history help!

[Jester]

It is an intriguing idea, but I question it's viability as a freshman level topic. That's more grad level research there.

And that's something I won't debate with you, as I have neither an opinion on the matter nor the qualifications to have such an opinion.

My only thing was that, regardless of the level it should be at, the basic theory does carry some weight.

[Kheldarson]

I can still get access through my university library although I am no longer a student - being alumni has its perks

I live too far from my alma mater to visit its library

[Sapphire Silk]

my thesis statement (pending approval) is

The Dust Bowl, coupled with the Great Depression created a whole generation of innovative people, able to be creative with less. Putting them in the work force, they came up with a multitude of new inventions because of their backgrounds and experiences, which over time helped drag this country out of the slump, and into an era of prosperity.


And for those who asked, yes this is a undergrad US history course, US history after 1877

Your thesis statement is intriguing. It certainly sounds like an interesting topic.

However, as a former history major myself, it is very ambitious for a lower level history course. What you thesis assumes is that these inventions because of the Dustbowl or the Great Depression. You're trying to prove causation. You may be able to make a persuasive argument, but it's going to take a lot of work. One of the things you'll have to show is that the inventions you cite came directly out of the DB/GD. That's going to be hard; you'll need to show specific inventions that came about directly because of the challenges of the two crises. Look at agriculture and technology.

You can start by looking at the New Deal. Many of FDR's ND programs were designed to get people working. The WPA is one of those programs; one of the sub programs led to the creation of a new form of historical study: oral history. Historians in this program used new recording devices to record the stories of older people of past US events.

I didn't have JSTOR when I was a history major. The Internet was in its infancy; I relied on other resources and often had to travel to various archives or libraries to access the sources directly (I spent a lot of time at the Library of Congress and the National Archives when I was working on my master's thesis). Try looking at published works and look over their bibliography. Primary sources are often listed individually. Then look at those sources directly to see if you can find anything that supports your thesis. It's kosher (no plagiarism) as long as you do your annotated bibliography solely from the primary resources. However, you should cite any secondary source you use to find your resources, and be careful not to take any useful source out of context.

It is an intriguing idea, but I question it's viability as a freshman level topic. That's more grad level research there.

Probably, but I don't want to speak for the instructor.

My only thing was that, regardless of the level it should be at, the basic theory does carry some weight.

It doesn't carry any weight without evidence. It's a very interesting idea, but the evidence may not support it. We won't know until the paper is completed and we see what Sarlon comes up with to prove it. And really, the paper should include the possibility the idea may be wrong, lest confirmation bias creep in.

[Sarlon]

I'm not writing a full paper, this is just an annotated bibliography.

I'm a business major, not a history major. This course is required for Gen Ed

[Sapphire Silk]

I'm not writing a full paper, this is just an annotated bibliography.

I'm a business major, not a history major. This course is required for Gen Ed

Then FWIW, I think you're picking a topic that might be more work than it's worth.