Crafting Argumentative Thesis Statements

In Early World, I often used an example of first organizing your thesis by your body paragraphs and then revising your thesis to enhance its debatability.  

RESEARCH QUESTION: In the period known as the "Middle Kingdom," why was Mentuhotep able to reunify and consolidate power in ancient Egypt?

SUB-TOPICS: 

• militarism 
• getting the nobility on his side
• economic expansion 

BASIC (NON-ARGUMENTATIVE THESIS)  

Mentuhotep II was able to unify and consolidate ancient Egypt in the Middle Kingdom through decisive victories, purchasing loyalty from nobles, and expanding the economy to keep his subjects complacent.

ENHANCED (ARGUMENTATIVE THESIS) 

Although Mentuhotep II's militarism is often credited for his (re)unification of upper and lower Egypt, his cultivation of conquered nobles as well as economic expansion glorifying his rule were equally important in retaining such unity.

Do you see how I made a judgment about the relative importance of Mentuhotep's various policies, thereby crediting some more than others?   That's an easy way to introduce argumentation into your research paper!