As America's first president, George Washington is an intriguing and oft-written about historical figure. Writing a great middle school essay about him should be a piece of cake, but there are a lot of silly myths and untruths that haunt the president's career. Sort through these inconsistencies, find an intriguing topic, and supporting material to write a truly great essay.
Ignore The Silly Myths
Washington has been practically deified since the beginning of his presidency, to the point that it's hard to separate the fact and fiction of his life. A little research should help you break through the childish myths and find actually interesting information. For example, George Washington did not:
- Throw a dollar across the Hudson River
- Tell the truth about a chopped-down cherry tree
- Oppose slavery in any way
Finding out that many of these supposed facts are wrong is often disheartening, but it can help you dig deeper into the heart of what made George Washington an interesting person. It wasn't because he supposedly threw a dollar across a river, that's for sure.
Find Interesting Facts That People Don't Know
After discarding the obvious myths that surround Washington's life, it's time to focus on an aspect of his life that captures your attention. For example, there is evidence that suggests that Washington was one of the sickest presidents ever, suffering from diphtheria, tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria, and pneumonia at various points of his life.
The fact that Washington was able to not only successfully wage a war, but serve two terms as a president in such sickness is something that more people need to know. And it's just the kind of useful angle you can hang on a great historical essay. Brainstorm a main idea (such as "how did Washington's sicknesses influence his decision making?") and begin doing some research to find supporting evidence.
Planning And Writing Your Essay
Once you've come up with a topic (such as the one mentioned above), you need to finally write your paper. Writing a great essay on George Washington includes the following steps:
- Researching your point by reading heavily about his life and his sicknesses
- Coming up with several key points (such as the way his sicknesses affected his personal, presidential, and military lives) based on your research
- Write your thesis statement (i.e. the main point of your paper, such as "George Washington's overwhelmingly sick nature influenced his decision making, but not in a destructive manner.")
- Write the rest of the essay, using a paragraph or two to support each point you want to make
- Finish up by writing the introduction and conclusion paragraphs: saving these for last makes them easier to craft
Follow these tips to write the best George Washington essay in your whole school. You can actually tweak this process to essay about any interesting historical figure, such as Thomas Jefferson or Harriet Tubman. Click here for more.
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