How to write a history paper

All essays must have a clear organizing principle. Effective ways to organize them include (1) chronological organization (though I would tend to avoid this approach as it tends to lead to far too much irrelevant narrative), (2) thematic organization (this is normally the best approach), (3) organization by geographical region (4) organization by social group, etc.

Thesis statement:

Your first paragraph must have a clear thesis statement that explicitly states your argument. Explain here both what the thesis of your essay is and how you will substantiate it.

Body of the paper:

Make sure that every subsequent paragraph expands and clarifies the thesis stated in your introductory paragraph. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. IF YOU ARE WRITING SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT ADDRESS YOUR THESIS, CROSS IT OUT – IT DOES NOT BELONG IN THE PAPER. The first sentence of each paragraph is therefore very important. It explains to the reader why the examples you are about to cite justify your thesis.

Example: Essay question: Why did George W Bush win the 2000 election?
(Ignore the 'facts' here - they are not necessarily correct)

Thesis statement:

GWB was able to win the election due to an ability to tap into the concerns of the growing middle class, superior campaign techniques and the failure of Al Gore to disassociate himself from the scandals of Bill Clinton.

Paragraph 1:   

Topic: Bush tapping into the concerns of the growing middle class (notice the order of the paragraphs should match, as far as possible the order of arguments in the thesis)

Opening sentence:

‘One of the major keys to Bush’s successful election campaign was that he focused on the tax and education concerns of the middle class.’

A weaker opening would be ‘The middle class in 2000 were concerned about tax and education.’ Why would this be weaker?

Next would follow evidence that Bush succeeded here (voting data from middle class, comments from Bush etc)

Conclude the paragraph by emphasizing why this was so crucial in winning the election.

Please realize that background about Bush (when he was born, what he did before the campaign etc) is totally irrelevant here. If what he did before the campaign was a factor in winning the election, then that material could be relevant – BUT IT IS NOT IN THE THESIS ABOVE AND IS THEREFORE NOT RELEVANT.

Try to avoid narrative – though it is sometimes important to inform the reader about ‘what happened’ that is not (99% of the time) the purpose of the essay. The essay is asking you to interpret events, not regurgitate them. Try to integrate narrative and interpretation.

For example: Question – Why did Hitler lose WW2?

(Ignore the 'facts' here - they are not necessarily correct)

Sample body paragraph:

 ‘In 1940 the British Royal Air Force (RAF) defeated the German Luftwaffe over control of the English Channel and this turning point meant that Germany could no longer hope to invade England. Both the superior English airplanes and lack of training of the German pilots enabled this victory in what became known as ‘The Battle of Britain’. The British planes were faster and more mobile and the German pilots were only trained for three months compared to the extensive two and a half years of instruction received by the men serving in the RAF. Once Britain had control of the skies, she was safe from German invasion, and a future offensive against the Germans could be launched from Southern England.’

These sentences incorporate both narrative and interpretation. It gives the reader enough information to answer the question without getting bogged down in story telling.

An example of a poorer response:

‘In 1940 the Battle of Britain started. The British and German airplanes fought each other over the skies of Southern England, battling for over 3 months. The Germans flew Messershmits, the British used Spitfires. Over a thousand pilots from both countries perished. The Germans were commanded by Herman Goering, a close friend of Hitler (in fact Hitler was the best man at Goering’s wedding) who was very experienced. The British won the battle and the Germans were no longer able to invade Britain.

Only one sentence in the example above actually answers the question.

Some other simple rules:

Historians discuss events that have already occurred.  Thus, you must stay in the past tense while writing about past events.  “Pericles was a well-known Athenian leader…” is correct, not “Pericles is a well-known Athenian leader…” 
You should use the present tense, however, when referring to the ideas of a contemporary historian, for example: “Spielvogel writes that Pericles was a well-known Athenian leader...”

NEVER use the word “you” in a formal writing assignment. For example, don’t write “In the Middle Ages, you could be a lord or a vassal,” unless mean to imply that your reader is extremely old.

Paragraphs should be at least 3 sentences long.

Don’t get ‘chatty’. Keep your writing formal – a paper is not the time to tell jokes.