2025 Fall Final LEQ Option 2- Spanish Conquest of the Americas

LEQ Organization Guidelines

Paragraph 1- Contextualization this is where you use a few sentences in your introduction to set up your argument before you hit your thesis. “Situate the argument” by explaining the broader historical events, developments, or processes immediately relevant to the question. Context has to relate to the topic of the prompt!

● This is NOT a part of your argument, but the historical processes leading up to your argument.

● Make sure you don’t use the same evidence here that you plan to use later in the paper—double dipping isn’t allowed!

Paragraph 2-Thesis Write the Thesis The thesis is the concise and clear statement of your argument/claim. Historically defensible claim (HDC)

● Answer the question in your thesis – ALL PARTS of it!

● Provide the reader with a “road map.” visualize your claim.

Body Paragraphs- 3-5- Body Paragraphs as needed, Four (4) Pieces of Specific Historical Evidence but I would strongly recommend six (6) I order to show more analyze and complexity to your argument. Two Paragraphs with three pieces of SHE or three paragraphs with two SHE. All in support of the historically defensible claim.

• Topic sentence (Clean statement that connects the topic to how it answers the thesis):

• Evidence (SHE) • Reasoning /Connect explain how/why your evidence proves your thesis.

• Evidence (SHE) • Reasoning /Connect explain how/why your evidence proves your thesis.

Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which military conflict or conquest was the cause of change in the Americas from 1450 to 1750 CE.