• Privacy Policy

Research Method

Home » 300+ American History Research Paper Topics

300+ American History Research Paper Topics

American History Research Paper Topics

American history is a vast and complex subject that encompasses a wide range of events, movements, and individuals who have shaped the country’s past and present. From the struggles for independence and civil rights to the exploration and settlement of the continent, American history provides an abundance of topics for research papers . Whether you’re interested in politics, social issues, cultural trends, or military history, there are numerous topics to choose from that will help you delve deeper into the fascinating story of the United States. In this arcticle, we will explore some of the most compelling and thought-provoking American history topics that you can choose to explore in your own research .

American History Research Paper Topics

American History Research Paper Topics are as follows:

  • The Salem witch trials: religious hysteria and persecution.
  • The California Gold Rush: immigration and economic boom.
  • The Harlem Renaissance: cultural movements and African American creativity.
  • The Stonewall riots: LGBTQ+ rights and activism.
  • The Underground Railroad: abolitionist movement and escape from slavery.
  • The New York City Draft Riots: racial tensions and class conflict during the Civil War.
  • The Battle of Little Bighorn: Native American resistance and US expansionism.
  • The Scopes Monkey Trial: evolution and religion in the public school system.
  • The assassination of Abraham Lincoln: political upheaval and the aftermath.
  • The Bracero Program: labor migration and Mexican American relations.
  • The Japanese American internment: civil liberties and government policies during WWII.
  • The Black Panthers: civil rights and revolutionary politics.
  • The Montgomery bus boycott: racial segregation and nonviolent protest.
  • The War of 1812: US-British relations and national identity.
  • The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: US involvement in Vietnam and presidential power.
  • The Trail of Tears: forced relocation of Native Americans and government policy.
  • The Louisiana Purchase: westward expansion and territorial acquisition.
  • The Emancipation Proclamation: Abraham Lincoln and the end of slavery.
  • The Boston Tea Party: colonial resistance and the American Revolution.
  • The Haymarket Riot: labor movements and the struggle for workers’ rights.
  • The Sacco and Vanzetti trial: political prejudice and the justice system.
  • The Nixon administration and Watergate: political corruption and media coverage.
  • The Battle of Gettysburg: turning point in the Civil War and military strategy.
  • The United States’ entry into WWI: neutrality and international relations.
  • The assassination of JFK: conspiracy theories and the impact on American politics.
  • The Montgomery GI Bill: post-WWII veterans’ benefits and education.
  • The 1968 Democratic National Convention: anti-war protests and police brutality.
  • The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster: NASA and government accountability.
  • The Wounded Knee Massacre: Native American activism and government response.
  • The Oklahoma City bombing: domestic terrorism and extremism.
  • The Pentagon Papers: government secrecy and media freedom.
  • The American eugenics movement: racial science and government policy.
  • The Zoot Suit Riots: racial tensions and discrimination in WWII-era Los Angeles.
  • The Tet Offensive: turning point in the Vietnam War and media coverage.
  • The 1920s: flappers, jazz music, and cultural transformation.
  • The Seneca Falls Convention: women’s suffrage and gender equality.
  • The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: civil rights and the struggle for racial justice.
  • The Tea Party movement: conservative populism and political polarization.
  • The space race and the moon landing: US-Soviet competition and national pride.
  • The Gulf War: US military action in the Middle East and international relations.
  • The Hurricane Katrina disaster: government response and racial inequality.
  • The Rodney King verdict and LA riots: police brutality and racial justice.
  • The Iran-Contra scandal: government corruption and foreign policy.
  • The civil rights movement and the Freedom Riders: nonviolent protest and desegregation.
  • The Flint water crisis: environmental racism and government negligence.
  • The Occupy Wall Street movement: economic inequality and social justice.
  • The AIDS epidemic: public health crisis and societal attitudes.
  • The American Revolution: causes and consequences.
  • The impact of slavery on the development of the United States.
  • The Reconstruction Era: successes and failures.
  • The Civil War: social, political, and economic impacts.
  • The women’s suffrage movement: progress and setbacks.
  • The rise of industrialization and its impact on society.
  • The Progressive Era: reforms and political changes.
  • The New Deal: success or failure?
  • The impact of the Great Depression on American society.
  • The Second World War: America’s involvement and impact.
