Choosing a Topic

   One of the most difficult tasks in researching and writing a paper is to see the big picture. Where do I start? What do I look for? Once I find something, how do I know where to put it? Those questions, each very difficult, are the ones you should be able to answer when you have completed this assignment.
  
  You need to first pick a topic. What is a topic? It has several components:

A historical setting;

An American perspective;

An action or reaction on the part of someone, or a series of related actions or reactions by several people.

Here are some examples on how to define your topic:

Start with a Historical Era or Event:		Choose a specific element of that event or era:		Define the action reaction you will examine:
Historical Era/Event		Specific Component		Specific Action/Reaction
The Progressive Era		Immigrant Life in the Cities		Media's Role in exposing inequalities
Slavery		Resistance Against Slavery		Effect of John Brown's death
Era of Innovations		Carnegie's Vertical Integration		Carnegie eliminates competition

Your topic is each of the three columns above together.

  To form your hypothesis, you will develop an opinion regarding your topic.
  For example, your topic might be the U.S. reaction to the bombing of the USS Maine in 1898. Your hypothesis could address an opinion that the U.S. reaction to the bombing was unjustified. 

Due Dates

The Hypothesis