Martin Luther King Jr.

Select and research a particular figure in the history of American Christianity. Write an 8 page research paper with at least 8 references, demonstrating the relevance and importance of the subject in the American Christian tradition. The components of the paper must include the following:  Readability, Clarity of Objective, Purpose, or Thesis Statement Support, Analyses, and Critical Thinking, Audience Awareness, Organization, Completeness and Depth.

   I.   Strong Thesis Statement (After doing your research, discern a thesis about your person that you will argue through the paper) – This is an integral component of the paper.
   II. Biographical Overview
  III. Beliefs/doctrines of the individual
  IV. Practice/worship/religious contributions
  V. Books the person has authored and their importance to their Christian tradition
 VI. Historical Context of your subject with reflection on how historical context might have influenced their development and contribution to Christianity
           VII. Religious significance in the American Christian tradition
•    Start with an arguable thesis statement that you can build the paper around.  Think – based on my research, what is the primary thing I want to say about my person? Then, build the paper around that thesis.
•    Support your thesis in the body of the paper.  Think about what you are trying to say with each of your paragraphs
•    Paint a balanced picture – In a research paper, you need to be sure to be balanced in the portrayal of your subject.