Essay Progress Check 1 As you have learned Historical Ideas, the thesis statement is the backbone of your essay, and it outlines your argument for readers

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Essay Progress Check 1

As you have learned Historical Ideas, the thesis statement is the backbone of your essay, and it outlines your argument for readers. In your thesis statement, you should briefly state your argument about a topic and describe how you plan to prove that argument. A thesis statement should be succinct and specific. It will appear as the last sentence of your introductory paragraph.

By now, you should have received feedback from your instructor about your preliminary ideas for your thesis statement that you submitted in Module Three and as part of your writing plan in Module Four. Go back and review your thesis statement now.

Now try revising your thesis. Your changes can be as little as rearranging a few words to clarify your argument or as involved as restructuring your argument entirely. If you decide not to revise your thesis right now, explain why and include your original thesis statement. Remember, as you begin to write your essay, your thesis might change again.

In Module Five and Six, we will focus on the modern Civil Rights Movement, looking at efforts to affirm and expand African-American rights in two specific areas that have been central to the overall civil rights struggle: voting and public education. The fight to end the disenfranchisement of African-American voters and secure their right to vote, free from intimidation and legal obstruction, culminated with the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The struggle to desegregate public schools and win equal educational opportunities for African-American children—first affirmed in the landmark Supreme Court case,  Brown v. Board of Education (1954)*—has continued for generations. In Modules Five and Six, we will look specifically at the tumultuous and emotionally charged effort to desegregate Boston's public schools in the mid-1970s.

We will use these two case studies to examine the historical concept of contingency* and to learn how to use historical evidence* to draw conclusions about the impact of historical events on American society, through the process of historical analysis*.

Essay Progress

As you learned in Module Three: Communicating Historical Ideas, the thesis statement is the backbone of your essay, and it outlines your argument for readers. In your thesis statement, you should briefly state your argument about a topic and describe how you plan to prove that argument. A thesis statement should be succinct and specific. It will appear as the last sentence of your introductory paragraph.

By now, you should have received feedback from your instructor about your preliminary ideas for your thesis statement that you submitted in Module Three and as part of your writing plan in Module Four. Go back and review your thesis statement now.

Consider the feedback from your instructor and any research you have done since submitting your writing plan. How can you revise your thesis to reflect this new information? As a starting point, ask yourself these questions:

· Is my thesis statement too broad? Or is it too specific?

· Is it clear what the topic of my essay is from my thesis statement?

· Does my thesis outline my argument?

· Does my thesis describe how I will prove my argument?

Now try revising your thesis. Your changes can be as little as rearranging a few words to clarify your argument or as involved as restructuring your argument entirely. If you decide not to revise your thesis right now, explain why and include your original thesis statement. Remember, as you begin to write your essay, your thesis might change again.

Specifically, in this assignment, you will submit parts of the following elements of your Project 2: Historical Analysis Essay for review by your instructor:

In Module Five: Analyzing History, Learning Block 5-4 (page 5) in the webtext, you worked toward the following element:

I. 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?

In Module Five: Analyzing History, Learning Block 5-4 (page 1) in the webtext, you worked toward the following element:

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.

Guidelines for Submission: The Historical Analysis Essay Progress Check 1 must be submitted as a 1-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12- point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins.

Critical Elements	Proficient (100%)
Introduction: Overview	Provides brief overview of historical event
Revised Thesis Statement	Develops clear, specific, and arguable thesis statement that states claim about historical event, based on research question
Articulation of Response	Articulation of Response