General Overview: Select an event, incident, a legislative action, or related marked historical moment in the years up until the American Civil War (Pre-Columbian Era to 1865), that marks an important transition in American History. This historical event can lead to a social, economic, or political transition that shaped the country’s history. Additionally, you will conclude this research project with a supposition of how history might have been shaped had this event never occurred or of another possible outcome could have been possible.
Examples: The effect of the Salem Witchcraft Trials on the colonial religious goals of Massachusetts; The post-French & Indian War colonial taxation policies of the British government; The failure of the indentured servitude system to provide an ample labor source in the pre-Revolutionary American South; The passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act & its relationship the impending crisis that becomes the American Civil War.
Research Objectives & Questions to be Discussed in Your Essay: (Incorporate these questions in the writing of your essay.)
• Why did you select this event?
• What were both the short- and long-term effects of this historical event?
• Who all were impacted/affected by this historical event?
• How was history changed by this event?
• If you were to imagine a different outcome or reaction to your event, what do you suppose might have been a different outcome in the short- and long-term?
How to proceed:
- Create your specific historical question within the broader essay topic you select.
- The examples under each essay option are by no means the only topics that you can write about, they are merely provided to help you think about how you might approach this topic. You should select your own topic, however you can choose one of the examples.
- Begin researching primary and secondary sources to gather information that support your discussion of your historical question.
- Review the paper requirements for both the research portion and the writing portion of your assignment.
- Review the grading rubric to ensure that you have met all of the paper requirements before making your submission.
