Historical Writing''s Important Points

Historical Writing''s Important points

Thesis

Writing is the foremost goal of history, since it is the medium through which the writer communicates the sum of his or her historical knowledge (Cantor & Schneider, 241). In order to accomplish that goal, historical writing demands a strong thesis. The thesis should express a contention about some aspect of the subject, such as "there was a CIA conspiracy to kill JFK". In the introduction, the writer should relate how the implications of the thesis will be handled in the paper. In the body, the writer will engage in a well organized critical discussion of different aspects of the thesis. Many students find that outlining the form of their paper helps to improve their organization (Cantor & Schneider, 205-09).

Requirements

Historical writing requires a combination of attention to structural considerations along with the finding and assessing of facts. Therefore, it is not sufficient to write well grammatically and stylistically. A writer of history must answer a variety of questions in his or her writing. These questions are not limited solely to what happened; they include why and how. The writer must also address the background of the event, the principals involved, significant dates, and the influence of the event upon future developments. This combination of structure and detailed factual analysis is what makes historical writing difficult, both for novices and even experienced writers (Lottinville, 3).

Three Basic Processes

In order to produce an historical work, the writer must master three basic processes: gathering data; criticism of that data; and the presentation of his or her facts, interpretations, and conclusions, based upon the data, in an accurate and readable form (Hockett, 9-10). Before beginning the writing process, the writer should have an understanding of: the data that has been gathered, the writer's objectives, the conclusions reached from the research, and a clear perception of...