Argument Essay: Making an Arguable Thesis and Creating Claims

Thesis and Claims

1. Select your topic You have completed layers of preliminary research about 2 topics. Using your research select the
topic you wish to focus on for your argument essay.

2. Create a working thesis statement about your topic. This will be your Overarching Claim that asserts your position on
your topic. Use the attached document from Purdue Universitys website the OWL to guide you if you have difficult
structuring and wording your claim. DO NOT USE I believe or I feel or I think --- No first person or second person

3. After developing your Overarching Claim, use your knowledge about the topic and your research about the topic to
make claims that support your overarching claim
2 claims of fact
When using factual information and statistics, you must integrate the information with your words (when
quoting directly) and name the source for this information.
2 claims of value
2 claims of policy

Topic: Reform of the Criminal Justice System

Thesis: The federal government should focus prison funds on programs that reform prisoners to build a safer
society that benefits each and every individual. Commented [1]: Nice! Good focus!

Claim of Fact: Commented [2]: good facts. be sure to include your

sources for this information. if you are not sure how to
1. Nearly $80 million are spent on prisons each year. cite, I will help

2. The national prison population has quadrupled in the past four decades rounding to approximately 2.4
million prisoners today, half of which are minorities.

Claim of Value: Commented [3]: YES!

1. The excessive and massive imprisonment rates not only hurt those who are incarcerated but those of
everyday society.
2. The fact that the government has the highest incarceration rate in the world and has not changed their
method of imprisonment in over fifty years is unacceptable and ridiculous.
Argument Essay: Making an Arguable Thesis and Creating Claims

Claim of Policy
1. Instead of placing the focus on locking away those convicted of crimes, the government needs to focus
on helping those incarcerated so that they can return and contribute to society, after prison, as a Commented [4]: yep!

reformed and normal citizen.

2. The U.S. government should disband all unnecessary laws that do not harm the public if legalized, or at Commented [5]: good

least reduce the sentences for these crimes and their status to misdemeanors.