How to Write a History Essay

A history essay aims to address any issues or events related to a historical subject. For example, an essay about the Politics in World War I should detail the political events leading to the war, key political figures and their strategies, etc.

A history essay is different from other forms of essay writing mainly due to its non-descriptive nature. It involves presenting detailed facts related to an event or a personality discussed and thereby, creating supporting evidence to the argument made. This process of interconnecting facts to generate evidences is the tricky part of the history essay, which can only be attempted after doing a thorough research on the subject discussed.

Aspects in Writing a History Essay

It should be understood that detailing does not mean describing each and every event belonging to that specific time in history. The critical components of any history essay are relevancy and brevity; nevertheless, you can keep on writing pages on the historical events. However brief the discussion may be, its value lies in how well the discussion is structured in relevance to the timeframe of the historical event.

How to Write a History Essay

Introduction of the History Essay

The introduction of the essay is of prime importance as it gives a student the first chance to grab the reader’s impression. In a history essay, the introduction should be mainly aimed at establishing relevant timeframe of the events to be discussed. Owing to the enormity of historical events, it is always better if you segregate the overall objective into smaller sections.

Body of the History Essay

The body of the essay should now deal with explaining the specific events or issues and their significance in unraveling of the historical event. While narrating the events, it is necessary to follow the actual timeline of their occurrence. Anachronous narrative can create confusion in the mind of the reader and/or your professor. Another essential thing to keep in mind is using the past tense while detailing, as these events of history belong to the past.

Further, the coherent explanation of how one event leads to unfolding of the other event can be used to develop a well-grounded argument. The primary rule here is to interpret the historical events, but no to explain them. On the other hand, the developed arguments need to be substantiated with evidence. For this purpose, you can quote the opinions of the historians, but not excessively. It should be remembered that History is the perspective of a historian, so excessively using the views of historians may fabricate an essay devoid of your own opinion.

Conclusion of the History Essay

The conclusion should clearly voice out your opinion by summarizing the arguments developed in the body of the essay with supporting evidence. Also, if you proposed several alternate views throughout the essay, then conclusion is the place to be specific and intensely support the most apt opinion. Make sure not to introduce any fresh ideas in the conclusion. Finally, a good history essay has to be revised critically for flaws in relevance and strength of the argument. You should always be a self-critic of your own work for developing a well-organized, coherent essay.