Name: ______________________________________________ Date of Assignment: ___________

Period: ________ Date Due: ____________

American Slavery Unit

Slavery Informative Essay Outline

Informative Essay Prompt

Using information from the articles, “Slavery in the American South” and “Slavery in the Civil War Era,” write a two-
paragraph informative essay explaining what life was like for slaves during the Civil War era. You must use evidence
from both articles.

Directions: Read the essay prompt and then the following texts. Use the T-chart below to help you focus your reading
and take notes. Then, then write an informative essay about the prompt.

 Article #1: “Slavery in the American South.”

o "Slavery in the American South." Constitutional Rights Foundation. 2016. Web. <http://www.crf-
usa.org/black-history-month/slavery-in-the-american-south>.

 Article #2: “Slavery in the Civil War Era”

o "Slavery in the Civil War Era." Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War. 1997-2014. Web.
<http://www.civilwarhome.com/slavery.html>.

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Paragraph #1:

1. THESIS:
a. What is the main idea of these texts?

b. Which two reasons will you be discussing to support this main idea?
1.

2.

2. Topic Sentence: Use a transition word and include the FIRST reason listed in the thesis.

3. Evidence from Article #1:

a. Context: Set up your quote/paraphrase from the text. This can include a brief statement of the
situation. Put the quote in context.

b. Quote: Use quotation marks around a direct quote from the text or paraphrase an example in your own
words.

c. Citation: Cite your source. Use MLA format: at the end of the sentence, put an abbreviated version of
the article’s title in parentheses. Example: (American South) or (Civil War Era).

4. Evidence from Article #2:

a. Context: Set up your quote/paraphrase from the text. This can include a brief statement of the
situation. Put the quote in context.

b. Quote: Use quotation marks around a direct quote from the text or paraphrase an example in your own
words.

c. Citation: Cite your source. Use MLA format: at the end of the sentence, put an abbreviated version of
the article’s title in parentheses. Example: (American South) or (Civil War Era).

5. Explanation: HOW do these pieces of evidence prove your main idea?

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Paragraph #2:

1. Topic Sentence: Use a transition word and include the SECOND reason listed in the thesis.

2. Evidence from Article #1:

a. Context: Set up your quote/paraphrase from the text. This can include a brief statement of the
situation. Put the quote in context.

b. Quote: Use quotation marks around a direct quote from the text or paraphrase an example in your own
words.

c. Citation: Cite your source. Use MLA format: at the end of the sentence, put an abbreviated version of
the article’s title in parentheses. Example: (American South) or (Civil War Era).

3. Evidence from Article #2:

a. Context: Set up your quote/paraphrase from the text. This can include a brief statement of the
situation. Put the quote in context.

b. Quote: Use quotation marks around a direct quote from the text or paraphrase an example in your own
words.

c. Citation: Cite your source. Use MLA format: at the end of the sentence, put an abbreviated version of
the article’s title in parentheses. Example: (American South) or (Civil War Era).

4. Explanation: HOW do these pieces of evidence prove your main idea?

5. CONCLUSION: Restate the thesis and the reasons that you used to support this main idea.