Foreign Policy Powers in the Constitution History Essay

Please do not use too many high-level words in this essay and be easy to understand.

Please choose a document from the Major Problems readings for the week you are writing.  In a 1-2 page paper please respond to your chosen document.  Your paper should include a bibliographical reference, and should have 2 parts to it.

The first part of your paper should be a candid response to the document.  Did you enjoy this document, did you find it overly long, or difficult to understand?  Why did you choose this document to respond to?  Did something about it stick out as familiar or surprising?  Was there something you found interesting or intriguing?

The second part of the paper should focus on why the document was created in the way it was.  What type of document is it (an article, a speech, a letter, etc)?  Who was intended to read it?  What did the author want to accomplish or say through the work, and just as importantly- were they successful in their aims?  Why or why not?  What choices did they make that allowed the work to achieve that aim (or not)?  Does your analysis of the document relate to your earlier reaction to the document (is it suitable that you didn’t find a supreme court case to be very exciting, or that a political speech was written in clear accessible language)?  Remember to be specific and use examples from the text (with citations) to describe your ideas.

WRITING GUIDLINES

Writing a history paper can be a little different than papers you may have written for other courses.  It isn’t necessarily difficult, but unfamiliarity may leave you questioning the assignments and yourselves.  Please refer to the following guidelines when writing your papers.

All papers should be typed, double-spaced and stapled

            The student’s name and course should be on the first page, along with a title if you choose to use one.  You do not need a title page, though if you choose to use one, it will not count toward your length. 

            Leave ample room (at least 1") in the margins for comments and use a standard font (12-point).  Number your pages.

            There are 4 things your paper must have to be acceptable and effective as a history paper.  Failure to include any one of these aspects will result in a significant reduction in grade; likewise, doing well in all of the aspects is the only way to get the best grades.

1. It must have a clear, stated thesis.  This is a direct statement of the opinion you are setting forth.  This should come very early in the paper, in the first paragraph, often as the first or last sentence of that paragraph.  The best thesis will not only give your opinion on the matter, but will briefly explain why that is the case.

1. It must have historical evidence to support your thesis.  Naturally, it is important that the evidence you provide actually support the thesis you made.  The best use of evidence will not only support your position, but also explain why opposing viewpoints are not the case.

III.       It must have citations in the Chicago style for all the evidence and information used.  This ensures that your reader can follow your evidence and understand the context of it.  Failure to properly document your sources not only is a violation of the Academic Honesty policy, but also deprives your argument of the necessary foundation in historical scholarship. Use either footnotes or endnotes, placing a superscript number at the end of the sentence you intend to cite while the actual citation comes at the bottom of the page (footnote) or end of the paper (endnote).  Each time you cite something in the paper it should have its own note and therefore its own little number; even if you are citing the same source several times, there should be several individual notes.  Each note must have a specific page number associated with the citation, if page numbers are appropriate to the source you are citing.  Otherwise, be as specific as you can when citing, making it clear exactly where the information came from within the source. Check the following website to ensure you are conforming to the proper conventions, http://www(dot)chicagomanualofstyle(dot)org/tools_citationguide.html Follow the citation guide under 'notes and bibliography.' Follow the patterns established by the numbered references, as they are examples of notes.  The second part of those examples, the unnumbered references, are for use in a works cited or bibliography section.  Your citations will follow this general pattern:

Author’s Name, Book Title, (Publishing City: Publisher, Date), page used. 

If you give full, proper citations in the footnotes or endnotes (including publishing information, dates, and edition), you do not need to have a bibliography or works cited, though including either will not get you penalized.  

1. It must also be well written.  A failure to observe proper rules of formal grammar will, at best, make your reader question your argumentative skills and, at worst, will make your argument difficult or impossible to discern, and therefore ineffective.  As with any proper essay, you should write in a formal style that includes avoiding contractions, writing in the first person and clichés.

It is also important, given the length restrictions, that you be careful to write clear, direct prose. Often this means simpler sentences and active, rather than passive voice. This usually results in tighter, clearer thoughts and gives more authority to your argument as well. 

Proofread your papers carefully for content and technical issues.  Does the paper make sense?  Have you incorporated the suggestions from the writing tips handout?  Do not rely on spell-checking programs to catch all errors. Take the time to read over your work, or to have a friend look at the work to proofread and offer suggestions. I am always happy to meet with you to discuss your writing. 

You may also want to visit the Writing Center located in Hamilton Smith, room 7.  Check out the website of the Writing Center for handouts on particular aspects of writing (how to write a good introduction, how to use active verbs, etc.) and to find out more about its services:  (http://www(dot)unh(dot)edu/writing/connors.html).  The Writing Center also offers individual meetings with assistants to help you with your assignments or particular writing issues.  

TOP TEN TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING

Based upon years of reading and correcting students’ papers, here are some specific “quick tips” to incorporate into your writing.   Please review them carefully before and after you’ve written your paper. 

1.  Use the active voice whenever possible for more succinct and livelier prose.  The active voice makes agency clearer as it highlights the actor and forces the writer to make the argument sharper.  Consider the following example:

$          “The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War 2.”

This sentence uses the passive voice (“was dropped”).  It hides the actor.  Who dropped the bomb?

Consider how the active voice, used in the following statement adds clarity and force to the writing:

$          “The United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima to end World War 2.”

2.  Review the proper use of the semi-colon.  The semi-colon is one the most mis-used types of punctuation.  Only use semi-colons when you wish to join two independent clauses or when you are listing factors and items that cannot be separated clearly by commas.

$          Incorrect use of semi-colon:

“The best way to persuade a reader is to present the evidence and explain why it supports the argument; without relying on invective and hyperbole.”

$          Correct use of semi-colon:

“The best way to persuade a reader is to present the evidence and explain why it supports the argument; papers that rely on invective and hyperbole rarely convince the reader of anything.”

3.  Avoid vague references such as “this,” “it,” and “that.”  Whenever possible, substitute a noun that makes the reference explicit.

4.  Use parallel structure. 

$                                  Incorrect:       “He kept busy, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, and swept the porch.”

$                                  Correct:          “He kept busy, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, and sweeping the porch.”

5.  Be consistent with tenses.  In historical essays, you will usually stick to the past tense.

6.  Check for noun/pronoun agreement.  The most common error is using a plural pronoun for a singular collective noun. 

$                                  Incorrect:       “The United States fought in World War 2 for what they thought was right.”

$                                  Correct:          “The United States fought in World War 2 for what it thought was right.”

7.  Drop personal references such as “I,” “you,” and “we” in formal historical essays.

8.  When using block quotes, indent and single space the quotes.  Do not use quotation marks.  For example, in The Elements of Style, William Strunk and E.B. White instruct writers:

When quotations of an entire line, or more, of either verse or prose are to be distinguished typographically from text matter, . . . begin on a fresh line and indent.  Quotation marks should not be used unless they appear in the original, as in dialogue.

9.  Underline or italicize titles of books or newspapers.                                                   

10.  Be concise.  Avoid unnecessary words or phrases.  For example, instead of “This is a question which has baffled people for centuries,” say “This question has baffled . . etc.”  Strive to be as specific as you can in your language.  What exactly are you trying to say?