History Assignment
For Cause and Comrades book review
Instructions:
In your essay, you should 1) summarize McPherson's main argument(s), 2) discuss how he supports his arguments and the evidence he uses, and 3) explain whether or not you find his arguments convincing.
You should also find at least two academic reviews of McPherson's book and incorporate these into your review, with proper citation. Reviews can be found through databases such as JSTOR and ProjectMUSE via the UTA Library website.
(These will let you see how other historians have evaluated McPherson's book and provide you with some outside perspectives on the book and subject matter.)
By the assigned due date, you must turn in a printed, stapled copy of your review.
Length: Your review should be 4-5 pages of text, double-spaced
Structure: Your essay should meet a standard of college-level writing. It should be organized into paragraphs. It should have an introduction and conclusion. Some good writing advice is that the introduction should give the reader of idea of what you are going to say, the body paragraphs should say it, and they conclusion should recap what you have said.
Quoting:Statements taken directly from the texts should be within quotation marks. Your essay should include direct quotations. You can also paraphrase an author by restating what they say in your own words.
Citation:Specific information from the text-quoted or paraphrased-should be cited with a footnote, using Chicago or Turabian style. You do not need a separate works cited page.
McPherson:
James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), page number.
Academic review (example):
Jonathan M. Steplyk, Review of Sing Not War: The Lives of Union and Confederate Veterans in Gilded Age America, by James Marten. Alabama Review 65, no. 2 (April 2012): 143.
One last tip: In tests and essays, I've seen students refer to history books as "novels." For Cause and Comrades is non-fiction; it is not a novel. It's fine to call it a book. Now you know...and knowing is half the battle!