Term Paper Resource Guide to Nineteenth-Century U.S. History

(Hardback)

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Description

Major help for those inevitable American History term paper projects has arrived to enrich and stimulate students in challenging and enjoyable ways. Students from high school age to undergraduate will be able to get a jumpstart on assignments with the hundreds of term paper projects and research information offered here in an easy-to-use format. Users can quickly choose from the 100 important events of the nineteenth century, carefully selected to be appealing to students, and delve right in. Each event entry begins with a brief summary to pique interest and then offers original and thought-provoking term paper ideas in both standard and alternative formats that incorporate the latest in electronic media, such as iPod and iMovie. The best in primary and secondary sources for further research are then annotated, followed by vetted, stable Web site suggestions and multimedia resources for further viewing and listening. Librarians and faculty will want to use this as well. Students dread term papers, but with this book, the research experience is transformed and elevated. Term Paper Resource Guide to Nineteenth-Century U.S. History is a superb source to motivate and educate students who have a wide range of interests and talents. The provided topics on events, people, inventions, cultural contributions, wars, and technological advances reflect the country's nineteenth-century character and experience. Some examples of the topics are Barbary Pirate Wars, the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings liaison, Tecumseh and the Prophet, the Santa Fe Trail, Immigration in the 1840s, the Seneca Falls Convention, the Purchase of Alaska, Boss Tweed's Ring, Wyatt Earp and the Gunfight at O.K. Corral, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, and Scott Joplin and Ragtime Music.

Reviews

This comprehensive resource covers important topics such as 'The Sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson Connection (1802),' 'Great Chicago Fire (1871),' and 'Plessy v. Ferguson (1899).' Each essay provides a synopsis of the person, event, or place; term-paper suggestions; alternative projects such as making related movies or designing broadsheets; and a listing of accessible primary and secondary print works, and multimedia and Web sources. The term-paper suggestions are thought-provoking and can easily be turned into thesis statements, and the Web sites are highly authoritative and have exceptional links for further research. What is particularly useful about this excellent guide is that it not only gives recommendations but also encourages students to think around a problem by suggesting alternatives. * School Library Journal *
One hundred events, including a few individual person, organizations, and trends, represent a time and place marked by social and technological change and political and economic diversity. The format does an excellent job of offering quick and concise access to both idea generators and starting research points for high school and community college students through an overview paragraph, primary and secondary print resources, Web sites, and multimedia in addition to well-crafted suggestions for traditional term paper topics and alternative projects that use media or performance. * VOYA *
Prompts are flexible enough to be easily adapted but work well as is. Descriptions of historical events are written in student-friendly language which might be used verbatim in helping students chose their own topics. The quality of the assignments is consistently high and models for teachers and school librarians the principles of thoughtful instructional design. Highly recommended for high school and community college libraries. * Doug's Student Reference Room *

Author Bio

Kathleen W. Craver is Head Librarian at National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C. She is the author of a number of Greenwood Press reference books, including School Library Media Centers in the 21st Century (1994), Teaching Electronic Literacy (1997), Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills in History (1999), and Creating Cyber Libraries: An Instructional Guide for School Library Media Specialists (2002).