HIST 1116 - Colonies and Conflict: Canada to 1867 (Borys)

The purpose of this assignment is to critically assess the historian's ability to present and defend their argument/thesis statement.

1. Select one of the following two articles: 
   • Harris, Cole, “Voices of Disaster: Smallpox around the Strait of Georgia in 1782,” Ethnohistory 41, no. 4 (1994): 591-626.
   • Havard, Gilles, “1701: A New Situation” in The Great Peace of Montreal of 1701: French-Native Diplomacy in the Seventeenth Century, ed. Gilles Havard (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s Press, 2001): 160-178.
      
2. Argue and defend one of the following claims:
   • The author has successfully defended their argument
   • The author has failed to defend their argument (note: this is a more challenging approach!)
   • The author has succeeded in defending their argument in some areas while failing in other areas

In addition to the assigned article, your assignment must include two or more secondary sources. Secondary sources are academic works that provide critical interpretation of historical events. Scholarly books and journal articles are considered secondary sources. 

Cite your sources according to Chicago style.

Introduction (10-15% of your paper)

• Brief introduction of the article 
  • The author’s name, article title, year it was published, the journal or book it was published in
  • A 1-3 sentence description of the subject matter the article deals with and the author’s main argument
• Your thesis statement 
  • Your argument!

Body (65-80% of your paper)

• Structure according to the topics/categories/issues/themes you have identified in your introductory paragraph
• Include topic sentences (clearly tell the reader what the paragraph is going to be about)
• Include transition sentences (effectively transition from one paragraph to another)

Conclusion (<10% of your paper)

• Reiterate your introduction using different words
• Make sure to: (1) reassert your thesis statement, and (2) clearly identify how you have supported your claim