Assignment Expectations: As part of your Research Project, the first assignment requirement expects students to write and submit a topic proposal.  Students must select a topic within the historical parameters of the course, History of the United States to 1865. Consider a person, event or idea that you want to learn more about within the context of this class. My suggestion is that you think about a topic that is related to your area of study at UMGC. You can also skim through the Learning Resources section of each week under Content in our LEO class site to get some ideas. Or you can continue scrolling to the end of this learning block for a list of ideas. The list provided is by no means exhaustive, just some ideas to get you started. You can also email your instructor for suggestions or help narrowing down a topic idea. Just note, as this project is one you will be living with for the term, you should find a topic that interests you before setting out on the project itself. 

Assignment Directions: Once you have selected a topic, students will need to write a short proposal for instructor approval. Your topic proposal should be typed in a word document, doubled spaced with a minimum word count of 100 words. In this proposal, students should explain what topic they selected and why. Your proposal must include a working thesis statement with the understanding that it may be slightly modified later in the research process. Should you have further questions about submitting this proposal, please do not hesitate to reach out to your instructor. 

Students should also make sure that their topic is not too broad. A topic on the Civil War or Salem Witch Trials is fantastic but might be a bit overwhelming as one gets further into research. Consider narrowing down your topic a bit. For instance, you might research medicine during the Civil War or the accusers involved in the Salem Witch trials. 

Submitting Your Work: Students can submit their work under Topic and Proposal directions. Click on this assignment, scroll to the bottom of the page where you see “Add Attachments,” and then attach assignment here. Students can also submit this assignment through the Assignment tab. Students will also see the rubric attached to this assignment. Please make sure to review the rubric before submitting your final draft.

Potential Topics:

Accounting/Business

• Joint Stock Colonies
• Mercantilism
• Lewis and Clark Expedition – pay attention to their account books/journals
• Lowell Factory Movement (before the Civil War)

Environmental Studies/Management

• Native American land use practices v English Colonial methods
• Lewis and Clark Expedition

Criminal Justice

• Salem Witch Trials
• Indentured Servitude
• Dorothea Dix

Education/any subject

• School in the Colonial Era
• Education and the New Nation
• Thomas Jefferson on Education
• Education for Girls
• Horace Mann

Military Studies

• Colonial Militias
• French and Indian War
• Revolutionary War
• War of 1812
• Mexican-American War
• Civil War

Government/Political Science

• The Revolutionary War and New Nation: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Bill of Rights
• Secession: Virginia/Kentucky Resolves, Hartford Convention, Nullification, Civil War
• Constitutional Interpretation: Strict v Loose
• John Marshall and the Supreme Court: Judicial Review

Women's Rights

• Abigail Adams
• Sojourner Truth
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott
• Seneca Falls Convention

Slavery

• Colonial Era
• Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution
• Abolition
• Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Lloyd Garrison, David Ruggles, Frederick Douglass
• Abolition and Women's Rights