I'm writing a research paper and I'm almost done with it, but I was having trouble writing my thesis statement. Right now I have this:
The first political parties of the United States were the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party, but they have now evolved into the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The political parties have differing views on major issues, such as foreign policy, the economy, and balancing of the budget. Third parties also play a key role in the political system.
Can anyone help me condense this into only one or two sentences? I feel like it is too long right now. I didn't know how to make it shorter. Or is it fine how it is now?
First of all, read through the six sets of sentences on this webpage:
https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html
Notice what is not and what is a true thesis statement.
ONE sentence
Takes a stand/holds an opinion
Could be challenged or disagreed with by others
Take the following of your sentences and decide which of the six examples on that webpage it's like. Then fix it.
"The political parties have differing views on major issues, such as foreign policy, the economy, and balancing of the budget."
Then you'll probably have to go back through your paper and tweak things. If all you've done up to now is present facts, you have a report, not a research paper with a thesis.
Creating a concise and effective thesis statement is crucial for your research paper. Based on the information you provided, here is a suggested condensed version of your thesis statement:
"The evolution of political parties in the United States, from the Federalist and Democratic-Republican Parties to the current Democratic and Republican Parties, has resulted in contrasting positions on vital issues such as foreign policy, the economy, budgetary concerns, while the role of third parties remains significant."
This version maintains the main points from your original statement while presenting them in a more concise manner. Remember to revise and tailor it according to your research paper's specific focus and purpose.