Review Of Joey Phillips Fort Osage: Daily Life On The Frontier

The thesis “Fort Osage: Daily Life on the Frontier” by Joey Phillips focuses on the daily lives of soldiers that called the frontier fort their home during the early nineteenth century. The scope of research includes the fort’s origin story, as well as a copy of the original blueprint drawn by renowned adventurer William Clark. Fort Osage was established according to that plan in 1808 and remained occupied until its abandonment in 1813. According to Phillips, the history of the fort’s residents is largely unknown to most visitors and historians. Therefore, through an examination of available documents, he will attempt to shed light on the resident’s daily routines to establish the fort’s significance as a trade network with the region’s Native

However, despite the absence of an argument and the author’s position on the said argument, the research presented does offer a good basis for establishing one. The lack of attention given to the topic by other historians leaves a gap in the research that could work to the author’s advantage in expanding the historiography of Fort Osage. This presents a great opportunity for the author to create a definitive thesis and build an argument from a unique perspective. The introduction of the thesis peaks the reader's interest by linking the fort’s origins with the legendary Lewis and Clark Expedition and how they convinced the Osage Indians to pursue their desire to have a fort built for trading goods. Nevertheless, clarification as to who the Osage were and why they considered a fort essential for establishing trade in the region would be beneficial to the reader. In addition, a clear declaration as to why this topic is of significance to historical study would help the audience understand the author’s overall

However, a few areas should be addressed before the final draft is submitted to enhance the clarity of the paper. For instance, the use of transitional words or phrases would help with the flow of the text. In addition, any quotation used within the text intended to strengthen the author’s point should be reviewed to confirm the significance of the quote is being conveyed to the reader. Despite there being minor errors throughout, this is a first rough draft and therefore understandable there will be spelling, capitalization, and punctuations errors to be edited as the paper progresses. Additionally, the formatting of footnotes should be reviewed since the latest versions of the Chicago or Turabian style of citation no longer uses superscript numbering for footnotes and the first line of text should be indented. Also, a review of citation and formatting guidelines for the bibliography would contribute to a more complete and effective