The nineteenth century (period covering 1800-1899) saw the basis of work change dramatically from an artisan-based system to one based on mass production. Compare the Triceratops with the Stegosaurus.
Explain this change and its effect upon both workers and the owners of the means of production.
– Your thesis should resemble something along the lines of, “The basis of work changing from an artisan-based system to one of mass production in the nineteenth century is due to….., which affected workers and owners of the means of production by…”
Write a 2000-word analytical essay that is thesis-driven and evidence-based.
Write an essay that contains the following components:
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- An introduction
- Shape your introduction like a funnel that starts broad but then becomes more specific in providing necessary historical context as it gets closer to the thesis.
- Make sure to have the 5 W’s as necessary – Who, When, Where, What, and Why (although the why is more like the thesis or the sentence that leads to the thesis– so don’t stress this last W too much)
- Write a thesis statement in the very last sentence of your paragraph that effectively answers to the prompt and what is being asked. Make sure it is in the form of a complete sentence and specifically addresses what the prompt wants you to create an argument for. You will be referring to this thesis at certain points in your essay.
- Shape your introduction like a funnel that starts broad but then becomes more specific in providing necessary historical context as it gets closer to the thesis.
- Body of the Essay
- Make sure that each body paragraph starts with a sentence that lets your reader know what that paragraph will be focused on (referred to as a topic sentence).
- Every time an example or piece of evidence is mentioned, always follow it with analysis where you connect it back to what the paragraph is focused on or what the source contributes to in the argument you are forming throughout your essay.
- Examples and their analysis must always be within the body paragraphs. Do not simply mention or repeat what a source says.
- Quotes should never be longer than two lines of text.
- For every body paragraph, you should have 2-3 citations
- Conclusion
- Summarize your thesis and main points that were provided throughout your analytical essay.
- An introduction
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- Important Requirements to Note:
- Six academic sources (one must be a primary source– the rest can be secondary sources or a mix of secondary and primary)
- A bibliography with all sources listed and formatted in Chicago Style
- Footnote citations in Chicago Style — do not use in-text parentheses. Also, cite any information that is specifically extracted from a source.
- What to watch out for that may affect your grading:
- Limit your paragraphs to the range of 4-6 sentences. You won’t get points taken off for being out of this range once, but a repeating instance of this will definitely affect your score.
- Do NOT use first or second person and do not use informal writing (be specific, concise, and formal). Go textbook style in your writing, but do not simply provide an endless stream of information– make sure to connect your points and support any claims made in your thesis and topic sentences.
- Avoid any language that is colloquial or parlor talk (meaning conversational in how it sounds). Any fluff or cheesy writing that sounds like it would be in an everyday novel should be removed. This assignment is an academic, formal, and strict report to support a case you are making. Therefore, think of it as a court case but you can only defend yourself with formal writing and research.
- Important Requirements to Note:
To see correct formatting of Chicago style citations, please refer to the official quick Chicago style guide here (for when you build the footnotes):
In addition, view this Chicago style sample paper with guidelines on the side:
Core rules for history writing that are recommended are to consistently remain concise in your writing, be specific and formal whenever possible, stay between the range of 4-6 sentences for a paragraph, cite often– especially when stating a specific quote or example–, and to reread your work after you finish writing your entire essay (or reread finished sections as you draft your essay).
All students are encouraged to take advantage of the Department of History’s excellent and free history tutoring services. To make an appointment, please visit this link: