how to write a history essay

how to write a history essay

A Comprehensive Guide on Writing History Essays

1. Introduction to Writing History Essays

If we want to impress the reader of history, we have to write good history. The good news is that it is not difficult to convey good history in the written word, but it is difficult to convey anything else. In order to produce good history in the shape of essays and articles, you need to have a thorough grasp of the content and also the historical background of the material you are about to discuss. Not only this, but you also need to have a clear understanding of the historical debate surrounding the issue or the topic. Only when you are confident of a mastery of your subject, have a clearly structured and well-supported argument, and can provide a professional finish will you be able to attain the confidence of your examiner in your abilities as a historical researcher and commentator.

In a history essay, your argument is going to be based mainly on the interpretations of historians—that is, the main conclusions about key events of the past. To interpret something is to explain what you think happened or reveal its meaning. Because interpretation is the basic way of explaining history, it is the most widely shared aspect of the discipline—an aspect that is practical and useful for work in all other disciplines. Consequently, history students should learn how to write history essays. Simply because events have happened in the past is no reason for us as historians to be immune from the necessity to explain them. The main concern of students of history is the writing of essays, research articles, theses, dissertations, and examination papers on a variety of historical topics.

2. Research and Planning

On a separate page, write a short piece of work, project or research of fewer pages when single digits, or one outline, per item. On the same page, write deadlines for completion of the work (just for the first draft) and a subsequent deadline for completion of each stage of your work. It is crucial to keep the full term available for the later proofreading, and for taking breaks between the stages. Be reasonable about the workload and how your schedule will fit with it. Planning is the foundation of your essay. Start planning early, if only for a week or a few days. A term paper covers only a very précis of historical events and data from previous research, but an essay requires much more. It includes a re-evaluation of the facts and the formulation of ideas concerning what you are studying. You must reconstruct and reinterpret the data while writing the discussion.

The research process for an undergraduate paper greatly differs from the research process for a doctoral dissertation. In general, the stages will look like this: first, the gathering stage in which you will collect all available materials related to your subject. Then, the selection stage in which you will have to narrow your approach to allow a focused essay. In the case of an undergraduate paper, do not forget this important piece of advice: visit museums or libraries early in your work and take good notes while in situ. You are expected to give a critical analysis of your topic. Make a list of the points to be checked or asked for at each stage. Finally, we will have the imbrication and writing stages. At hand, you have selected a topic or were assigned one: use your syllabus to help you with this at first, and refine the topics afterwards.

3. Structuring Your Essay

The most common degree award system in history is based around a three-part model whereby a student is required to achieve a certain overall mark and be assessed on the basis of coursework essays, a formal examination, and a dissertation. Each of these elements requires the student to write in depth on a specific issue. However, certain things can be said about the common points in the writing of essays. Independent of the program of study or level on which it is completed, an essay is a written debate about a specific issue or problem. In this sense, the entire paper, rather than the individual section, provides an overview of an argument, highlights counterfactual evidence, and creates and/or sets out its conclusions. In an essay, the individual elements work together, sometimes in unpredictable ways, to create an overall sense of argument.

In the course of your reading and studies of a wide area of historical issues, you may have noticed common (and recurring) elements of historical documents such as documents, buildings, speeches, sermons, newspaper reports, and official files. You may also have seen the way that historians both put together these elements and make their own account into an argument about the wider issue contained therein; a process that, in turn, leads to judgments about specific facts. Your essay, in turn, must set out the boundaries and approaches of a historiography so that your readers can see for themselves how well-founded your arguments are and, consequently, decide for themselves the quality of your essay or argue the case for the quality of your evidence. With this in mind, we outline here a general order for arranging your evidence and writing your essays.

4. Writing and Editing Techniques

Despite these difficulties, historians are often required to analyze and interpret texts, as they need to deal with primary sources. The work of scrutiny, understanding, and interpretation is essential to recover the necessary data for the elaboration of a historical explanation. It seems probable, but it is fundamentally different from conjecture. A statement is not a proposition – it does not accept disputes. It is limited, restricted, and implies conformity. A statement does not negotiate or admit interpretations – its purpose is not to persuade, but to narrate events and explain facts. Historical science is based on narratives and explanations, to which movement, change, action, are annexed to all brief, punctual stories, acts of progress or aggression, causes of success or failure.

As a practice, history deals with the representation of human actions and interactions, seeking to provide some sort of context where words, even when they contradict themselves, explain events whose essence seems incomprehensible. In a written account, it is indispensable to adopt a style diluted in subjectivity, suppressing temptations to analyze, conclude, or pose hypotheses. The object of displaying problems, events, or situations should reveal the true essence of the recommended information, inspiring reflection or surmise from those who consult it.