Evidence

To write about history, you need evidence for events that happened in the past. In your primary source commentary, the main evidence you will be using has been provided for you: the primary source.

That being said, you can not just quote the entire source back to answer the question. You have to select your evidence.

Pieces of evidence have to be specific. (Don't be afraid of judicious quotations)
- Vague:
  - Charlemagne’s court was a center of learning. That can be demonstrated by all the smart people there.
- Specific:
  - Charlemagne’s court promoted learning. Charlemagne persuaded scholars from many far-flung regions, such as Alcuin of York, to work for him. These scholars produced a large number of Latin texts…
Pieces of evidence have to be from the relevant time period/geographical region
- Anachronistic:
  - Today in the US many people eat meat at least once a day, so medieval people probably did too.
- Relevant:
  - Accounts from 7th-century Italy suggest that agricultural workers’ diet was dominated by grains and oil and rarely included meat. Literary accounts from other regions– such as Ælfric’s Colloquy– depict meat-eating as a sign of wealth and high status.
Pieces of evidence have to back-up the point you are making clearly
- Not clearly linked to the argument:
  - Charlemagne’s court was a center of learning. According to Einhard, ‘he adorned the beautiful basilica at Aachen with gold and silver and lamps, and with rails and doors of solid brass.’
- More clearly linked the argument:
  - Charlemagne’s wealth was reflected in the cathedral he built at Aachen. According to Einhard, Charlemagne ‘adorned the beautiful basilica at Aachen with gold and silver and lamps, and with rails and doors of solid brass.’

Argument

While evidence is important, the way you put evidence together-- your argument-- is what makes your historical writing truly valuable. For the sake of this exercise, it is a way of "showing your work" and demonstrating that you understand the historical concepts we have discussed so far. Analysis and argument are also skills that the are supposed to hone in this class. Do not be afraid of taking a clear stance!

To see why arguments are important, contrast the imaginary pieces below. One just lists evidence. This means that the reader has to guess what the author's argument is. Some evidence also needs explanation, otherwise it might seem to contradict the author's argument.

"Why is Simone the Schnauzer the most intelligent dog in the office?", without a clear argument

Simone does not do tricks in between mealtimes. Simone knows that the humans like it when she does tricks. However, so she only does tricks when they feed her salmon, her favorite food. As a result, the humans have begun feeding her salmon more often to get her to do tricks.

"Why is Simone the Schnauzer the most intelligent dog in the office?", with an argument

Simone is the most intelligent dog in the office because she does not rely on humans to tell her what to do like the other dogs do. Rather, she makes up her own mind about what best suits her interests and gets humans to help her achieve her goals, rather than the other way around. Simone does not do tricks when humans want her to do tricks, and Simone does not do tricks in between mealtimes. Simone knows that the humans like it when she does tricks, so she only does tricks when they feed her salmon, her favorite food. As a result, the humans have begun feeding her salmon more often to get her to do tricks. Through her ability to train humans, rather than vice versa, Simone has shown that she is the smartest office pet.

Arguments that are presented clearly are more persuasive.

While you should take a clear stance, don't be afraid to take a nuanced stance. You can argue that something is true only part of the time: "Simone is the most intelligent dog until she sees a squirrel, then she barks hysterically." You can also acknowledge counter-arguments. This does not necessarily weaken your argument: you are probably addressing questions your readers is already asking in their minds. For example:

Some have argued that Bella the Border Collie, not Simone, is the smartest dog in the office because Bella's owner has trained Bella to do yoga. However, this counter-argument assumes that obedience, not independence, is the highest form of intelligence. Bella is more obedient than Simone, which is why Bella can be trained to do yoga but Simone just yawns at her owners when they try to get her to exercise. However, Simone is more independent than Bella. Simone gets her owners to do what she wants (feed her salmon), whereas Bella has to do was her owners want (yoga). Simone's ability to out-wit her owners shows she is more intelligent than Bella.