Where to Begin…
To arrive at an exact thesis statement, it is helpful to ask yourself three basic questions:
- What is my point?
- How will I present it?
- Why is my point significant (often only implied in the thesis)?
Answers to these questions will lead to creation of an exact thesis statement that will identify your topic, impose manageable limits on the topic, and suggest the organization of the body of your paper.
Example
Topic
How the nation’s political parties, contrary to Democratic principles, give the voter no choice in the selection of the Vice President of the United States
Questions
What is my point? To argue that a party’s presidential nominee should not have what is, in essence, power to appoint a vice-presidential nominee; rather, a person running for the presidency should indicate prior to the national convention whom he wishes for a running mate
How will I present it? By explaining that present policy makes the vice presidency, in effect, an appointed, rather than an elected, office, and by also suggesting that this practice is unconstitutional
Why is my point significant? It calls attention to the need for election reform
Thesis
Both the delegates to national political conventions and the people voting in an election deserve a voice in deciding who will be their Vice President. But since tradition is simply to give the presidential nominee the power to appoint his running mate, neither the delegates nor the people have any say in the selection.
Thus, the present process of selecting a vice-presidential nominee contradicts basic democratic principles, while it also violates the Constitution.
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