American history

I want you to read a book about a topic from the time period this course covers that is interesting to
you. Really get into the details so that you get a picture in your head of what life was like for the people
living in the place and time your book covers. Your book needs to be about a particular place, event or
person, or perhaps a specific topic. What topics are you most interested in — cooking? baseball? Avoid
books that give an overview of a whole era or topic: if it looks or sounds like a textbook, it will not work
for this project. Your book needs to cover one subject from the historical period we cover in this course,
roughly American history from 1900 to about 2010. Anything more recent than this will not have
historical perspective.
Paper Structure:
Include a descriptive title, a brief introduction and page numbers. Use standard font size and margins.
You must cite quotations, specific data, specific ideas or opinions you get from your sources. Citations
should be numbered and noted as footnotes
Include a works cited page at the end of your paper properly listing your sources in alphabetical
order.
Edit your work: correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure and punctuation errors.
Make sure the written part of your paper (not including the Works Cited page) is 7-10pages long.
Papers can be longer than ten pages. If your paper comes up short, include more of your favorite details
from the book
Thesis: Why did the author write this book? What is his or her professional background? What point is
he or she trying to make? This is usually spelled out in the Introduction or Preface of the book.
Analysis: What happens in this book? Include the most interesting passages, events, characters, etc.
This part should make up the majority of your paper. Avoid summarizing each chapter: focus on your
favorite parts and go into detail.
Context: Use a secondary source if necessary to provide context for what is happening in the book.
Cite your source.
Assessment: What did you like about this book? Which parts were confusing or less interesting? Was
there anything you would have liked to know more about?
Application: How did this book enhance your understanding of what you have read or heard in this
course or previously.
Reviews: Find at least two professional reviews of the book. What specific points did the reviewers
make about this book? Do their reviews make sense to you? Do they make points you agree with? Do
their reviews provide insights into the book that you had not considered? Go into some detail on this
section. Cite your sources.

What are some related books on this topic that you might want to read? Search for and include
specific titles