Reading response 2

First, you should give the primary argument of the reading. This is the thesis or claim that the author is trying to support with historical evidence (“This essay claims that…”), not the topic of the essay (“This essay is about…”). This should be about a sentence, though if the author’s thesis uses difficult words or is hard to understand, add one or two sentences explaining it in your own words.
Then you should explain the evidence that the historian uses. This requires looking at the footnotes. What primary historical documents does the author reference? What about secondary sources? Provide a general overview of the kinds of sources the author uses, and then identify at least two primary sources, explaining what evidence the author draws from them. This will be about a paragraph. A reminder: “quotes” are not sources. Quotes can come from sources, but the source is the physical object that the historian looks at, like a book, diary, film recording, etc. (It can also be a digital object, but the same logic applies: the source is the object itself.) If a historian interviews someone personally, then that person is the source.
Finally, you should evaluate the efficacy of the author’s argument. Is it convincing? Does the author acknowledge possible counterarguments? If not, can you think of counterarguments of your own that would merit further exploration? This will be a few sentences.

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