Select a theme from among the list, or identify an original theme that suits your own interests (your instructor will confirm with you whether this is a suitable theme for your project). You will, by the conclusion of this course, write a 3-5-page paper on how this theme resonates in early US history.
There are a number of themes that exist across the time period of early US history. Think about these themes and consider each one of them with regard to your assigned readings and discussions in class this week. Among them are the following:
- Aggression/conflict
- Evolving/changing society
- Exploration/expansion
- Immigration and Emigration
- Invention
- Revolution
Write a four-paragraph document that satisfies the following:
Paragraph 1: State your theme and explain why you've selected this theme. Have you seen examples of these themes revealed by the information you've covered? Is there a theme that you think you are most interested in, perhaps because of your background or because you think you would like to know more about how it fits into this country's early history? Is there a theme you know very little about, so you want to use your project opportunity to explore it?
Paragraphs 2-3: Explain how perspective, proportion, and context will be critical to understanding your theme, and use examples where possible. Review the lecture and examples from this week that explain these concepts. How has perspective on this theme changed over time? Is the theme proportional in that you will be able to find enough research for your project? Is the context of your theme in history affected by other themes or events?
Paragraph 4: Provide one paragraph that indicates how you will perform your research. Visit the South University Online Library (in the Course Home under Academic Resources) to search for information about your topic. Are there also valuable .org or .gov Web sites that will aid your research? Explain to your instructor the ways that you plan to gather information to analyze. Your instructor can also provide you valuable feedback to aid your research.