Junior Research Project

Theme: American Studies

Directions:Choose one of the following questions to write a 7-8 page research paper on. No more

than one student per class may choose a particular topic.

Objective:To research one of the following topics from the perspective of how it helped to shape

the American culture in which we live.

Historical / Political:

  1. The process and implications of the slave trade.
  2. The Prohibition Era and the rise of organized crime.
  3. The Trail of Tears and forcible relocation of the Cherokee Nation.
  4. The assassination of John F. Kennedy.
  5. The Stonewall Riots and the origin of the Gay Rights Movement.
  6. Japanese interment camps during World War II.
  7. Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” missile defense system.
  8. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” and the origin of the modern welfare system.
  9. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the politics of Cold War era fear.
  10. The Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention of 1848 as the birthplace of the feminist movement.
  11. The Florida Presidential election recount of 2000.
  12. The development, purpose, and use of The Electoral College.
  13. The origin and mission of alternative political parties (Green, Libertarian, Family Values, etc. [choose one]).
  14. The politics and mission of radical American political parties (The Black Panther Party, The Weather Underground, etc. [choose one]).
  15. The construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad.
  16. Manifest Destiny and America’s Westward expansion during the early to mid 1800’s.
  17. The origin and purpose of The United Nations (also see The League of Nations).

Entertainment and The Arts:

  1. The Parents Resource Music Center (PMRC) and the inception of Parental Advisory stickers on music recordings.
  2. The rise and cultural implications of “Shock Jock” radio.
  3. The origin and cultural impact of All in the Family.
  4. The origin and cultural impact of The Cosby Show.
  5. The origin and cultural impact of MTV.
  6. The rise and controversy of Gangsta Rap.
  7. “The Seattle Sound” and the rise of grunge rock in the early 1990’s.
  8. Motown and the racial integration of popular music.
  9. The cultural impact of Elvis Pressley.
  10. The origin and evolution of The Academy Awards.
  11. The writing, music, or art of The Harlem Renaissance (choose only one).
  12. Banned books in public schools (The Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, etc.).
  13. The fashion of a particular era in American history, and how it reflected the political and sociological context of the times (The Jazz Age, The Great Depression, The Vietnam War era, etc.).

Sports:

  1. The Black Sox Scandal and its impact on Major League Baseball.
  2. Jackie Robinson and the breaking of baseball’s color barrier.
  3. Muhammad Ali’s refusal to fight in the Vietnam Wars.
  4. The story and cultural implications of the boxing matches between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
  5. The AFL-NFL merger and the development of The Super Bowl.
  6. Michael Jordan’s impact on sports marketing.
  7. The various ways in which Wilt Chamberlain changed the game of basketball.
  8. The societal impact of Magic Johnson’s HIV-positive diagnosis.
  9. Curt Flood vs. Major League Baseball and the advent of free agency in professional sports.
  10. The origin and evolution of Negro League Baseball.
  11. Pete Rose’s banishment from baseball for gambling-related activities.
  12. Title Nine of the United States Constitution and the women’s sports movement.

Social:

  1. Roe vs. Wade and the legalization of abortion.
  2. The crack epidemic (1984-1990).
  3. The history and evolution of public housing projects in America.
  4. Sweatshop labor and the rise of investigative journalism (Muckraking, Yellow Journalism, etc.).
  5. Brown vs. Board of Education and the desegregation of schools.
  6. The origin and impact of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act) and FAPE (Free and Appropriate Public Education)) on American education.
  7. The protest culture of the Vietnam War era.
  8. Compare / Contrast the ideas of W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington.
  9. Compare / Contrast the ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
  10. The Hippie culture of the 1960’s.
  11. The Yuppie culture of the 1980’s.
  12. Charles Manson as both a murderer and popular culture icon.
  13. Jim Jones and the Jonestown mass murder-suicide.

Science and Technology:

  1. Henry Ford and the development of the automobile.
  2. The “Space Race” between the United States and Soviet Union.
  3. The development of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) and computer technology.
  4. The origin and evolution of Microsoft.
  5. The origin and evolution of Apple.
  6. American weaponry during WWI: Old meets new technology.
  7. The Manhattan Project and the subsequent bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII.
  8. The Eugenics movement in the United States: 1890’s – 1945.

Miscellaneous:

  1. The Roswell UFO incident.
  2. The Bigfoot (Sasquatch) debate.
  3. The War of the Worlds broadcast by Orson Welles and the ensuing mass hysteria.
  4. The origin and evolution of the Philadelphia Mummers parade.