Final answer:
To determine who killed James W. Fannin, historical evidence must be collected and organized, with each piece of evidence requiring a warrant explaining its support for the claim. This process involves critical analysis and a structured presentation of the facts gathered from reliable historical sources.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evidence and Warrant in Historical Analysis
In historical analysis, answering who killed a historical figure requires examining evidence and establishing a warrant for the claims. In the case of who killed James W. Fannin, a deeper look into historical documents and eye-witness accounts is needed to support a claim. A structured approach is taken, starting with a thesis statement to clarify the primary claim, followed by the accumulation of evidence such as records, testimonies, and scholarly interpretations. All of these should be scrutinized to ensure they align with the historical context and are not merely supportive of a preconceived notion. The evidence is then organized in a systematic way which could be chronological or thematic, and it is used to build a case that supports the thesis. Each piece of evidence presented requires a warrant, that is, an explanation of how that piece of evidence supports the claim. For instance, one might state that Fannin was killed during the Goliad Massacre by Mexican troops under the orders of General Santa Anna. As evidence, one might cite historical documents such as Fannin's surrender correspondence, eyewitness accounts from survivors of the massacre, and orders from General Santa Anna himself. The warrant here involves historical analysis that correlates these sources and confirms their authenticity and relevance to the event in question.
Planning and Organizing an Effective Argument
An effective argument in answering such historical questions requires careful planning. The argument must be outlined, indicating key points and evidence that will be discussed. Nonessential information should be discarded to maintain focus on the main argument. The selected evidence should then be organized coherently, usually in the order in which the events occurred or by their relevance to the claim being made. This allows for a logical progression of thought that leads a reader through the argument to the conclusion. Finally, analysis is critical. After presenting the evidence, a writer must analyze it, going beyond mere presentation to offer an understanding of how the evidence fits into the larger historical narrative. This is where originality and critical thinking shine, providing new insights into familiar events.