Persuasive Essay Guidelines

Persuasive Essay Guidelines

Structuring a Persuasive/Argumentative Essay

A persuasive essay is simply a writer’s attempt to convince readers of the validity of a particular opinion on a controversial issue. The following steps should help you write a persuasive essay.

Carefully select a topic

Choose a topic that interests you. An argument does not have to be a burning issue, but it must be a debatable topic. It can be anything you feel strongly about.

Identify the controversy

Your introduction should clarify the controversy or issue. Your thesis states your position on the issue. You must take a stand on the issue.

Provide support

The body paragraphs of the essay should provide specific support. These supports may include personal experience, statistics, examples, facts, or experts’ opinions. They may be garnered from television shows, magazines, newspapers, textbooks, studies, or interviews.

Organization

Include enough details to support your position; however, select only the facts that are relevant.

Consider differing opinions

A persuasive essay may be strengthened by acknowledging conflict viewpoints and repudiating them.

Provide a forceful conclusion

Restate your position in different words from the introduction. Do not introduce new material in the conclusion. You may want to conclude by encouraging some specific call to action (see the attached sample essay).

Persuasive Essay Guidelines

HIS 145 Week 1 Anti-communism and McCarthyism Paper

Themes of anti-Communism preoccupied the American media from 1947 to
1954. Major topics included the coup in Czechoslovakia, the Korean War, the
House Un-American Activities Committee, Alger Hiss, the Rosenbergs, and
Joseph McCarthy. Identify at least three different articles from the ProQuest
Historical Newspapers (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal,
Los Angeles Times, and Christian Science Monitor) written between 1947 and
1954 to see how these events were covered by the media. -Communism and McCarthyism
during this period, including examples or quotes from each of the three articles
you located. Prepare a 700 to 1,050 word paper in which you address the
following:
o The differences between anti-Communism and McCarthyism
o The perspective from which the media covered anti-Communism and
McCarthyism
o American foreign policy decisions impacted by anti-Communism
o How Americans’ lives changed because of the Red Scare