This research plan is meant to introduce you to the research work of historians.

It is not a research paper, per se; you will NOT come to definite conclusions about a topic through research and writing. Instead, the Research Plan will serve as an initial step in the process of historical research. You'll explore a topic that interests you, that is mentioned (even if briefly) in the assigned readings, and that is part of U.S. history at some point between 1865 and 1932. The first thing to do is to find a topic that interests you. It should not be too broad (e.g., U.S. foreign policy between 1865 and 1919). But it should not be too specific (e.g., the type of foods served on U.S. Navy ships during the Spanish War). After you've established what you would like to research, follow the instructions below. Part I Introduction: 450-550 words In 450 to 550 words, inform me why you think the topic is important in order to understand the political, economic, or cultural history of the United States. PART II Primary Sources: 200-300 words In this section you'll write, in paragraph form, about different research places (ARCHIVES) where you would find the ACTUAL primary sources related to your topic. You are trying to find 2 ARCHIVES. WEBSITES with a digital version of primary sources are NOT acceptable as archives. To use a standard definition, a primary source, "is any piece of information that is used for constructing history as an artifact of its times. These often include works created by someone who witnessed first-hand or was part of the historical events that are being described, but can also include physical objects like coins, journal entries, letters, or newspaper articles." Using the Internet, locate research archives and/or special collections departments (usually in libraries) where you could go to READ OR SEE, and possibly TOUCH, the ORIGINAL primary sources. List the name of the archive or library, and its complete STREET ADDRESS and tell me WHY YOU HAVE CHOSEN each particular archive. Many archives have online catalogs of their holdings, and this will be very useful. PART III Secondary Sources: 800-1000 words Here, in paragraph form, you'll tell me about EIGHT books, written by historians and other scholars in the last twenty years, RELATED to your topic. (The book does NOT have to be only about your topic--but the book must address your topic in a relatively approximate manner.

For the each of the 8 BOOKS about your topic, find one SCHOLARLY/PROFESSIONAL book-review, and tell me: a. who wrote the book and the title of the book b. who wrote the review of the book; c. in what academic journal, newspaper, or magazine you found the review (please, NO amazon.com "reviews," or other reviews in websites that are not peer-reviewed, etc.); d. if the review was positive, negative, or merely descriptive. e. each description of a book-review should be between 100-150 words. PART IV. Conclusion: 250-350 words What did you learn, through this assignment, about the work that historians do when they are researching a topic? PART V. Bibliography of books and book reviews I'd like you to follow MLA, APA, or Chicago style bibliographic method. If you do not know what these are, ask a librarian to help you.