Questions We Can Help You To Answer

Pick A Topic

Your first task is to select a topic for your final essay. The list below includes various types of focii (focus) for your essay where your topic will be, in effect, developed from the following questions. Your thesis will be an ANSWER to the statements provided and needs to be listed on the annotated bibliography.


Historians continually debate whether Reconstruction was a success or a failure. Based upon your investigation of sources, which side do you find the most convincing?
The Progressive Era represented a time of reform. What were the conditions within the US that helped usher in the perceived need for change?
WW1 is viewed as the End of Progressivism. Was that the case? Why? If not, identify the what ended the Progressive Era.
What was the significance of the Harlem Renaissance?
What were the economic conditions that led to the Great Depression?
Why is the New Deal considered a "triumph of liberalism"?
What ended the Great Depression and why is that significant when investigating the effectiveness of the New Deal?
Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
What were the core reasons why the US decided to use the atomic bomb on Japan?
What were the core reasons for World Division following WW2?
What was the significance of Kennan's "Long Telegram?" and what impact did it have on the cold war?
What was McCarthyism's impact upon the US?
Why was it challenging to pass a comprehensive Civil Rights Bill prior to 1964?
What were the causes of the Vietnam War?
What were the Stonewall riots and what did they accomplish?
The New Left emerged during the 1960s. What was the New Left's objective and what significance did they have on 60s era politics?
What were the core reasons why the New Conservatism triumphed in 1980?
Why did the US "win" the cold war? (hint: it was not due to military buildup)
Select your own (email the instructor for approval prior to selecting sources)

For these questions, you will need to:


Select one that interests you
Research the topic. While the question might be "easy" to answer, those answers are not "all inclusive." You will need to provide a comprehensive answer to those questions with adequate background information to support your ideas (evidence)
Sources used should be *scholarly* in nature and not of the "history.com" or "wikipedia" variety. Points will be deducted for usage of popular sources.
Come up with a balanced answer to the question taking *all sides* into account. Are there any opposing interpretations? What are they? Why is your answer the "most" true?
Note: your essay's "thesis" will be the answer to the posed question. This should be a statement introduced early within your final essay. All content should be centered on supporting this answer.



Annotated Bibliography
To help prepare you for the final essay, you must first complete an Annotated Bibliography.

Once you develop an "answer" to the selected question, that will be your thesis. A good thesis is short and to the point and will identify exactly what the essay will argue. For example, "Although Reconstruction provided the means for the former Confederacy to re-enter the Union, the emergence of Black Codes and Sharecropping perpetuated a pseudo-slave system known as sharecropping".


The essay should focus fully on this and sources used, as identified within the Annotated Bibliography, need to identify exactly how each source supports this statement.


For the Annotated Bibliography assignment, you are expected to find at least 3 scholarly sources (from the CTC library or other scholarly databases and not casual web searches).



These should include journal articles from such journals as:



The Journal of American History
The Journal of Contemporary History
Journal of Women’s History
The American Historical Review 

The annotated bibliography must include the following:



An identification of your thesis (what do you intend to prove?) This should be a short statement at the beginning of the essay. 
A properly formatted citation in either APA or Turabian style
A brief summary of the source (what does it argue?)
An explanation on how you specifically will use the source to support your thesis (what information contained within will help you prove your point?)

The goal of the annotated bibliography is to develop, prior to the drafting of the research paper, the foundation necessary to draft a proper thesis-driven essay.


There must be *clear* identifications of the above points. For example, the phrase "the source provides detail about JFK..." does not indicate *what* detail it explains. What did it argue? What key information does it present? What *specific* information will be used to support your thesis?



Research Paper
NOTE: Before beginning this assignment, read through information contained in the Scholastic Dishonesty link in the course menu to the left.

The core assignment of this course is a documented research paper (1500-2000 words in length = approx. 4 - 6 pages double spaced, 12-point font).

The essay should support a thesis statement with information gained from research or investigation.
The paper will not be just a report presenting information, but will be an essay that carefully examines and presents your own historical interpretation of the topic you have chosen and your interpretation of the information you have gathered.
The paper may include consideration of problems and solutions, define key terms, or refute arguments against your thesis statement.
It will be important to choose a topic of interest to you.

Approach this assignment with an open and skeptical mind, then form an opinion based on what you have discovered.
You must suspend belief while you are investigating and let the discoveries shape your opinion. (This is a thesis-finding approach.)
Once you have found your thesis, write the paper to support it.
You will use some of the following critical thinking skills in this process:

Choosing an appropriate topic, limiting the topic
Gathering information, summarizing sources
Analyzing and evaluating sources
Defining key terms
Synthesizing information, comparing and contrasting sources
Testing a thesis, making an historical argument, using refutation
Amassing support for a position
Documenting sources
Because this may be a longer essay than you have written before and a complex process is involved, it is recommended that you complete this paper using the following steps:

Choose a topic related to U.S. History after 1877 (Chapters 16-28) that you would truly like to explore and that you are willing to spend some time on.
Do some preliminary reading on the topic(s). You may begin with the textbook, then further explore the information available. Refine your topic. Summarize your topic, your interest in the topic, the questions you want to answer, and a hypothesis you want to test.
Gather information from a variety of sources. Use a minimum of four sources for your paper, and at least one must be a primary source.Outline the results of your research and then plan for your essay.
Primary sources are sources "from the time" and include government documents, laws, newspaper articles, interviews, or even images.
They are sources that are contemporary to the times under investigation.
An example of a secondary source is our textbook, though the textbook also contains excerpts of primary sources, which you may use as a source in your essay.
Write the final draft and be sure to include a bibliography.

Note: The assignment should be *professional* in appearance. There should be no references to you or others (i.e., "In this essay, I intend to prove...) or any other anecdotal evidence. It should be written in "standard" essay format with an introduction (and thesis), supporting paragraphs (with citations for paraphrased or quoted content), a conclusion, and a bibliography. There is no need for a title page, an abstract, a running head, or anything of that nature. Please examine the rubric for grading criteria.

Questions We Can Help You To Answer

The Food Act (Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act)

Questions We Can Help You To Answer

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992)

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer

According to the article, other than ‘lateral pressure,’ what are the two schools of thought that have promoted theories in an attempt to explain imperialism or imperial expansion? You need to briefly explain the key components of each of these and mention their major proponents.

Now, explain the theory of “lateral pressure.”  How does it function? If we take oil as a desirable consumer commodity, could we use oil to partially explain European efforts to gain control (directly or indirectly) of places such as Iraq and Iran at the turn of the 20th century (early 1900’s) as having been driven by aspects of lateral pressure?  Is imperialism the only possible outcome of “lateral pressure?” Answer these questions in full detail.

ONLY USE ARTICLE PROVIDED

Instructions:

Your essay should be no longer than 4 pages. Use 12 point script and please double space. Please utilize normal pre-set (1 inch) margins.
When citing the material, especially when using direct quotes, please use footnote citations. (In Word go to References and Footnote and then type your source information.) A works cited page is not a substitute for footnotes. 
Use Chicago Manual of Style for referencing.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer

Directions: Your response must be about 1000 words in length, and must adhere to a standard manuscript form.  Be sure to support your argument with specific references to primary or secondary sources.

Is the relationship between the state of Texas and Texas cities analogous to the relationship between the Federal Government and the State of Texas?  Why or why not?
Sources to consider:
Ashcroft, Robert R., and Barbara Kyle Balfour. "Home Rule Cities and Municipal Annexation in Texas: Recent Trends and Future Prospects." . Mary's LJ 15 (1983): 519.
The Constitution of 1787, especially Article IV.
Ruud, Millard H. "Legislative Jurisdiction of Texas Home Rule Cities." Tex. L. Rev. 37 (1958): 682.
Texas Constitution, Article XI.
Zimmerman, Joseph F. State-Local Relations: A Partnership Approach, 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1995.

The essay will be graded based on the Universal Intellectual Standards. (Clarity, Relevance, Accuracy, Precision, Logic, Breadth, Depth, Significance, Fairness)

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer

Directions: Please respond to one of the following essay prompts.  Your response must be about 1000 words in length, and must adhere to a standard manuscript form.  Be sure to support your argument with specific references to primary or secondary sources.

The essay will be graded based on the Universal Intellectual Standards. (Clarity, Relevance, Accuracy, Precision, Logic, Breadth, Depth, Significance, Fairness)

1.    You are a freshman member of the Texas House of Representatives. You sponsor a bill that has strong support among your constituents, but only a half-dozen co-sponsors.  Neither the Speaker nor the senior members of the House are on the list.  Furthermore, it is referred to a committee that you do not sit on.  How do you get it out of that committee and onto the floor for debate? Moreover, how could you increase the chances of the pill passing?
Sources to consider:
a.    Blair, Diane D., and Jeanie R. Stanley. "Personal relationships and legislative power: Male and female perceptions." Legislative Studies Quarterly (1991): 495-507.
b.    Fiorina, Morris P. "Legislative choice of regulatory forms: legal process or administrative process?." Public Choice 39, no. 1 (1982): 33-66.
c.    Wiggins, Charles W., Keith E. Hamm, and Charles G. Bell. "Interest-group and party influence agents in the legislative process: a comparative State analysis."The Journal of Politics 54, no. 1 (1992): 82-100.

2.    You are the chair of the Texas Senate Finance Sub-Committee on Fiscal Matters and up for re-election next cycle.  The House has just passed a version of a well-publicized spending bill that you do not support.  It has been referred to your committee in the Senate as well as to the Health & Human Services Committee.  The HHS Committee Chair supports the bill, as do your constituents.  How do you make sure the bill fails, but still manage to keep your seat?
Sources to consider:
a.    Blair, Diane D., and Jeanie R. Stanley. "Personal relationships and legislative power: Male and female perceptions." Legislative Studies Quarterly (1991): 495-507.
b.    Cox, Gary W., and Mathew D. McCubbins. "Procedural Cartels in Texas: A Note." Unpublished Manuscript, University of California-San Diego (2005).
c.    Fiorina, Morris P. "Legislative choice of regulatory forms: legal process or administrative process?." Public Choice 39, no. 1 (1982): 33-66.
d.    Senate Session, T. E. X. "RECENT LEGISLATIVE DEBATE." HARVARD LAW REVIEW 127: 843.
e.    Wiggins, Charles W., Keith E. Hamm, and Charles G. Bell. "Interest-group and party influence agents in the legislative process: a comparative State analysis."The Journal of Politics 54, no. 1 (1992): 82-100.

3.    Much electoral campaign attention in Texas is focused on the race for Governor.  However, a quick look at the structure of the Executive Branch shows that the Governor holds remarkably little formal executive power and instead must share that power with multiple independently elected officers.  In fact, one may argue that the Lieutenant Governor and the Comptroller of Public Accounts each hold more power than the Governor.  Why, then, do Texans focus on the Governor’s office and largely ignore the others?
Sources to consider:
a.    Calfano, Brian R., Elizabeth Anne Oldmixon, and Peter VonDoepp. "Religious Advocacy in the Texas Legislature." Representing God at the Statehouse: Religion And Politics in the American States (2006): 101.
b.    Richards, Ann W. "Strategic planning and budgeting in the “new Texas”: putting service efforts and accomplishments to work." International Journal of Public Administration 18, no. 2-3 (1995): 409-441.

4.    The Texas Judicial System is divided into separate Criminal and Civil Courts at the lowest and highest levels, but not necessarily in the middle levels.  Why do you think this is so?  What advantages or disadvantages does a split judiciary hold for dispute resolution in Texas?
Sources to consider:
a.    Champagne, Anthony, and Kyle Cheek. "Cycle of Judicial Elections: Texas as a Case Study, The." Fordham Urb. LJ 29 (2001): 907.
b.    Herasimchuk, Cathleen C. "New Federalism: Judicial Legislation by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals." Tex. L. Rev. 68 (1989): 1481.
c.    Judice, C. Raymond. "Texas Judicial System: Historical Development and Efforts Towards Court Modernization, The." S. Tex. LR 14 (1972): 295.
d.    McCormick, Charles T. "Modernizing the Texas Judicial System." Tex. L. Rev.21 (1942): 673.
5.    Is the relationship between the state of Texas and Texas cities analogous to the relationship between the Federal Government and the State of Texas?  Why or why not?
Sources to consider:
a.    Ashcroft, Robert R., and Barbara Kyle Balfour. "Home Rule Cities and Municipal Annexation in Texas: Recent Trends and Future Prospects." . Mary's LJ 15 (1983): 519.
b.    The Constitution of 1787, especially Article IV.
c.    Ruud, Millard H. "Legislative Jurisdiction of Texas Home Rule Cities." Tex. L. Rev. 37 (1958): 682.
d.    Texas Constitution, Article XI.
e.    Zimmerman, Joseph F. State-Local Relations: A Partnership Approach, 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1995.

6.    Choose one of the following sub-state institutional structures and explain the limits of its policy jurisdiction, providing at least one example where that limit has either been breached or made unclear:
a.    The North Central Texas Council of Governments 
b.    Dallas County Commissioners Court
c.    Dallas County Community College District
d.    The City of Dallas
e.    Dallas Independent School District 

7.    In the following sub-state institutional structures, what formal relationships are established connecting them? Under whose authority are these connections established?  Under what circumstances do these institutions come into Conflict? Please provide specific examples.
a.    The North Central Texas Council of Governments 
b.    Dallas County Community College District
c.    Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority
d.    Dallas County Commissioners Court
e.    Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Authority

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Natalia Molina's book (Fit to Be Citizens?: Public Health and Race in Los Angeles, 1879-1939) speaks directly to how Mexicans were racialized in the development of Los Angeles. Explain her argument that she posts about how Mexicans; racialization occurred within the context of the treatment of other racial-ethnic communities. Please explain her argument and provide at least two examples of how the public health system and its' policies were used highlighting this racialization process.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

The Changing Status and Experience of African Americans, Women or the Working Class in the United States from Reconstruction to the Present

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Colonization (The political, economic, and social reasons for European exploration and colonization of the new world was the main focus for Europeans to discover the new world)

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

https://d3bxy9euw4e147.cloudfront.net/oscms-prodcms/media/documents/USHistory-LR.pdf

USE CONTENT FROM 22 and 23 of the online book i inserted above.
Prompt: Chapters 22 & 23 in the Open Stax textbook examine the myraid ways the U.S. was transformed between 1890 and 1919--ideologically, politically, socially, economically, etc.  

Your paper should discuss what you see as the 3 most significant transformations of these years and explain your reasoning as to why those 3 together were so significant/important (in other words, why should we care about these 3 transformations that you describe?  Why do they matter to the subsequent history of the U.S.).  

PLEASE: resist the urge to argue that the 3 transformations you write about "made the U.S. what it is today."  That is not a thesis, that is a cop out.  Put your 3 chosen transformations together and really think about what we can learn from them/why they matter to the subsequent history of the U.S.  That is the stuff a history thesis is made of.    

Your answer should be approximately 1000-1200 words in length.  Use 12-point font and 1-inch margins all the way around. 

Keep in mind that the goal here is to justify what you think with evidence from the reading.  Any answer is potentially correct IF it is backed up by evidence--evidence in a history class means direct quotes and/or paraphrased information from your assigned readings.  

Your paper MUST USE quotations and/or paraphrases from the assigned readings.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

This short paper is at least three double-spaced pages of text (Times New Roman, font size 12) and you must consult a minimum of two academically credible sources. Bibliographies and citations will be in the Chicago Manual of Style format or APA or MLA.

The short paper needs to be turned in through the assignment section for grading. If you use any of the information from your sources word-for-word, you must cite the source by using endnotes or footnotes. If you read the information and write it in your own words and it is not common knowledge, then you must cite the source because you are paraphrasing someone's information. 

The short paper must include a cover page with your name, course number and course title, instructor's name, and date. You must also include a bibliography at the end of your paper. While composing your paper, use proper English. Do not use abbreviations, contractions, passive voice, or first/ second person (I, you, we, our, etc). Before submitting your paper, check your grammar and use spell check. Remember, the way you talk is not the way you write a paper. Please label your paper as follows: lastnamefirstnameHIST101ShortPaper (for example).



Information from Lynn Elizabeth Marlowe:
HIST 222 Research Paper Suggestions 
These are suggestions. Feel free to come up with your own. 

Remember that: the more specific your topic, the better the paper. In other words, a paper focused on World War II in general will be a less scholarly paper than a paper focused on Army battles in Europe in WWII, for example. My topics below are a little vague on purpose, you will need to refine them. You will need at least 3 sources, one of which must be a primary source. The primary source could be the first-hand account of an eyewitness to an event, a biography written by a historical figure, or a novel that is considered essential to understanding an event, for example. Secondary sources are textbooks and books or articles written by scholars studying an event. 

If you don’t know what to write on, start out by reading your textbook to get a basic understanding of the different paper topics. The aim of the paper is NOT to repeat the basic elements of the topic that you find in textbooks. The aim is to read about your subject and become somewhat of an expert on it (hence the need to narrow it down) and both lay out the basic ideas and elements of it AND analyze it. 

So, for example: if you wrote a paper on the Iraq War, (which obviously would not really apply to this class), you would start by laying out some of the most pertinent elements of the facts of the war. But, the “meat” of the paper would be your analysis. What thinkers or politicians believe that we should stay in the war, what thinkers or politicians want to withdraw our troops? What is the background for these beliefs? You would state your case (backed up by the entire paper’s facts and analysis) – or your argument. This is a much different paper than simply stating statistics and a list of “who’s who”. Finally, once you decide on a topic listed here, but don’t know what some of the deeper questions regarding it are, just ask me. 

Again, these are just ideas and all of these would have to be narrowed down. The topic has to be different than the topic of the first paper.

1) This short paper is at least three double-spaced pages of text (Times New Roman, font size 12) and you must consult a minimum of two academically credible sources. Bibliographies and citations will be in the Chicago Manual of Style format or APA or MLA.

The short paper needs to be turned in through the assignment section for grading. If you use any of the information from your sources word-for-word, you must cite the source by using endnotes or footnotes. If you read the information and write it in your own words and it is not common knowledge, then you must cite the source because you are paraphrasing someone's information. 

The short paper must include a cover page with your name, course number and course title, instructor's name, and date. You must also include a bibliography at the end of your paper. While composing your paper, use proper English. Do not use abbreviations, contractions, passive voice, or first/ second person (I, you, we, our, etc). Before submitting your paper, check your grammar and use spell check. Remember, the way you talk is not the way you write a paper. Please label your paper as follows: lastnamefirstnameHIST101ShortPaper (for example).

Dr. Blodgett 
Director, Undergraduate History and Military Studies Programs

Information from Lynn Elizabeth Marlowe:
HIST 222 Research Paper Suggestions 
These are suggestions. Feel free to come up with your own. 

Remember that: the more specific your topic, the better the paper. In other words, a paper focused on World War II in general will be a less scholarly paper than a paper focused on Army battles in Europe in WWII, for example. My topics below are a little vague on purpose, you will need to refine them. You will need at least 3 sources, one of which must be a primary source. The primary source could be the first-hand account of an eyewitness to an event, a biography written by a historical figure, or a novel that is considered essential to understanding an event, for example. Secondary sources are textbooks and books or articles written by scholars studying an event. 

If you don’t know what to write on, start out by reading your textbook to get a basic understanding of the different paper topics. The aim of the paper is NOT to repeat the basic elements of the topic that you find in textbooks. The aim is to read about your subject and become somewhat of an expert on it (hence the need to narrow it down) and both lay out the basic ideas and elements of it AND analyze it. 

So, for example: if you wrote a paper on the Iraq War, (which obviously would not really apply to this class), you would start by laying out some of the most pertinent elements of the facts of the war. But, the “meat” of the paper would be your analysis. What thinkers or politicians believe that we should stay in the war, what thinkers or politicians want to withdraw our troops? What is the background for these beliefs? You would state your case (backed up by the entire paper’s facts and analysis) – or your argument. This is a much different paper than simply stating statistics and a list of “who’s who”. Finally, once you decide on a topic listed here, but don’t know what some of the deeper questions regarding it are, just ask me. 

Again, these are just ideas and all of these would have to be narrowed down. The topic has to be different than the topic of the first paper.

1) What was the Harlem Renaissance and why was it important? 
2) The importance of the church in the civil rights movement 
3) Why nonviolence did not work in Northern urban communities during the Civil Rights Movement. 
4) The reputation of the Black Panther Party and an explanation of the real history behind the BPP. 
5) How did world events impact the modern civil rights movement and organizations like SNCC and the slogan Black Power? 
6) The struggle for voting rights in a certain locality 
7) Jim Crow - ONE aspect of it 
8) What was the Nation of Islam and how is it significant to the Black community? 
9) What was the UNIA and how did it help or harm the black community? 
10) What was SNCC? - develop a thesis statement about it. 

Read my special announcement about plagiarism in the announcements area.
  

* Papers must be on an African American history topic covered in the time period of this course. No biographies, please.

• Students need to cite at least once every paragraph, to acknowledge an author’s ideas. This is done even if there are no quotes, see Chicago guides for more information. If more than one author’s ideas are used in a paragraph, then more than one citation needs to be used. 

• Any quote needs a citation at the end of it. 

• Use both footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography. 

• Papers need an intro (with a thesis statement) and a conclusion. 

• Papers need a title page. 

• Papers should be free of writing errors, there is help available at APUS for writing if you need it. Watch for grammar, typos, etc. 

* Don't forget that we use Turnitin to check student papers for plagiarism. Paraphrase correctly or if you use exact words: use quotation marks and cite.

? 
2) The importance of the church in the civil rights movement 
3) Why nonviolence did not work in Northern urban communities during the Civil Rights Movement. 
4) The reputation of the Black Panther Party and an explanation of the real history behind the BPP. 
6) The struggle for voting rights in a certain locality 
7) Jim Crow - ONE aspect of it 
8) What was the Nation of Islam and how is it significant to the Black community? 
9) What was the UNIA and how did it help or harm the black community? 


Read my special announcement about plagiarism in the announcements area.
  

* Papers must be on an African American history topic covered in the time period of this course. No biographies, please.

• Students need to cite at least once every paragraph, to acknowledge an author’s ideas. This is done even if there are no quotes, see Chicago guides for more information. If more than one author’s ideas are used in a paragraph, then more than one citation needs to be used. 

• Any quote needs a citation at the end of it. 

• Use both footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography. 

• Papers need an intro (with a thesis statement) and a conclusion. 

• Papers need a title page. 

• Papers should be free of writing errors, there is help available at APUS for writing if you need it. Watch for grammar, typos, etc. 

* Don't forget that we use Turnitin to check student papers for plagiarism. Paraphrase correctly or if you use exact words: use quotation marks and cite.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Topic
Write a review of North Korea Confidential. Answer the following questions in your review: Based on what the authors report in this book, how would you describe North Korean society in the early 21st century? What explanation do the authors give for the North Korean government's continued hold on power? Do you agree with this explanation? Or does the evidence presented by the authors about North Korean society today suggest a different conclusion? 

Citations
You must include citations from five different chapters of North Korea Confidential (a minimum of one citation per chapter, for a minimum of five citations in this paper). You should only use materials that you have received in this course (the textbook, the slideshows, and North Korea Confidential ) when writing this paper. No outside research is required, necessary, or wanted. DO NOT cite materials from outside of this course. Use citations from non-course materials may result in a grade penalty.

Length and Formatting
This paper should be between 1250 and 1500 words long. Your paper should be typed; use a readable 12-point point (Times New Roman, etc.) and standard 1-inch margins. Do not use excessively long quotations--long quotations from "North Korea Confidential" or the textbook will not count for your word limit. Do not include long quotations from sources we did not use during this course.