Writing: Identifying Analysis and Evidence
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT1750/ LESSON 3.2ACTIVITYWRITING: IDENTIFYING ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCEUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Writing: Identifying Analysis and Evidence”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeDeepen your understanding of the elements of good writing by focusing onthe Analysis and Evidence row of the OER ProjectWriting Rubric. You’ll analyze a sample student essay, which will help you become more familiar with the specific expectations for historical writing, as well as help you become a more skilled writer in general.Process1.Review the Analysis and Evidence portion of the OER Project Writing Rubricbelow. These are the elements you should look for when you review the sample essay. Cite appropriate and valid evidence to support the claim, drawing information from multiple sources to defend the position and effectively refute counterclaims.Describe the relationship between the broader historical context and the topic.Use historical reasoning and thoroughly explain how the evidence supports the claim.Use discipline-specific vocabulary—such as key terms from the lesson, unit, or course—to support analysis.Demonstrate understanding of the sources, acknowledging inconsistencies or weaknesses in evidence, and fully explain the relationship between the claim and the evidence used to support it.2.As you read the sample student essay on the next page make sure you:•Circle the major claim in the paper. •Look for source material (quotes and citations). While you do so, underlinethe analysis of the source material, and highlighttext that connects sources to the thesis/major claim.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT1750/ LESSON 3.2ACTIVITYWRITING: IDENTIFYING ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE2Essay prompt: What were the most significant causes of political revolutions during the long nineteenth century? (c. 1750 to 1914 CE)?Student sample essay:From the year 1750 to the year 1914, the world underwent an intense wave of societal changes and developments never seen before. This period, preceded by the Age of Enlightenment in which radical philosophers began examining the role of government under a newfound microscope of reason and logic, is commonly known as the long 19th century. It included critical moments in history like the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and more. The political revolutions of the long 19th century were caused by many factors, which differed depending on the particular region. However, these revolutions did share a few significant causes including the circulation of liberal ideas developed during the Enlightenment, inspiration from nations that successfully won independence, and dissatisfaction with authoritarian monarchies.As Enlightenment-era ideas of a government’s role and how it should function spread, they provoked a series of revolutions during the long 19th century. John Locke, an English philosopher who argued that all men had inherent rights to life, liberty, and property, wrote that no man should be “subject to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of another man” (Doc. 4). People already unsatisfied with absolute monarchiesliked Locke’s ideas, which inspired some to revolt. Locke’s ideas justified pushing back against the rule of someone given power just by their birth. Another example of the profound impact of these philosophers can be found in Mariano Moreno’s petition to the Spanish government: Moreno tells the king that the best way to help Argentinians is to follow “the route that leads to...reason and the celebrated Adam Smith...[which] lead us to see that governments that want to provide for the general good should be limited to removing obstacles (Doc. 6). Moreno advocates for the use of reason and for the government to remove economic obstacles, thus utilizing two major Enlightenment themes to petition for his country’s autonomy: the idea of logic over whims and a more limited government over a tyrannical one.In addition to taking inspiration from Enlightenment philosophers, revolutionaries were influenced by their foreign counterparts fighting and winning their own revolutions. As word of these revolutions spread through international communities across various networks, they sparked hope and build morale. This is apparent in Doc. 2 when the author
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT1750/ LESSON 3.2ACTIVITYWRITING: IDENTIFYING ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE3writes, “On the establishment of independence of the United States of North America, a vague aspiration from the similar enfranchisement of Brazil was undoubtedly cherished there.” Clearly, these revolutionaries were inspired by ideas that had spread around the world.Finally, monarchs often governed tyrannically and unjustly, which provoked their subjects to retaliate, thus becoming a third major cause of the political revolutions of the long 19th century. Abbe Lefeuvre writes about how the increasing number of poor people (who were “destitute of any aid” from the government) had no choice but to leave for the city just to be sent back to the country where they continued to live in acute poverty. The state enacted editcs to help the poor, but these edicts required parishes to feed the poor. Therefore, it was like asking “for the poor to feed the poor” (Doc. 1). This shows the government was doing a bad job of providing for their people.Because of the circulation of liberal ideas developed during the Enlightenment, inspiration from nations that successfully won independence, and dissatisfaction with authoritarian monarchies, the long 19th century encountered a series of political revolutions. These revolutions and the events that molded them have changed the way societies function and govern, but also how people understand themselves as autonomous individuals. Even hundreds of years later, the events of the long 19th century continue to teach lessons about the importance of freedom and liberty.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT1750/ LESSON 3.2ACTIVITYWRITING: IDENTIFYING ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE43.Score the essay on each row of the Analysis and Evidencerubric below,and circle the top two areason the rubric where you think the student could improve. ExemplaryProficientDevelopingNot PresentAnalysis and EvidenceCite appropriate and valid evidence to support the claim, drawing information from multiple sources to defend the position and effectively refute counterclaims.Describe the relationship between the broader historical context and the topic.Use historical reasoning and thoroughly explain how the evidence supports the claim.Use discipline-specific vocabulary—such as key terms from the lesson, unit, or course—to support analysis.Demonstrate understanding of the sources, acknowledging inconsistencies or weaknesses in evidence, and fully explain the relationship between the claim and the evidence used to support it.4.How would you coach this student on improving their use of evidence and their ability to analyze that evidence?