Common Problems:
1. Failure to clearly understand what the question is asking – “Revolution” as in drastic change – or failure discuss if change was truly revolutionary
2. Focusing on if changes were good or bad rather than drastic.
3. Southern “secession” or “seceded” not “succession” or “succeeded”!!!!!
4. Lack of enough specific outside information to support argument
5. Using historical narrative (telling the story of the era) instead of creating an argument
6. Weak topic sentences – should either introduce social or constitutional change
7. Thesis statements that don’t clearly answer question or don’t take a strong stand – i.e. “sort of a revolution” “kind of a revolution” = boo – it’s revolutionary or it is not – take a stand
8. DO NOT QUOTE THE DOCUMENTS! – I repeat DO NOT QUOTE THE DOCS!
9. Verb tense issues – shifts – stay in past tense & don’t use if 1st or 2nd person – including