Writing Tips from Your Colonial Essays
Introduction and Conclusion
Your introduction should have an
intriguing opening that is logically connected with your thesis. You can use an
appropriate quote or relevant statistics.
You can go from general to specific information. Whatever you do, be
sure that you make the connection between your opening lines and the rest of
your introduction. It shouldn’t just be
stuck on to provide something interesting to stay. You may want to return in your conclusion to the opening imagery
from your introduction. This provides a
unifying framework for your entire paper. In your conclusion, be sure that you
don’t introduce something new that you never mentioned before in your paper and
then just leave it there. You need to lay
the foundation for you conclusion throughout your paper. Your “so what?” sentence should not just be
tacked on to satisfy the requirement for having one. It should arise out of what you wrote in your paper.
Example
America: “The land of the free and
home of the brave!” This freedom, that
has become the banner for American, was forged from struggles between the
original colonies of the “New World.”
The origin of these struggles stemmed from striking differences in
religion, economics, and social structures between the New England and the
Southern colonies and had lasting effects on America….
In conclusion, the differences and likenesses of the
New England and Southern colonies in the New World are surprisingly important
to the way that America operates today.
The social, economic and religious perspectives on slavery drove a wedge
between the colonies that only an intense civil war could remove. The courage and bravery shown by our
ancestors has created a spirit of freedom in America that is the envy of many
countries today. While prejudice still
exists in our country today, our leaders continue to work hard to ensure that
America truly is the “land of the free and the home of the brave!” (Ryan Odle)
Body Paragraphs
It
is important that each paragraph have a main point that is clear to the
reader. You must do more than merely
list supporting information. You should
draw a conclusion from your information and then show the tie between that
conclusion and your thesis. Too many of
you just listed contrasts between the two regions without any indication why
these differences were significant.
Examples
Geographic differences
resulted in economic differences, which were another important factor in the
Civil One example of this relates to the geographical differences. Since the
North had poor rocky soil, plantations would be unsuccessful in the north.
Therefore, the northerners are more likely to take jobs such as manufacturing.
Since slaves are needed on plantations and not in manufacturing jobs, slavery
was not as common in the northern colonies as it was in the Southern colonies.
One reason that the North won the Civil War may be traced from the economy, as
well. As the Civil War started, the Northern colonies already had well built-up
industries that could make weapons and other materials for the army. The
Southern states, however, had very little industry at the start of the war. As
a result, the Southern states were delayed in having many good weapons, and
they did not have as much time to develop and perfect their industry. This
resulted in a clear disadvantage for the South from the very beginning of the
War…. (Jennifer Edwards)
Another aspect of the colonies that was affected by the geography was
the economy. Agriculture wasn’t as
important in the New England region, so there was a greater focus on developing
industry to strengthen the economy.
Most of the industries consisted of manufacturing; some of the
manufacturing was gun production, shipbuilding, printing presses, molasses, and
rum. Fishing and whaling were also
contributors to the economic health of the region. Their economy was also strengthened by their participation in the
Triangular Trade. The economy of the
Southern colonies was based more on agriculture and trade. There were large plantations where crops
such as tobacco, rice, indigo, and sugar were grown. The slave trade also played an important role in the
economy. The two different types of
economies developed because of the differences between the regions’ climates, soil
types, and other geographical features.
These variations in the economy were directly tied to the role of
geography….(Chloe Barbee)
Think very carefully about your main points. What is the logical connection between them? Try to arrange them in a logical order where one idea leads to another. This will make your writing more powerful and then make the transitions between your ideas flow easily out of the logical connection between the two ideas.
Examples
[Paragraph about governments]…..Eventually,
James Oglethorpe was overthrown as governor, and Georgia became a slave colony.
Although slaves didn’t come to the
New World until the 17th century, indentured servants were used
before then to supply people living on large plantations with labor….[paragraph
about slavery] (Justin Clayton)
******
[paragraph
about economy]….Differences in the economy can be linked to the geography due
to the climate and the fertility of the land.
Each
colony’s economy depended on the presence of slavery….[paragraph about
slavery] (Toan Tran-Phu)
Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether that
nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . . can long endure. We
are met on a great battlefield of that war.
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting
place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate. . .we cannot consecrate. .
. we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled
here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world
will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget
what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced….(Abraham Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address)
Miscellaneous Annoyances