Task 3: Plz Write an Answer! Thank you!

Writing an Analytical Essay That Takes Advantage of Hindsight

Remember that hindsight is the advantage one has by writing about something after it has happened. In general, the more time has passed since an event, the greater advantage a writer has in writing about it. This is because as time passes, the effects of an event become more apparent.

In this task, you will write an analytical essay that uses hindsight to determine cause-and-effect, showing how the Civil War and Reconstruction did or did not make significant progress toward creating a more equal society.

Your analytical essay should be structured as follows:

Introduction: Introduce the particular causes and effects you are analyzing and makes a clear and precise claim.

Body Paragraphs: Provide information that supports your analysis of causes and effects. Reasons should be clearly stated and supported by well-sourced evidence. They should also be logically arranged and build upon one another. Relationships between claims and reasoning should be clear. Finally, include an explanation of how your viewpoint differs from that of someone immediately after the event took place because you have had the benefit of hindsight.

Conclusion: Sum up your thoughts and analysis. Leave the reader with your most significant insight.

Examine this sample analytical essay before writing your own.

The Shifting Cause of the Civil War

President Lincoln's original stated goal in pursuing the Civil War was to keep the Union together. With the benefit of hindsight, however, it was inevitable that the focus of the war would shift to slavery. The South's claim that they were fighting for "states' rights" was, after all, a thinly veiled assertion that they had the right to own human beings. (South Carolina's Declaration of Succession, in fact, made no bones about this.)


President Lincoln was fully aware of what motivated Succession. His delay in officially calling for slavery's end was almost certainly a political calculation. He knew that announcing his true intent from the beginning would lose him supporters in the border states, which maintained slavery while remaining in the Union. Waiting until the moment was right—and then ending slavery only in Confederate states—was a shrewd decision on his part that contributed to eventual Union victory.


The actions of the South after defeat highlight that the desire to keep enslaved persons had motivated Succession. Even though the Civil War technically settled the issue of slavery, the attitudes that created it remained widespread in Southern states for more than a century afterward. There was little support in the South for Reconstruction. In fact, they did everything they could to keep freed African Americans from true equality. Looking back, the strongest evidence supporting this fact was the passage of Black Codes, which meant to keep Black people in a state as close to slavery as possible. Those continued efforts to oppress African Americans led to the federal government's passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which were not actually ratified by every Southern state until the twentieth century.


In hindsight, despite both the Confederacy's and Lincoln's initial assertions, it was inevitable that the Civil War would boil down to an openly acknowledged battle over abolition.


Part A: Conduct Research and Document Sources and Evidence

Research this question: Using hindsight to determine cause-and-effect, what evidence indicates that the Civil War and Reconstruction did or did not make significant progress toward creating a more equal society? Use the table below to organize your information, sources, and evidence.


Part B: Write Your Analytical Essay

Write a three-paragraph essay below. Use this rubric to guide your response. Be sure to include:


Introduction: Introduces the question ("Using hindsight to determine cause-and-effect, what evidence indicates that the Civil War and Reconstruction did or did not make significant progress toward creating a more equal society?") and makes a clear and precise claim.

Body paragraph(s): Provide(s) your reasons, evidence, and analysis.

Conclusion: Sums up your thoughts and analysis, and leaves the reader with a significant insight.


Part C: Revise and Edit Your Cause-and-Effect Essay

Reread your three-paragraph essay and rewrite and revise it as necessary. Use this rubric to guide your response.