SHORT PAPER: CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
This assignment will allow you to research and better understand the Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia in 1787.  The assignment’s purpose is to enhance the historian’s understanding of
the early American founding era by investigating and interpreting primary and secondary source
evidence related to the Constitutional Convention.
INSTRUCTIONS
You will write a 2-page short research paper on a key person, event, idea, or action of the
Constitutional Convention of 1787. The paper must use at least two scholarly sources, but no
more than three sources total. One must be a primary source and one a secondary source.
Citation and paper format must apply current Turabian formatting. The paper must be a full 2
pages but must not exceed 2 ¼ pages with footnotes applied. So be concise in your writing and
verify proper citations, including the use of footnote Ibid. and shortened versions.
Overall, you must:
1) Identify the key person, event, idea, or action from the Convention.
2) Provide a very brief historical narrative of the identified topic.
3) Explain the significance of your selected topic.
4) Rationalize how this key person, event, idea, or action impacted the founding.
Your paper’s body must include an identifiable introduction with a well-crafted thesis statement
and a summative conclusion.  The title page and bibliography do not count toward the 2-2 ¼
page requirement. No headings should be used (except on the Bibliography page). Also, the
paper must be written in the third person. You should utilize the template from the LU Online
Writing Center – Writing Style Guide website and reference the sample paper instructions and
information.