How would you summarize the quotation from robespierre

Final Paper Writing Guide

Early World History

Table of Contents

How to Outline/Plan your Paper & Length…………… 2 Example of How to Organize Your Paper……………… 3-4 Common Mistakes………………………………………………. 5-7

Introduction ( ~ 1 page)

· Includes Thesis sentence (1-2 sentences)

· Will detail what the paper is about

· Lightly analyzes the texts that are going to be used throughout the essay

· Uses specifics

· Which geographical area (country, cities, etc.)

· What year span (1780-1800, etc.)

· What persons of interest, if any

Background/Beginnings (1 page)

· Explain the background information on your topic

· Information about how it/he/she started (before it/they became well-known)

· Information about what span of time it became known in broad consciousness

Climax (2-3 pages)

· Here is where you go into the bulk of your paper

· Explain why the topic is important for the setting it takes place in

· EX: What does smallpox mean for South American Inca civilizations?

· Specifics are needed

· Persons of Interest

· Dates

· Locations

· Explain throughout this part of the paper: why the topic is important for early World History. How did it influence the world? Keep in mind that you want to stay within the time period of the class (before 1600).

Conclusion (~ ½ - 1 page)

· Restate your Thesis sentence (from the Introduction)

· Explain why the topic/person is important to you, and why (remember, you chose to write your paper on it)

· This is where you critique the author's information if you found it controversial

· Summarize your main points again, and tie them together into a clear theme - explain why they are related

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Example of How to Use Outline Topic: Maximilien Robespierre

Introduction ( ~ 1 page)

· Thesis: Robespierre was not only a huge influence to the Reign of Terror at the end of the French Revolution, but also influenced Americans on how not to behave during revolt.

· Paper Specifications:

· Location: Paris, France

· Year: 1780s-1794

· Other Persons of Interest: Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, David Marat

· Paper will analyze Robespierre's part in the Reign of Terror, French politics after the throw of the monarchy, his interactions with other politicians and patriots, and his influence on America

· Light Analysis of Text

· Wright: Discusses Louis XVI's reaction to Robespierre before he became famous

· Mason & Rizzo: The new citizenship of French people after the monarch's are beheaded

· Popkin: Background information on the Revolution, and how it paved the way for the Reign of Terror

Background/Beginnings (1 page)

· Background Info

· Influence by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

· Noted writer

· Gave speech to Louis XVI after coronation

· Involved with the Jacobin Club - critical thinkers (discuss politics and people)

Climax (2-3 pages)

· Robespierre's Importance

· Got involved with French politics

· Noted writer and orator- can influence people and move them to action with the stroke of his pen, gives speeches that insight the people of France to act against the corrupt First and Second Estate who do not care about the poor [1790]

· Critical of people who are not French patriots, critical of the rich who do not want to accept that the King and Queen have been killed, and the Royal family displaced. Think they may side with Austria - which was an ally to the King since the Queen was born there (their marriage was for political alliances between the countries)

· Creates lists of people who are assumed to be enemies of the new French government [1793]

· Robespierre was initially brushed off by Louis XVI when the people of Paris (mostly the Third Estate [the poor] were beginning to discuss their distrust of the monarchy [1774]

· Could have caused Robespierre to feel bad about the way Louis treated him, maybe causing resentment as time rolled on.

· Importance to the United States

· Robespierre was in power during the Reign of Terror (1793-1794), which is the same time that America was well into slavery, which may have caused influence to Americans on the potential African slaves had to overthrow their system of tyranny.

· US is a new country, so this served as an example of how not to behave during revolt - do not kill people in positions of power (no assassinations, which is a cultural thing for Americans - it is unacceptable to harm a President or senator, etc. in political seat of power).

Conclusion (~ ½ - 1 page)

It may be best to do this part of your paper in the proposed order below:

· Restate Thesis: Robespierre was not only a huge influence to the Reign of Terror at the end of the French Revolution, but also influenced Americans on how not to behave during revolt.

· Main Points Again

· Paper will analyze Robespierre's part in the Reign of Terror, French politics after the throw of the monarchy, his interactions with other politicians and patriots, and his influence on America

· 1-2 sentences per topic, so that it does not become repetitive.

· Why it's important to me (1-2 paragraphs)

· Robespierre is a prime example of the rise to power from humble beginnings. He was able to use his skill as a writer and public speaker to ignite one of the scariest moments in European history, and certainly French history.

· Why it's Important to World History (3-4 sentences)

· Critiques (Optional)

· Popkin's information was a little sporadic, they did not really go into the immigrants that were in France at the time, or how American consulates were treated during the Revolution (Thomas Jefferson was in France during the beginning of the Revolution, but escaped back to America).

Common Mistakes

1. Citations

Most times, students do not properly cite their sources. Anything that is not your own material or ideas needs to be cited in-text as well as a full citation in a bibliography/works cited page.

Example of two in-text citations:

Direct Quote:

Jared Diamond is noted for his work on Papua New Guinea, when he was asked by his friend Yali, “why do you white men have so much cargo, and us New Guineans have so?” (Diamond 60).

**The author’s last name is followed by the page number where this quote can be found for reference purposes.

Indirect Quote:

Jared Diamond is noted for his work on Papua New Guinea, when he was asked by his friend Yali why he and other Europeans had so much “cargo” (stuff), and the New Guineans did not (Diamond 60).

**You have quoted it directly, but here you are paraphrasing rather than pulling a direct quote.

How the above citation would appear in your Bibliography/Works Cited:

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: Norton. 1999. Print.

**There is no need to put the page number in this full citation, because you have already done so in the essay itself. Here you are telling the reader the publishing city, publisher, year the book was printed (because books are revised), and the manner in which you read it (print, eBook, etc). You must include page numbers in your in-text citation.

2. The Bibliography/Works Cited

This needs to be in ABC order and formatted correctly. This is exactly how yours should be styled:

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Norton: New York. 1999. Print.

Kristof, Nicholas and Sheryl WuDunn. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. 2014. Print.

Pass, Natalye. Columbus, Who? The Untold Story of Zheng He. Norton: Los Angeles. 2010. Print.

** Notice how the last names are in ABC order, and the second line for each separate source is indented, to keep it nice and tidy and easily readable. You will need to know this when you transfer, so it helps to make sure you learn to do it now. Make sure that this page is double-spaced.

**To make the second line indent as shown, you can type one line until just before it goes to the second line, then hit the shift + enter buttons, and then push the tab button until you get to where you need it to be.

3. Not Following the Prompt

Your research paper for this class is not a biography; rather it is a detailed paper where you get to pick the topic, and share why this event/person is important to world history. Make sure you read all of the instructions about the length requirements and that you answer all of the questions that are asked of you. Not following the prompt causes you to lose a lot of points.

Remember, going above and beyond the minimum page requirement will help you toward a higher grade. Doing the “least required amount” will earn you just that – the least passing grade.

4. Spelling & Grammar

Spell Check is good sometimes, but the best way to check spelling is to have your paper edited by either a friend or family member. You can also read your paper out loud to yourself, and you will be able to hear how the paper sounds and catch your mistakes (it only works if you read it out loud, that’s the best way to correct bad grammar in your paper).

If you work better in person, you can always go to the writing tutors on campus. They are great at editing student papers, and it can make the difference between a “B” paper and an “A” paper.

Please feel free to email me your paper questions, but keep in mind that I want you to take the initiative to go to the writing center as well.

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