  • The Cold War: the US and Soviet Union’s global influence.
  • The civil rights movement: leaders and strategies.
  • The Vietnam War: political, social, and cultural impacts.
  • The Watergate scandal: corruption and the presidency.
  • The Reagan Revolution: conservatism and change.
  • The Gulf War: America’s role in international conflict.
  • The 9/11 terrorist attacks: effects on domestic and foreign policy.
  • The Obama presidency: achievements and controversies.
  • The rise of Silicon Valley: technology and innovation.
  • The labor movement: unionization and workers’ rights.
  • The Trail of Tears: the forced relocation of Native Americans.
  • The Mormon migration: religious freedom and settlement.
  • The gold rush: economic and social impacts.
  • The women’s liberation movement: progress and setbacks.
  • The rise of the suburbs: lifestyle changes and the American Dream.
  • The Harlem Renaissance: cultural and artistic movements.
  • The Dust Bowl: environmental disasters and migration.
  • The Ku Klux Klan: racism and terror in America.
  • The rise of the Christian Right: religion and politics.
  • The Cuban Missile Crisis: America and the Soviet Union on the brink of war.
  • The Manhattan Project: the development of nuclear weapons.
  • The Bay of Pigs invasion: US foreign policy in Latin America.
  • The Space Race: America’s competition with the Soviet Union.
  • The Black Power movement: self-determination and political activism.
  • The Stonewall riots: the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
  • The War on Drugs: the impact on minority communities.
  • The rise of hip hop: cultural expression and social commentary.
  • The Iraq War: America’s intervention in the Middle East.
  • The Tea Party movement: populism and conservative politics.
  • The Dakota Access Pipeline protests: Indigenous rights and environmentalism.
  • The #MeToo movement: sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.
  • The 2020 presidential election: controversies and historical significance.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic: social, economic, and political impacts.
  • The climate crisis: America’s role in mitigating global warming.
  • The opioid epidemic: public health crisis and government response.
  • The gig economy: labor rights and the changing nature of work.
  • The immigration debate: policies and social attitudes towards immigrants.
  • The Black Lives Matter movement: racial justice and police reform.
  • The Battle of Antietam: bloodiest day in American history and its impact on the Civil War.
  • The Salem Witch Trials: causes and consequences of the infamous witch hunt.
  • The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment: examining the unethical medical study conducted on African American men.
  • The Stonewall Riots: analyzing the LGBTQ+ rights movement and the impact of the Stonewall uprising.
  • The Bay of Pigs Invasion: evaluating the failed US attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba.
  • The Battle of Little Bighorn: examining the conflict between the US Army and Native American tribes.
  • The Red Scare: analyzing the fear of communism in the US during the Cold War.
  • The Manhattan Project: evaluating the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
  • The Seneca Falls Convention: examining the first women’s rights convention and its impact on American society.
  • The My Lai Massacre: analyzing the massacre of Vietnamese civilians by US soldiers during the Vietnam War.
  • The Treaty of Versailles: evaluating the impact of the treaty that ended World War I.
  • The Dust Bowl Migration: examining the migration of farmers from the Great Plains to California during the Great Depression.
  • The Black Lives Matter Movement: analyzing the movement for racial justice and police reform in the US.
  • The Oregon Trail: examining the westward expansion of the US and the impact of the Oregon Trail.
  • The 1968 Democratic National Convention: evaluating the protests and violence that occurred during the convention.
  • The Indian Removal Act: examining the forced relocation of Native American tribes in the 1830s.
  • The Great Society: evaluating the social and economic reforms of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
  • The Wounded Knee Massacre: analyzing the US Army’s killing of Native American men, women, and children in 1890.
  • The Ku Klux Klan: examining the rise and fall of the white supremacist group.
  • The Gadsden Purchase: evaluating the US acquisition of land from Mexico in 1853.
  • The Second Great Awakening: analyzing the religious revival of the early 19th century and its impact on American society.
  • The Haymarket Riot: examining the labor unrest and violence that occurred during the 1886 Chicago labor rally.
  • The Dust Bowl Art: analyzing the art and literature inspired by the Great Plains drought.
  • The Roe v. Wade Decision: evaluating the impact of the landmark Supreme Court decision on abortion rights.
  • The Salem Customs House: examining the significance of the customs house in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter.”
  • The Homestead Strike: analyzing the violent labor dispute that occurred at the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892.
