Trail of Tears
Project 2 addresses the following course outcomes:
Illustrate the impact of historical thinking on personal and professional experiences
Select appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in investigating foundational historic events
Communicate effectively to specific audiences in examining fundamental aspects of human history
Utilize historical evidence in drawing conclusions about the impact of historic events on American society
Apply key approaches to studying history in addressing critical questions related to historical narratives and perspectives
PROMPT
Introduction: In this section of your essay, you will introduce your readers to the historical event you selected. Specifically, you should:
A. Provide a brief overview of your historical event. For instance, what background information or context does the reader of your essay need?
B. Based on your research question, develop a thesis statement that states your claim about the historical event you selected. Your thesis
statement should be clear, specific, and arguable, as it will give direction to the rest of your essay.
II. Body: You will use this section of your essay to provide further detail about your historical event while supporting the claim you made in your topic
statement. Make sure to cite your sources. Specifically, you should:
A. Describe the causes of the historical event. In other words, what were the underlying factors that led to the historical event? Were there any
immediate causes that precipitated the event?
B. Illustrate the course of your historical event. In other words, tell the story or narrative of your event. Who were the important participants? What did they do? Why? How do the perspectives of the key participants differ?
C. Describe the immediate and long-term consequences of the historical event for American society. In other words, how did the event impact
American society?
D. Discuss the historical evidence that supports your conclusions about the impact of the event on American society. Support your response with
specific examples from your sources.
III. Conclusion: In this section of your essay, you will discuss the impact of historical thinking. Specifically, you should:
A. Explain why this historical event is important to you personally. In other words, why did you select this event to research?
B. Illustrate how your research of the historical event impacted the way you thought about the event. In other words, how did thinking like a
historian change the lens through which you viewed the event? Support your response with specific examples.
C. Explain how a historian would pursue further study of your thesis statement. In other words, if a historian were to continue researching your
thesis statement, what would be the future directions or next steps
