How to Connect Historical Events

For students, the hardest thing you can do is try to connect seemingly unrelated events together in a historical paper. I know; I've tried, to varying success. It sucks sometimes, because you know the thesis is trying to throw you off, and if you have to resort to what you can remember, you're not gonna have a good time. However, I've found that, like many other things you have to do in history class, there's a method that you can use to help yourself connect those things together. Here are the three main points in connecting history to a paper's question/goal.

3. Think of the Question Compared to the Events

On an AP test surely, there will be a question that requires you to either examine comparisons and contrasts or continuity over time. You'll have to make an entire essay about this question, and if it IS AP, you'll have to do so from memory. Let's say you come up with three historical events based on the time period given in the question. Go back and read the question thoroughly. Now, think of how the events you chose relates to what the question wants you to do. Remember, if its AP, you're under a time constraint; don't spend too much time on it. If you put one of your historical events through this process and you can't see how it would relate to the question, just don't use it. If you can't understand and write about it, the person grading your test won't be able to understand either. This can help you narrow down the many historical happenings that occurred in the question's time period to the confines of the question.

2. Think of the Events Compared to Each Other

Now that you have events together, it's time to divide them into like groups. Focus on a main part of the event: do they share the same people, locations, ideologies? If you answer yes to any of these questions, there's your comparison in the event. Since you're trying to connect the events together, you're trying to also convince the reader why you put this event with this other event to support your argument. If the question involved how the US experienced industrialization in the 1800s, 2 good events to put together would be the opening of the Lowell Mill and use of inter-continental trade between the North and South. These events both happened in the 1800s, they both increased industrialization in the North, and they both (for the sake of this example) follow the exam question. Just keep doing this with events until you've gotten good evidence for both sides of the argument (since they will always expect you to do both sides). If you have a left over event and don't know where to put it, just leave it out. Don't risk losing points because you put in something you don't know about.

1. Connect Them Through Likes

No, not the Facebook/Twitter likes. Likes in this sense is what they have in common; what do they share that links them together? If you can find at least two things that can connect an event together, you'll be in business. Here's a hint; it's usually in the exam question. Yes, the question will give you what you need to look for; in fact, that's why you started this exam in the first place. So why is this point the last? Something that's a given is never the most important; once you've gotten through the hard stuff, that just makes the easy stuff easier.

There you have it! You can connect events through three ways: Comparing them to the question, themselves, and then finally connecting them through a shared trait. It's almost like science in a way! (Maybe that's why social studies teachers have degrees in social sciences).

-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep