ESSAY TOPICS AND INSTRUCTIONS

Remember, these topics are just SUGGESTIONS.  You are more than welcome to explore topics outside these—but first run your topic through me to be sure that it’s ok.  Your essay is to be between FIVE and EIGHT pages in length and should have one inch margins all the way around.  Use Times New Roman or a similar font and 12 point type  and remember to cite all sources using MLA 7th edition as your citation guide.  You are required to use a minimum of THREE sources for this essay—one of which MUST be non-internet.  EBooks and digitized articles are considered non-internet for the purposes of this paper.    Your textbook IS NOT an acceptable source.  Sources such as Wikipaedia, answers.com, Encarta, and similar sources ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE SOURCES.  If you have doubts about a source, please run it by me first.  I will also examine rough drafts for you, but you need to have the rough draft in to me NO LATER THAN ONE WEEK BEFORE THE DUE DATE!  Your completed essays will be due in the dropbox or turned in hardcopy to me no later than 11:59PM, March 30.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

 

1.  Discuss the industrialization of the United States following the Civil War through circa 1900: what were some of the more important factors that influenced industrialization and how did they impact that process?  Finally, what were some of the positive and what were some of the negative products of industrialization?  In your essay, you should consider the role played by industrial tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie as well as labor unions and the labor movement.

2.  Describe the development of Plains Indian culture and its destruction.  What was it based on?  What brought about its end?  Cite concrete examples and sources in your answer.

3.  Trace the growth of populism in US politics.  In what ways do you think the populist movement impacted on future government social and economic policies?

4.  Discuss the role played by women in various political and social movements during the later 19th century.  In your answer, don’t forget to discuss such issues as women’s suffrage, civil rights, prohibition, populism, and poverty and concern for the poor.

5.  Discuss the role played by immigrants in the development of the United States following the Civil War through 1900.  In your answer, take into account political, economic, social, and cultural factors.  In your answer, don’t forget to discuss the the nativist reaction to the growing number of immigrants entering the United States in the later 19th century.  What were some of the reasons given by nativists against immigration and what were some of the tools and methods used by these nativist groups to achieve their goals?

6.  Discuss Progressivism and the role of Theodore Roosevelt in the Progressive movement.   How did the Progressive movement of the late 19th—early 20th centuries change the nature and perception of the role of government in society?  In what ways was Progressivism a moral force?  Would you describe Roosevelt and Progressivism as a success or failure?  Why or why not?  Use specific examples of Progressive causes, legislation, or failures to justify your position.

7.  Discuss machine politics and urban corruption during the later 19th century.   In what ways did the urban machines provide a net benefit or liability for their communities?  Support your answer.

8.  Examine the birth and growth of US imperialism during the later 19th century culminating in the Spanish-American War.  What were some of the goals of those supporting an imperial posture?  What were some of the arguments made by those opposed to imperialism?  In what ways was US imperialism similar to that practiced by European powers such as Britain, France, and Germany and how did it differ?

9.  Discuss American involvement in the First World War.  Why did the US enter the war?  How did it contribute towards Allied victory?  What were the legacies of American involvement in the war?

10. Discuss one or two of the major social and cultural changes that took place during the 1920s (entertainment, Prohibition, the role of women, the automobile, increasing urbanization) and how they transformed American society?

11.  How did American society and culture change during the 1940s and 50s?  Don’t forget to discuss political, social, cultural, and technological factors in your answer.

12.  Discuss American involvement in the Second World War.  What were some of the most important actions that involved US forces and why were they important.

13.  How did Reconstruction affect the African-American struggle for equality?  Look at both short term and long-term in your answer.

14.  Discuss the how fear of the Atomic Bomb impacted 1950s society.

15.  Discuss the role played by popular music in 1950s and 1960s America.

16.  How did the Vietnam conflict shape American consciousness and identity from the 1960s through 1980s?

17.  Discuss the Civil Rights movement and its evolution from the Selma through the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

 

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