Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
The Federalist Papers

  U.S. History I Honors  

Essays and Journal Reviews

Short book reviews that appear in scholarly journals have a characteristic pattern:

• They are usually four to seven paragraphs in length

• They begin with a  paragraph that

1)      Introduces the topic

2)      Sometimes “situates” the topic in the context of larger historical questions or on-going debates

3)      States the thesis of the work

·        Middle paragraphs present the main ideas or major arguments that support the thesis

·        Last paragraph is a critical assessment. Was the work persuasive? How did it succeed or fail to make its case?

  Your task:

• Write a brief "journal review," following the above format (write a five-paragraph review). .