Write As Historian: WRITE AS A HISTORIAN: DEvELOP A THESIS

The thesis statement must 1) assert a historically defensible claim, 2) lay out a line of reasoning, and 3) directly address the topic and focus of the task.

Historically Defensible Claim A thesis, or claim, is a nonfactual statement asserted to be true. It is a statement about which people can disagree because it requires an explanation or evaluation. A historically defensible claim is one that can be supported with sound historical evidence. For example, Marx forwarded the claim that the materials and modes of production rather than philosophical ideas shape social structures. He used examples from history of the influence of changing production methods— hunter-gatherer, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, and communism—as evidence to defend his claim.

Line of Reasoning A thesis or claim also conveys a line of reasoning for the argument that will be used to explain the relationships among pieces of evidence. In Marx’s thesis, for example, the line of reasoning is causation: the modes of production cause the structure of social relations. Other lines of reasoning include comparison and continuity/change. Each line of reasoning needs to be embedded in a strong thesis statement. Here are two examples:

Comparison thesis statement: Social relations fundamentally differed under the production methods of the feudal system and the production methods of capitalism.

Continuity/change thesis statement: While social relations changed as the purposes and modes of production changed, the resulting social structures continued to have an underprivileged class, a continuity with long-lasting effects.

Topic and Focus of Task A strong thesis or claim directly addresses the topic and focus of the task. It must be limited to the time and geography stated in the long essay question.

Part of the task will be to “evaluate the extent to which . . . . .” In this context, “extent” means degree, scale, magnitude, scope, size, or level. To determine extent, you need to carefully analyze and evaluate the similarities or differences, continuities or changes, or causes and effects, depending on the task you are given. Which were most important, significant, influential, long-lasting, or in other ways largest in scope? And, just as important, what are your reasons and evidence for evaluating the extent as you did?

Long Essay Question: Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which the course of state-sponsored industrialization in Egypt under Muhammad Ali and in Japan under the Meiji regime between 1750 and 1900 was similar or different.

Thesis that clearly addresses the topic and task: Between 1750 and 1900, the governments of both Muhammad Ali in Egypt and the Meiji regime in Japan employed state-sponsored programs of industrialization to help them create a European-style military, but a difference in the nature and purpose of each program’s products led to significantly differing courses. (Note that the word significantly begins to address extent.)

Application: Read the following long essay question and a thesis statement developed to address it. Evaluate the thesis statement on how well it 1) expresses a historically defensible claim, 2) embeds a line of reasoning, and 3) addresses the topic and task, including evaluating extent, and stays within the limitations of the question. Revise the thesis statement as appropriate so that it meets all three standards.

Long Essay Question: Develop an argument that explains the extent to which industrialization changed social relations between 1750 and 1900.

Thesis Statement: From 1750 to 1900, industrialization changed the way goods were produced and consumed and affected people around the globe.

For current free response question samples, visit: https://apcentral. collegeboard.org/courses/ap-world-history/exam