Developing a Thesis

The Thesis

THE THESIS STATEMENT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR PAPER; IT IS, ESSENTIALLY, THE JUSTIFICATION FOR ITS VERY EXISTENCE.

A THESIS STATEMENT DECLARES WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND WHAT YOU INTEND TO PROVE.

The Framework for Your Paper

A good thesis serves as the blue print or plan for your paper

The thesis can be broken down into sections of your paper

Generating Questions

Your thesis statement needs to answer a question about the topic you’d like to explore.

Your job is to figure out what question you’d like to answer . . .

For example . . .

Select Your Topic

Civil War

Identify Your Angle

The confederate defeat in the

Civil War

Develop Research Questions

Who?What?When?Where?Why?How?

Research Questions

Who was responsible for the Confederate defeat in the Civil War?

When did the defeat occur?

Where were most of the battles lost and did that have an impact on the defeat?

Why was the Confederate army defeated in the Civil War?

What was the primary reason or major factors that lead to the Confederate defeat in the Civil War?

The answer to your question becomes your thesis . . . What was the primary reason or major

factors that lead to the Confederate defeat in the Civil War?

Although poor military strategy contributed to the Confederate defeat in the Civil War, the primary reason for the loss was the South's lack of an industrial base which is a necessity in modern warfare.

The answer to your question becomes your thesis . . . Why was the Confederate army

defeated in the Civil War? The Confederate defeat in the Civil War

was the result of poor military strategy and economics - mainly the South’s lack of industrial centers due to its failure to keep up with the North during the Industrial Revolution.

Formula for a Strong Thesis

Specific topic +

Attitude/Angle/Argument +

A little tension =

THESIS

Useful Formulae for Thesis Statements[SOMETHING] [DOES/DID SOMETHING] BECAUSE [REASON(S)].

BECAUSE [REASON(S)], [SOMETHING/SOMEONE] [DOES/DID SOMETHING].

ALTHOUGH [OPPOSING PERSPECTIVE/EVIDENCE], [REASONS] WAS THE PRIMARY REASON [SOMETHING] [DOES/DID SOMETHING].