You will need to develop an argument and use examples (at least three direct quotes) from the documents
to bolster that argument. Start by reading the introduction to Jo Ann Argersinger’s The Triangle Fire: A Brief
History with Documents (pp. 1-33) or John Dittmer’s Freedom Summer: A Brief History with Documents (pp.
1-33). No need to read all of the documents which are the largest portion of the book. Each document has
an introduction and that will give you an idea of which documents you choose to support your argument. If
you are having trouble discerning what is a document and what Argersinger’s commentary is, please ask.
After reading the introduction, you may develop your own thesis/argument (argue one side-not both!) or turn
to page 125 or page 157 in Dittmer’s book (questions for consideration) for thesis ideas. For example,
question 1 says, “Why did manufacturers of shirtwaists use loft factories? What were the economic
advantages? What were the safety hazards?” You could easily turn that into the thesis, “Many makers of
shirtwaists used loft factories due to their economic advantages,” or “despite the many safety hazards.”
Then support that argument with at least 3 quotes from documents- not the introductions given to each
document. Any of the questions on that page can easily be turned into a thesis. No need for outside
sources, The Freedom Summer will be your only source, hence no title page or bibliography required. Just
put the page number where you got each quote in parenthesis in case I want to look it up. Remember, this
is a three part essay, introduction with a thesis/argument, a paragraph or two of supporting evidence
(should be largest portion of essay), and a conclusion paragraph.