Mastering Primary Source Analysis: A HIST 104 Research Paper Guide

Abstract

Paper Assignment HIST 104, Fall 2021 [Name] Requirements The purpose of this research paper is to teach you how to research, analyze and interpret primary documents and present your ideas in a coherent manner. You are required to write a paper based on primary sources, found on Blackboard. These primary documents are imperative to historians, as they are generally first-hand account of events, issues or debates in U.S. history. Listed below are three topics that you may choose from in order to write the paper. You only need to choose one topic. Read each of the primary documents listed under that one topic carefully and make sure to perform background research on the area in order to completely understand the topic. Then, incorporate at least two secondary sources, which are analyses written by historians or other scholars. These sources may include books, journal articles and chapters in books. As I have mentioned in class, Wikipedia is unacceptable, as well as answers.com and other websites falling into the same category. These do not meet the standards of history. The easiest method of attaining journal articles is through J-STOR and Project Muse, located on ODU’s Library website. If you have any questions concerning the quality of your secondary sources, please email me. The body of the paper should be three-to-four pages, with 12-point font size, preferably Calibri or Times New Roman and one-inch margins on all sides. The paper should be double-spaced. Remember that I was in college and I know ALL of the tricks, so don’t try to pull a fast one on me! You are required to provide a cover page, consisting of the paper title, course number and title, and your name. It is not necessary to repeat everything on the cover page on the first page of the essay because you want to take up space. It is also necessary to provide a bibliography of all primary and secondary sources used in researching and writing the paper to be included at the end of the paper. Even if you only take one sentence from a book, you MUST provide the information as to where you procured the sentence. Two copies of this paper are required. An electronic copy must be uploaded to Safe Assign in the Assignments folder on Blackboard before the beginning of class by 11:59 pm on Monday, November 22. Failure to turn your paper in to me during class and on Safe Assign will result in penalties. Papers turned in within 24 hours of the deadline will have a 10 point deduction and each day following will be another 10 point deduction. I will not grade your paper until it is on Safe Assign and in my hand. If your paper arrives on November 29 or later, it will result in a zero. Citations and Bibliography Any direct quote (three or more consecutive words) from any book, article, website or source must be placed in quotation marks and cited with a footnote or endnote with the specific page range. If you paraphrase a source, you should also cite it with a footnote or endnote and its corresponding page numbers. Citations must follow the Turabian style, located below. Please note that there are different styles of citing books, articles and websites for footnotes and bibliography. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade, at a minimum, and may result in a zero and expulsion from the university. It is your responsibility to understand plagiarism and how to avoid it. If you are unsure, ask me and I will help you. This paper is worth 15% of your final grade. The grade will be based on your understanding and at times interpretation of the information at hand, as well as a good structure, writing style and sound arguments. Remember to use footnotes and have a bibliography! TOPICS The Antebellum Era While the Antebellum Era started in 1820, some historians argue that it truly commenced in 1840, following the Age of Reform in the United States. If this is the case, 1840 would be the collapse of the Union, leading to the Civil War by 1861. Utilizing the primary documents on Blackboard, explain why this is true, creating arguments from what you have researched. In other words, why did the Union start to collapse in 1840? Was it too late by 1840? Did some Americans see this war coming and why? The Civil War: Soldier Motivation Whether Northerners or Southerners knew that the Civil War was coming, the shots fired by the Confederates at Union-occupied Fort Sumter in South Carolina cleared the confusion. Everyone was affected by the Civil War differently. Explain how the Civil War affected Americans. You should also discuss why soldiers fought? What was their motivation? What is the significance of Abraham Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg? Did this affect the thoughts of soldiers fighting prior to the speech and those who would join the cause following it? There will be other documents available on Blackboard for this question. The New Deal In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the New Deal with the hopes of eradicating problems resulting from the Great Depression. Using the documents on Blackboard, provide a clear definition of the New Deal and explain its success rate throughout the country. What is the impact on the different groups found within the documents? Please make sure to incorporate as many of these documents as possible for this essay. Sample footnotes This list includes some of the more basic entries for notes. It does not cover every type of note. If you are unsure, consult Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th Ed Do not skip lines between footnotes. Single author 1 John Hope Franklin, George Washington Williams: A Biography (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985), 54. (The title may be underlined instead of italicized.) Author’s work in another work 2 Homer, The Iliad, in Sources of the Western Tradition, 5th ed. vol. 1 From Ancient Times to the Enlightenment, ed. Marvin Perry, Joseph R. Peden and Theodore H. Von Lau (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003), 49....