Write a summary of David von Drehle’s argument in “150 Years After Fort Sumter: Why We’re Still Fighting the Civil War.”

ASSIGNMENT: Write a summary of David von Drehle’s argument in “150 Years

After Fort Sumter: Why We’re Still Fighting the Civil War.”

Let’s define our terms. A piece of writing can be said to have an “argument.” The

argument consists of the main points or claims the author wishes to make and the

substance and method of support for those claims. To “summarize” the argument is to

boil it down into a smaller size. Von Drehle’s essay is about six pages single-spaced.

Your summary should be no longer than one page double-spaced.

Your job is to make a claim about what von Drehle’s argument is. Your paper should not

tell me whether or not you agree with that argument or whether or not you think his

argument is good or bad. Rather, you are to state clearly what the main idea of von

Drehle’s essay is and explain how he supports that argument.

In writing this paper, in other words, you must decide what is important and essential and

what is not essential, how much information is necessary to communicate the substance

of the ideas, and how to best organize your presentation.

Use your own words. No extra research, on the internet or in the library, is necessary.

Plagiarized papers will receive a zero and may be reported to the academic dean.

Remember, in order to explain an argument in your own words, you must first have a

very complete understanding of it; decisions about how to present the ideas should follow

that understanding. Do not write before you have a strong grasp of the ideas.

Summarizing is a difficult task, and to do it well, you will need to read von Drehle’s

essay a number of times.

Your first sentence or two should identify the task and state the summary in its most

general terms. (For example, your first sentence might begin, “In his essay, “150 Years

After Fort Sumter: Why We’re Still Fighting the Civil War,” David von Drehle argues

that that …”) Again: What you understand as von Drehle’s main idea should be stated in

your first sentence! The remainder of your summary should offer more specifics and

support that first general sentence.

Organize your paper for clarity. Do not simply follow and summarize the text as it is laid

out in the original.

Keep your summary to one paragraph, two at most.

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