History Research Paper

History Research Paper
General Instructions:
– You are tasked with choosing an event during the 20th century in the United States and write a paper explaining that event, how this event has impacted or helped shaped society (in the past and/or present), as well as what lessons society can take away from this event. For each, you will provide evidence from your own individual research to up you position.

– Due Date:November 20th, 2015
o A hard copyis due in class on the date above.
o An electronic copy will also be due via the Safe Assign Link on Blackboard by the due date.
o Late papers will be docked 1/3 of a letter grade per day. To not be considered late, I must receive both the hard copy and electronic copy prior to the turn in date.
 If you are to turn in the paper late, turn an electronic copy in to turnitin.com and send me an emailed copy of the paper so that will count as your time stamp.

Specific Instructions
– Choose an event from the 20th century in the United States
o Current examples include, but are not limited to:
 Landing on the moon
 The Selma, Alabama Civil Rights Protests
 President Kennedy Assassination
 The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
 The Iran-Contra Scandal
 The AIDs Epidemic
 The Watergate Scandal
 The Cuban Missile Crisis
o Examples should not include broad historical events, including but not limited to:
 The Great Depression
 The Roaring Twenties
 The Civil Rights Movement
 The Progressive Era
 The Cold War
• Why? What you’ll note about each of these is that these historical events are very broad spanning decades. This is simply too much to write in a 6 page paper. Thus, the more specific and narrow the event you choose to write about, the more interesting the details will be, and the more thoughtful the analysis.

– Outline of Paper – In addressing your topic, your paper should be organized into 5 primary sections.
o Introduction (1 page)
 Introduce the topic of the paper
 Thesis statement – referring to the topic above, state your opinion on whatimpacts this has had on society (in the past and/or the present) and what lessons society can take away from this event.
 Overview of paper (road map) – first this paper will, second this paper will, finally this paper will conclude by …
o Brief Description of Event (1 page)
 Briefly provide a description of the historical event that took place. I expect this section to highlightmajor developments during this event. However, avoid giving a bullet point list of the major events. Instead, you need to create a larger historical narrative connecting the major events together (think of history as telling a story).
 Additionally, one should provide the context of the event, including the events leading up to your chosen topic, the dates and locations of the event, and major actors who participated in this event.
• This section should be well sourced and provide a factual background of events.
o Impacts of Event (1.5 page)
 Explain what impacts this event you think this has had on our society (in the past and/or present). In doing so, you will need to show causality. That is, you need to show how this event has had political, economic, and/or social effects on society.
• Note, any claims you make must be backed up with evidence (and appropriate citations).
o Lessons to Learn (2 pages)
 Explain what lessons society today can learn from this historical event?
 Additionally, one should apply this lesson to an event that is impacting our society today. Based upon this lesson, what do you think our political, social, and/or economic institutions should do when addressing this current problem?
• Note, any claims you make must be backed up with evidence (and appropriate citations).
o Conclusion (1/2 page)
 Briefly review or summarize what you have done in the paper.
 Provide final thoughts that make your paper feel complete.
o Bibliography
 Cite any sources that you use (see below)

– Paper Specs
o Length
 At least 6 pages of substantive content, not including the title page or bibliography.There is a 10% point deduction for every omitted page.
o Font
 12 point, Times New Roman only.
o Spacing
 Double spaced, 1 inch margins.
o Grammar
 Points will be deducted for poor grammar and spelling.
o Citing Sources
 You must cite at least 5 scholarly sources; this can include the text book, journal articles, newspaper articles, scholarly text books, books, government documents, court cases, government official websites, interest groups websites, congressperson websites).
• Bad Sources – DO NOT USE Wikipedia, Answers.com, etc.

 Please use MLA formatting in your paper.
• In paper
o “Obama argues that the healthcare law provides millions of indigent individuals health insurance.” (citation name, page #).
• In bibliography for internet source
o Name of author. “Article Title.” Source Name. Date published. Date accessed. <intent URL>
• In bibliography for book source
o Name of author. Book Name. Publisher, Year published.
• For more information, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/

o Ask for Help
 If you aren’t sure about something, be sure to ask me! Additionally, if you have any rough drafts or outlines you would like me to read, please have no hesitation in sending them to me. Finally, be sure to read through the “writing tips” I have provided to you to help with your writing.