how to start a history essay introduction

how to start a history essay introduction

Strategies for Crafting a Compelling Introduction in a History Essay

1. Introduction to the Importance of a Strong Essay Introduction

Students who are studying for an exam or an essay writing assignment should employ a methodical approach to craft a good history introduction. Research would be the first step and would involve gathering data written by other writers. The student would then create an outline enabling them to write a history introduction. Some students may experience difficulty when coming up with an introduction to use in their history essay. They need to conduct thorough research in order to successfully execute this step. Some of the issues that a student will need to consider when coming up with a strong history introduction include: employing quotes from the original manuscript, determining the figures and names of important people that will help support the essay with background or examples, putting something by using the mind map, being narrow and managing to discuss all relevant history aspects.

As simple as this might seem, your introduction should start out with a set of very broad statements about the main ideas such as a general place in history, era, or special event. From those first, broad descriptions, you can start to experiment and uncover the context in which it was first mentioned, and then you can also look into other intriguing developments throughout history. The hook on the first sentence of the introduction is supposed to catch the attention of your reader and provide them with an incredibly fundamental idea of what it will be about. This part of your history essay mainly tells the reader what to expect in the body. The last part of your introduction should be analytical, a brief summary of what arguments you are going to introduce. While you might use roughly the same general image for the introduction of the narrative history essay and the comparison-contrast essay, your introduction will have very different works of creative activity. This is a good example of an introduction that is for an essay that discusses the Kingdom of Mali in West Africa. The introduction is for an essay that explores a time period and event in history.

The introduction will serve to introduce your topic and suggest the content and structure you plan to use to defend your argument. Thesis statements will also give a clear answer to the topic question. The introduction is a crucial part of your history essay and is what makes it interesting for the reader. If you are a history student, this is one of the written-based assignments you are bound to be getting from time to time throughout the course of your studies. It is as simple as this: all historians either owe it to their readers or other history students to make an argument. Such an essay is also a great platform for a student to showcase their intellectual skill and talent. Since all good arguments require an introduction and clearly laid out structure to tell the reader what you are trying to say, students should consider the following strategies for crafting a compelling introduction.

2. Key Components of an Effective History Essay Introduction

3) Discussing sources means that you are aware of how people in that era knew what they knew and expressed themselves with specific voices that often are very different from contemporary ones. Your source discussion is thus a way by which to develop and prove historical thinking and writing skills related to source use in a course that emphasizes historical analysis.

2) History essays are basically narratives that tell a reconstructed story from the past, with many perspectives and viewpoints collected together, connected by a creative argument designed to deconstruct some aspect of humanity, technology, religion, or sociology from the past in such a way that you would like to help an audience to understand it better, think about it from a new perspective, and perhaps apply it to a problem.

1) Course names, topics, and especially sources that you will be using in your history essay should lead the reader to understand what era you will be discussing and make a strong argument.

3. Techniques for Hooking the Reader in a History Essay Introduction

The purpose of an introduction to an essay on history is not only to dispassionately introduce your subject. No, as I have noted (and as you will soon learn firsthand from your first papers with your fellow students sharpening their red pencils to a fine point), that way lies relegation to the gray limbo of an endless string of pedestrian histories. The introduction must hook the reader, pull the reader into your story. I therefore encourage you in this essay to consider in the introduction the approaches I discuss, even if they might seem at first glance a little odd or, worse, facile. Then, with hook securely sunk in the reader, you can write with confidence that the reader will eagerly follow the line, straight into that most opaque, tormenting swamp – the introduction to a history essay.

Another effective technique to engage the reader is to adopt a conversational tone that seduces the reader into the writer’s world, much like an Amtrak conductor beginning her monologue describing the exciting features of the rail route at the start of a long journey. A writer gains intimacy by addressing the reader directly, sprinkling the text here and there with personal reflections, and – scary as this might sound – inserting oneself into the historical narrative. Yet another strategy for creating a compelling introduction relies on introducing the element of mystery or surprise. A little mystery whets the reader’s appetite, as in: “Imagine that Americans once voted in landslide numbers for the candidates who lost the presidential election. What could account for such an anomaly?”

Several techniques can help you capture the reader’s interest in the opening of your essay. One common strategy, widely recommended for novice writers, is to craft a very short essay introduction consisting of only a sentence or two. This mini-introduction operates as a teaser, allowing you to begin with an image, anecdote, or striking quotation that succinctly captures the essence of your topic. You can expand the teaser in subsequent paragraphs, which detail the significance and broader context of the early historical event, trend, or process that you introduced.

4. Structuring Your Introduction for Clarity and Coherence

Secondly, consider that the essay, as you will have planned it, will make apparent your knowledge and understanding of historical concepts and trends and your ability to engage with your topic. All this background work will still in effect be pointless unless you have satisfactorily addressed the question posed by the essay title. Make sure you have organized your evidence in a way that clearly demonstrates the argument you have been planning as the focal point of your response. The structure of your essay will serve to highlight what is most important and provide the supporting material necessary to make proper sense of your argument. Do not be misleading, and do not load your evidence too heavily on one side or the other.

A well-crafted introduction can provide concise responses to each of these questions. It thereby provides a coherent frame of reference for the entire essay. Not only does it orient readers to the essay’s focus, but it also identifies the organization of the rest of the essay, telling readers what you are trying to accomplish and how you plan to proceed. A well-crafted introduction will also take care of two equally important issues: it will introduce the theme of the essay and draw the reader into the essay’s argument. Keep in mind three basic principles that govern the structure of a history essay. First, consider that the way you approach the essay will set the tone for the reader. Is this a ‘closed’ or ‘open’ museum? Do you treat it as a showcase for relics, or is your approach guided by the classification and arrangement of exhibits?

5. Tips for Writing a Thought-Provoking Thesis Statement

Write with authority as you challenge reader assumptions: Writers display their voice by implicitly stating “I could tell you something that you never knew;” in doing so, they sort of tiptoe closer to the realm of the sciences and mathematics. Every well-written history paper implicitly states that “although my answer might not be right, I am going to give you a definitive response.” Eliminate more nebulous thesis statements such as “Although the Nineteenth Century brought both democracy and repression in America, historians have been looking at the wrong things if they are searching for winners and losers.” While the writer challenges the morals of the study of class struggle, notice what the latter statement does: dethrone the idea of a “winning group.”

Use an “although” statement: A compelling thesis has to generate counter-intuitive points. Readers remember essays that provide these, and your enthusiasm for the topic really shines through. If the purpose of your essay is just to argue that the “sky is blue,” that’s not such a complicated discussion. Remember that the power of a well-formulated thesis lies in its promise to upset conventional wisdom or to highlight provocative questions. Defend a contentious or original claim, and, in the process, explore the varying sides of your argument.

A thesis statement synthesizes the main points discussed in the body of an essay. As a college-level writer, you are taught to write one, but your job is a bit more complicated than just spitting it out. Instead, consider the following tips, and then craft a thesis statement that resounds with your readers’ interests, motives, and preferences.