    3. What is the history of the Civil Rights Movement (or abolitionism or temperance)?
    4. What is the history of the Tea Party (or another political movement)?
    5. What is the history of the feminist movement (or the movement to get the vote for women)?
    6. What is the history of the Black Lives Matter movement?
    7. What is the history of the Nanjing Massacre (or any other war atrocity)?
    8. What is the history of the tensions between China and Taiwan (or any other two countries in tension)?
    9. What is the history of the U.S.'s stance toward illegal immigrants?
    10. What is the history of how football became the favorite national sport in the U.S.?
    11. What is the history of the Branch Davidians in Waco (or another cult group)?
    12. What is the geological history of Texas (or any other part of the world)?
    13. What is the history of the creationism vs. evolution debate in the United States?
    14. What is the history of the homeschooling movement (or charter schools, or vouchers)?
    15. What is the history of the Libertarian Party (or other political party) in the United States?
    16. What is the history of Greenpeace (or another ecology movement)?
    17. What is the history of the translation of the Bible into other languages?
    18. What is the history of coffee (or tea, Dr. Pepper, or Coke)?
    19. What is the history of the development of computers (or binary code, or computer language)?
    20. What is the history of women's swimwear (or other fashion)?
    21. What is the history of the development of state lotteries in the U.S.?
    22. What is the history of McDonald's (or any other fast food chain)?
    23. What is the history of life (or death or another type of) insurance?
    24. What is the history of Harvard University (or another college, or program in a college)?
    25. What is the history of the Empire State Building (or another famous building or landmark)?

    Answer: Since Prabandha is a medieval Indian Sanskrit literary genre, you probably need to be a bit more specific about what "meaning" you are talking about. Try these topics:

    How to write a good history essay

    Y ou can keep adding to this plan, crossing bits out and linking the different bubbles when you spot connections between them. Even though you won’t have time to make such a detailed plan under exam conditions, it can be helpful just to sketch a brief one, including a few key words, so that you don’t panic and go off topic when writing your essay. If you don’t like the mind map format, there are plenty of others to choose from: you could make a table, a flowchart, or simply a list of bullet points.

    Anyone can write an essay using the tips above, but the thing that really makes it ‘perfect’ is your own unique take on the topic you’re discussing. If you’ve noticed something intriguing or unusual in your reading, point it out: if you find it interesting, chances are the examiner will too.

    Creative writing and essay writing are more closely linked than you might imagine

    Think about this while you are planning. Your essay is like an argument or a speech – it needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question. Start with the basics: it is best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs. Three main paragraphs is a good number for an exam essay, since you will be under time pressure. Organise your points in a pattern of YES (agreement with the question) – AND (another ‘YES’ point) – BUT (disagreement or complication) if you agree with the question overall, or YES – BUT – AND if you disagree. This will ensure that you are always focused on your argument and don’t stray too far from the question.

    1. Plan

    How to write a good history essay

    The rhetorical question “An’ what am I doin’?” signifies that Curley’s wife is very insecure

    Of course, this is not necessarily the only right way to answer this essay question: as long as you back up your points with evidence from the text, you can take any standpoint that makes sense.

    For example, if I was answering the question, To what extent is Curley’s wife portrayed as a victim in Of Mice and Men? I might begin a mind map which looks something like this:

    How to write a good history essay

    Some historical evidence claims that Leonardo da Vinci had dyslexia. As it is evident from historical facts, even the most significant and prominent historic personalities may have some conditions. Nonetheless, they did not prevent them from creating some world-famous artworks.

    1. The role of French Revolution in the formation of the world community.
    2. What was the outcome of British Colonialism for the world order?
    3. How did the Pope obtain His power in the Middle Ages?
    4. Personalities: What were the crucial moments of Hitler’s life that made him one of the greatest dictators of his generation?
    5. Are there any positive effects of the Second World War on the world community? What are they?
    6. Russian aggression in the world: Are we going to witness the Third World War?
    7. How does sexual revolution reflect the development of democratic principles in the world?
    8. What is the role of propaganda in the modern world versus ancient times?
    9. World terrorism: Is there really a noble aim in killing thousands of people?

    Can you find any justification factors for the world in Vietnam? What are the significant outcomes?

  • Do you believe that the Cold War could be finished before 1991? Do you agree that only the Soviet Union collapse could have led to the end of the Cold War? What other factors or events could have brought the Cold War to the end?

Interesting Research Paper Topics on History

How to write a good history essay

Who was the most heroic leader in human history? Prove and explain.

Imagine that you live in the USA in 1776. Do you see yourself as a revolutionist? When writing an essay on such topic , make sure to discuss what makes some people revolutionary.

If you have got an assignment to provide a history essay but you do not know how to structure it properly and what ideas to include, read the following history essay questions that will give you a hint on what constituents your history essay should have.

Was it possible for the USA to stay on a neutral position during the period of World War I? Discuss how Americans get involved in different military actions supporting particular countries. Investigate the reasons why people do it?

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