Writing a successful Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) research paper can be challenging but rewarding. APUSH covers American history from the pre-Columbian period to present day, so there are countless potential paper topics to explore. This guide provides an overview of the research paper process and identifies some productive topic areas and sources to get you started on your PDF paper.
First, your paper must be focused on an historical question or issue related to the themes, time periods, individuals, and events covered in the APUSH course. Some common paper topics include political, economic, social, geographic, and intellectual/cultural history. Your thesis should argue a debatable point and be supported by evidence from primary and secondary sources.
A wise first step is reviewing your class notes, textbook chapters, and released APUSH exams to spark topic ideas tied to course content. You may also find inspiration browsing through library databases, historical websites, scholarly journals, reference books, and documentary films. Ask your teacher for additional guidance on selecting an engaging yet manageable research question.
Some fruitful eras for APUSH papers include:
Colonial America (1500s-1700s): topics like European colonization, growth of distinct regional cultures, relations with Native Americans, religious diversity/persecution, slavery’s emergence. Sources include colonial documents, ship logs, captivity narratives.
American Revolution (1775-1783): causes of independence movements, key battles, roles of influential figures like Washington, Franklin, Paine. Primary sources include founding documents, newspapers, personal correspondence from the Revolutionary era.
Early National Period (1783-1824): establishment of new government system, Bill of Rights, clashes over Federalism and states’ rights, War of 1812 impacts. Papers often analyze leaders like Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison.
Jacksonian Era (1824-1840s): rise of the common man, development of new political parties, Trail of Tears, social reform movements preceding Civil War. Biographies of Andrew Jackson offer depth.
Civil War and Reconstruction (1850s-1877): sectionalism, tensions over states’ rights and slavery’s expansion/abolition, wartime strategies and battles, postwar Reconstrution plans. Personal narratives and photos from divided America provide insights.
Gilded Age/Progressive Era (1877-1920): rapid industrialization impacts, Robber Baron business practices critiqued, Populist/reform campaigns against monopolies/corruption, US expansion overseas through imperialism. muckraking journalism exposes realities workers faced.
World Wars (1914-1945): US neutrality debates, entry into World Wars I and II, homefront experiences during global conflicts, domestic social/policy changes resulting from war participation like women’s suffrage. Oral histories collected by the Veterans History Project offer moving firsthand accounts.
Cold War/Civil Rights Era (1945-early 1970s): rise of superpower tensions with Soviet Union, McCarthyism, Korean/Vietnamese Wars, domestic Red Scares, Martin Luther King Jr. and grassroots campaigns against Jim Crow segregation across South. The Truman and Eisenhower presidential libraries hold useful finding aids to resources from these turbulent decades.
Whichever time span and issue you select, developing a clear argument and effective structure is key to success. A typical APUSH research paper would follow this basic outline in PDF format:
Introduction: Introduce your historical question/thesis in an engaging opening paragraph. Provide context and overview the paper’s organization.
Background: Briefly cover any necessary historical context readers need to understand the debate or event you will analyze. This sets the stage for your argument.
Body Paragraph 1: Present your first piece of evidence supporting your thesis. Analyze and explain how this example proves part of your argument.
Body Paragraph 2: Introduce a second source/example backing your stance. Again offer analysis linking it to your overarching point.
Body Paragraph 3: Discuss a third source of support. Thoroughly analyze its significance and implications for proving your thesis.
Counterargument Paragraph: Acknowledge other perspectives on the issue and reasonably address how alternative viewpoints differ from your own. Demonstrate you understand the complexity of historical interpretations.
Conclusion: Concisely restate your central thesis and summarize how evidence analyzed has substantiated your argument. Note wider implications or new issues generated by your research.
Bibliography: Provide full citations of at least 5 credible academic sources (a mix of secondary and primary documents) used in your paper according to the Chicago/Turabian style guide.
Following this template in your APUSH research PDF paper will demonstrate your historical thinking skills while satisfying assessment criteria like thesis development, analysis of evidence, and contextualization of issues. Be sure to leave adequate time for multiple drafts, peer reviews, and revisions with your teacher before the final due date. Thoughtful paper topics, guided research, and polished writing can lead to strong exam scores come May. With diligent work, your PDF will demonstrate mastery of AP U.S. History content and skills.