The Core Assignment Of This Course Is A Documented Re 057470

The Core Assignment Of This Course Is A Documented Research Paper

The core assignment of this course is a documented research paper (6 - 8 pages double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font). The paper should support a thesis statement with information gained from research or investigation. The paper will not be just a report presenting information, but will be a paper that carefully examines and presents your own historical interpretation of the topic you have chosen and your interpretation of the information you have gathered. The paper may include consideration of problems and solutions, define key terms, or refute arguments against your thesis statement. It will be important to choose a topic of interest to you.

Approach this assignment with an open and skeptical mind, then form an opinion based on what you have discovered. You must suspend belief while you are investigating and let the discoveries shape your opinion. (This is a thesis-finding approach.) Once you have found your thesis, write the paper to support it. You will use some of the following critical thinking skills in this process: Choosing an appropriate topic, limiting the topic Gathering information, summarizing sources Analyzing and evaluating sources Defining key terms Synthesizing information, comparing and contrasting sources Testing a thesis, making a historical argument, using refutation Amassing support for a position Documenting sources Because this may be a longer paper than you have written before and a complex process is involved, it is recommended that you complete this paper using the following steps: Choose a topic related to U.S. History up to 1877 (Chapters 1-15) that you would truly like to explore and that you are willing to spend some time on. Your chosen topic should be focused. Pose a question that you really want to answer. You may want to begin with more than one topic in mind. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU DISCUSS YOUR TOPIC WITH YOUR PROFESSOR.

Do some preliminary reading on the topic(s). You may begin with the textbook, then further explore the information available. Refine your topic. Summarize your topic, your interest in the topic, the questions you want to answer, and a hypothesis you want to test. Gather information from a variety of sources.

Use a minimum of four sources for your paper, and at least one must be a primary source. Examples of primary sources are ones that are used in our discussion forums 2 - 8. They are sources that are contemporary to the times under investigation. An example of a secondary source is our textbook, though the textbook also contains excerpts of primary sources, which you may use as a source in your paper. Outline the results of your research and the plan for your paper (you are not required to submit the outline).

Write the final draft and be sure to include a Works Cited List, and use the correct MLA documentation style.

Paper For Above instruction

The historical development of the American colonies and early United States is a complex tapestry woven from diverse events, ideas, and movements. This research paper explores a focused question within U.S. history up to 1877, aiming to develop a nuanced understanding of a specific aspect of this evolution. The chosen topic will be examined through critical analysis of multiple sources, including at least one primary document, to construct a well-supported historical interpretation.

My research centers around the question: How did the concept of liberty evolve from the colonial period through the Civil War? This question is motivated by a desire to understand the shifting notions of freedom, rights, and governance that influenced American political development. The investigation will involve analyzing primary sources such as excerpts from Benjamin Franklin's writings, colonial charters, and speeches by abolitionists, alongside secondary scholarly analyses.

The significance of this topic lies in demonstrating how ideas of liberty and rights were contested and redefined over time, directly influencing pivotal events like the American Revolution, the drafting of the Constitution, and the abolition of slavery. This evolution reflects broader themes of expanding political participation, individual rights, and the tension between federal and state power. By exploring these themes, the paper aims to reveal how the concept of liberty was not static but an active battlefield of ideas shaping national identity.

In conducting this research, I will gather information from at least four sources, including scholarly books, journal articles, and primary documents. I will analyze these sources to identify patterns, contradictions, and developments in the idea of liberty. For example, I will compare colonial texts emphasizing rights as derived from natural law with later abolitionist speeches framing liberty as a universal human right. These analyses will support my thesis that the conception of liberty in America was dynamic, evolving from a colonial emphasis on property and self-governance to a broader understanding encompassing human equality.

The paper will be structured to first contextualize the early colonial ideas of liberty, followed by their transformation during the revolutionary and constitutional periods. It will then examine the antebellum era's expansion of civil rights debates, culminating in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Throughout, I will evaluate how primary sources reflect and shape contemporary understandings of liberty. The conclusion will synthesize these findings to argue that the historical evolution of liberty underscores its centrality in shaping American democracy and identity.

This research not only aims to answer the central question but also to demonstrate critical thinking by engaging with diverse perspectives and testing the thesis against historical evidence. The resulting paper will contribute to a deeper understanding of one of the most fundamental and contested ideals in American history, supported by rigorous scholarly and primary source analysis, properly cited according to MLA standards.

References

• Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Harvard University Press, 1967.
• Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. W. W. Norton & Company, 2019.
• Franklin, Benjamin. "Autobiography." In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, edited by Leonard W. Labaree, Yale University Press, 1964.
• J.G. Randall & David Donald. The Civil War and Reconstruction. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1961.
• Wood, Gordon S. The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Vintage Books, 1993.
• Morgan, Edmund S. American Slavery, American Freedom. W. W. Norton & Company, 1975.
• Litwack, Leon F. Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery. Vintage Books, 1980.
• Toussaint, Laurent. "The Haitian Revolution and Its Impact on Slavery and Liberty." Journal of American History, vol. 105, no. 2, 2018, pp. 498–521.
• Pesen, Steven. "The Evolution of American Democratic Ideals." Journal of American Studies, vol. 45, no. 3, 2010, pp. 345–368.
• Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. A.C. McClurg & Co., 1903.