History Research Paper

Research Paper
WW I, WW II, and Vietnam: America at War in the 20th Century

Modern US History 2020

Purpose: Your task is to analyze the causes, conduct, and consequences of the three major American conflicts in the 20th century.

Getting started: Read Chapters 23, 26, and 29 in the American Journey textbook. Take notes and organize them.

Next step: Your task is to compare and contrast the causes, conduct, and consequences of the wars in question. For example, did the US enter these wars enthusiastically or was there considerable dissent? How did the government prepare the nation for war? Were American forces successful? Why or why not? How did the results of these wars compare? These are just a few of the themes that you will encounter in each chapter. It may be helpful to construct an outline before you begin writing.

Writing: Your analysis should be clear and concise. Construct an introductory paragraph that

includes a thesis statement. The body of your paper should contain specific facts, details, and

examples from the textbook to support the points you wish to make.

Citations: You will need citations indicating which chapter and page you are referencing.

For example, to support your assessment of combat in the Pacific in WW II, your citation might look like the following:

“The American victory at Midway Island was the result of superior intelligence (Chapter 26, page 603).”

A three page paper should have at least 15 citations.

What not to do: Don’t simply regurgitate your WEs. Although they will be helpful in getting organized, you will need to go far beyond the issues involved with the WEs.

Format: Your paper should be a minimum of three FULL pages in length. Double spaced. One inch margins. Check your default margins, many are at 1.25” rather than 1”. You must use a professional 11 point font. No cover page. Put name at top left of the first page. No other personal info is needed.

DO NOT PUT extra spaces between paragraphs.

Papers must be submitted to the D2L “Digital dropbox.”