History

For this assignment students should compose a 2-3 page essay using information from Ch. 15, 16, and 17 of the textbook A Brief History of the Western World, 9th Edition by Thomas H. Greer, Gavin Lewis
. Include in the essay as many quotes and factual references to the source material as possible. These essays should be double-spaced, Times-Roman 12 size font, and have a one inch margin on all sides. Students should use MLA style in-text citations–author name, page number in parenthesis. Sources other than the textbook aren’t required. Here is you essay prompt:

Instead of a summary of the chapters for this test we will do something different…and a bit more challenging! Historians practice a form of writing that’s called “cause and affect.” This shows history to be a progression of related events that result in some significant cultural advancement. For example, from American history you could say that Ben Franklin’s discovery of electricity led to the development of the telegraph, which led to the creation of electric lighting and the power grid industry, etc., etc. Your job is to delve into the textbook and try to formulate a thesis along these lines. Pick at least three or more events from the chapters and show how they are related and led to something greater in the end. You don’t have to bring your progression up to the present day, but do try to make your “cause and affect” theme logical and coherent. Also, your “connections” don’t have to be scientific. They can be social, political, economic, or even military. Of course, professional historians try to weave all of these together in one basic narrative, and I think your attempt to do this along just one avenue will give you a new appreciation of the historical craft.