Write a History Essay

How to Write a History Essay

Most students bury their head in their desks when it’s time to write a history essay. But there’s no reason to hide or panic. Writing a history essay doesn’t have to be difficult. If you apply a few important tips on how to write a great essay, you’ll be looking forward to writing the next one!

Here’s how to write the best history essay you can:

Address the topic

The first thing you need to be certain of in writing a history essay is what the topic is. If you don’t understand the topic, then you won’t be able to write well about it. Once you understand what’s being asked of you, then make sure that you stick to the topic throughout the essay. This may seem like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised how many students tend to wander into other subjects once they get started.

Thesis

One thing that may help you stay on topic is establishing a solid thesis. The thesis sentence is a statement that affirms an opinion on a topic and tells the reader what you’re going to be writing about. A good thesis statement should be written in such a way that someone else could argue strongly against it. For example, if you wrote: “Gun control is a serious issue that many people feel strongly about.”- that’s not a good thesis statement. It’s too general and it would be hard for someone to argue against that statement. But if you wrote: “As gun violence and mass shootings in the United States increase, it would be in the country’s best interest to limit gun sales.” This is a polemical statement that could be argued against. It’s also specific and states an opinion. Get the difference?

Introduction

A good introduction sets the tone of the paper. When you’re writing about a historical subject, it’s important to let the reader know when and where they are in time. What’s the context? What are the issues that will be discussed? Who are the major figures that you’ll introduce? You not only want to let them understand the context, but you want to grab the reader’s attention. Recounting a historical scene that’s relevant to your topic could be an entertaining way to set the stage for the reader. You could also use a historical quote that highlights the theme you’ll be covering.

Supporting paragraphs

First, you’ll need to do a lot of research and read various books and articles on the topic. When you start writing try not to pick the most obvious argument. Instead, do more research, dig deeper and find something new and interesting to add to the subject. A little known fact (that’s also relevant to the topic) could make for interesting reading. Make sure that you write with authority. While it’s essential to use research from experts, don’t depend so heavily on them that you fail to do your own analysis. Make sure your voice comes through and not just the voice of others.

Final paragraph

This is where you have the opportunity to tie your thoughts together. If you’ve been exploring various possible answers, you may decide to present the one you favor here. Or you could tie the historical events you discussed into modern life- how is it relevant today and what can we learn from it? In any case, make sure you leave your reader wanting more at the end of your essay with solid writing and intriguing arguments.

Edit

After you finish writing, give yourself some time away from your essay so you can read over it again with fresh eyes. A few hours if you’re in a pinch, but ideally a day or two. Then read it over again, looking for spelling and grammar mistakes and also holes in your argument or areas where your argument appears unconvincing or weak. Read it out loud in order to be sure there are no mistakes. You may want to have a friend look over it as well. After you’ve gone over it several times and are sure your arguments are air-tight and your references and citations are all correct, then you can hand it in.

Follow these steps to write a great history essay.