The Research Topic is a one-page narrative of a proposed research area. Choose from one of the three prompts listed below
For this paper, each student should choose one of the following topics:
• Discuss religion in early American history. What role did religion play in shaping American society and history? At what points in early American history do we see religion motivating the actions of individuals and impacting the direction of the nation? Identify some people, events, and movements. How important do you think religion has been in our history?
• Discuss the history of slavery in early American history. How and why did it get started? Give examples of specific controversies and debates and discuss the continual effort to negotiate, compromise, or settle the issue. Finally, in your opinion, once the nation was established with slavery, was there any point, short of war, at which the issue could have been settled?
• Discuss the competing visions of the American nation in early American history, especially regarding such issues as liberty versus order and the role of a central/federal government versus the sovereignty of the states. Identify individuals and groups who promoted competing ideas about American development and discuss various debates over this issue. In your opinion, has the issue been settled?
• Explain why you choose that particular prompt.
• Explain the prompt’s significance to American history.
• List two books, two articles, and two primary sources that relate to your research into that particular prompt. The six academic sources should be listed in a bibliographic format. (Either Chicago/Turabian or MLA) No Internet Websites. Sources may require the use of the Dallas College Library databases to locate academic sources and scholarly sources.
• No submission texts will be accepted.
The paper must be double-spaced and formatted in Times New Roman and 12-point font. Your assignment will be checked through the College’s plagiarism tool.
Academic sources can be found through the following databases from the Dallas College Library or directly through the Internet:
• JSTOR
• ProQuest
• Academic Search Complete
• American History Online
• American History and Life
• Oxford Scholarship Online eBook in History
• Project MUSE: Humanities & Social Science
• Sabin
• Library of Congress: Chronicling America
