80 ChApTEr 3 | enLiGhtenMent anD eMpire | period two 16 07–175 4 putting it all together^81
document Type of thought Key context(s)
Letter from a Gentleman of the City of New
York on Leisler’s Rebellion, 1689 (Doc. 3.8)Secular Economic, politicalBenjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack,
1739 (Doc. 3.11)Secular Social, culturalJonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of
an Angry God,” 1741 (Doc. 3.13)Religious Religious, politicalsTEP 4 Outline your response
A subordinated thesis statement often is determined after the essay has been
planned. When you outline an essay with a subordinated thesis, it can be useful
to organize your response using a point-by-point outline. Unlike the categorical
outline, which outlines an essay according to categories provided by the prompt,
a point-by-point outline organizes an essay by claims that you generate as part
of your argument.
Given the comparative nature of this task, consider the following point-by-
point outline as a way to structure your response:Point 1: Economic influences (claim)
Evidence:Religious thought (proximate and long-term causes)
Secular thought (proximate and long-term causes)
Point 2: Political influences (claim)
Evidence:Religious thought (proximate and long-term causes)
Secular thought (proximate and long-term causes)
Point 3: Social influences (claim)
Evidence:Religious thought (proximate and long-term causes)
Secular thought (proximate and long-term causes)
Notice how the topic (economic, political, and social influences) of each para-
graph’s claim is not from the prompt. Each is, instead, a point determined by the
author of the essay based on her understanding of the time period.
After you have composed your outline, you are in a position to make a clear
thesis about this era. You can write, for example, “Colonial thought was shaped by
religious influences X and Y, although the secular influence of Z was also prom-
inent.” This approach allows you to achieve greater complexity in your thesis.04_STA_2012_ch3_057-084.indd 81 11/03/15 3:50 PM