  • The War of 1812: evaluating the US conflict with Great Britain and its impact on American society.
  • The Sacco and Vanzetti Trial: examining the controversial trial of two Italian immigrants in the 1920s.
  • The Scopes Monkey Trial: evaluating the trial that pitted science against religion in the 1920s.
  • The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty: examining the US treaty with Panama that led to the construction of the Panama Canal.
  • The Bonus Army: analyzing the World War I veterans who marched on Washington, D.C. to demand government benefits.
  • The O.J. Simpson Trial: evaluating the impact of the high-profile murder trial on American culture.
  • The Iran-Contra Affair: examining the political scandal that involved the US selling weapons to Iran and using the profits to fund anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua.
  • The Buffalo Soldiers: analyzing the history of the African American soldiers who served in the western frontier.
  • The American Civil War: examining the factors that led to the conflict.
  • The New Deal: evaluating the impact of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic policies.
  • The Space Race: the competition between the US and Soviet Union to explore space.
  • The Vietnam War: analyzing the US involvement in the conflict.
  • The American Revolution: evaluating the role of key figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
  • The Civil Rights Movement: examining the fight for racial equality in the US.
  • The Gold Rush: exploring the impact of the California Gold Rush on American society.
  • The Watergate Scandal: the political scandal that brought down President Nixon.
  • The Great Migration: analyzing the movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities.
  • The Harlem Renaissance: examining the cultural and artistic movement of the 1920s.
  • The Trail of Tears: evaluating the forced removal of Native American tribes from their lands.
  • The Cold War: analyzing the political and economic tensions between the US and Soviet Union.
  • The Industrial Revolution: examining the changes brought about by industrialization in the US.
  • The Boston Tea Party: evaluating the impact of the colonial protest against British taxation.
  • The Underground Railroad: analyzing the network that helped slaves escape to freedom.
  • The Women’s Suffrage Movement: examining the fight for women’s right to vote.
  • The Dust Bowl: evaluating the environmental and economic impact of the Great Plains drought.
  • The Emancipation Proclamation: analyzing Lincoln’s decision to free slaves in Confederate states.
  • The Transatlantic Slave Trade: examining the forced migration of Africans to the US.
  • The Louisiana Purchase: analyzing the impact of the US acquisition of Louisiana from France.
  • The Spanish Flu Pandemic: examining the global pandemic that killed millions.
  • The Attack on Pearl Harbor: evaluating the impact of the Japanese attack on the US.
  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott: analyzing the nonviolent protest against segregated public transportation.
  • The Panama Canal: examining the construction of the canal and its impact on international trade.
  • The Salem Maritime Trade: analyzing the economic and social impact of maritime trade in the colonial period.
  • The Cuban Revolution: examining the overthrow of Batista and the rise of Fidel Castro.
  • The Iraq War: analyzing the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
  • The New York City Draft Riots: evaluating the racial and class tensions that led to the riots.
  • The Black Panther Party: examining the political and social impact of the Black Panther movement.
  • The American West: analyzing the expansion and settlement of the American West.
  • The Berlin Wall: examining the construction and fall of the Berlin Wall.
  • The 19th Amendment: evaluating the impact of women’s right to vote on American society.
  • The United States and the United Nations: analyzing the US involvement in the UN.
  • The Jim Crow Laws: examining the laws that enforced racial segregation in the US.
  • The Bracero Program: analyzing the US-Mexico labor agreement during World War II.
  • The Korean War: evaluating the US involvement in the conflict.
  • The Alamo: examining the battle that became a symbol of Texas independence.
  • The Assassination of JFK: analyzing the impact of the assassination on American politics and society.
  • The Great Chicago Fire: evaluating the impact of the fire that destroyed much of Chicago in 1871.
  • The Americanization Movement: examining the movement that sought to assimilate immigrants into American culture.
  • The Spanish American War: US imperialism and expansion in the late 19th century.
  • The Red Scare: political repression and the fear of communism in the 20th century.
  • The National Parks system: conservation and environmentalism in the US.
  • The Women’s Liberation Movement: feminism and gender equality in the 1960s and 1970s.
  • The Brown v. Board of Education decision: landmark ruling on desegregation in public schools.
  • The Gulf of Mexico oil spill: environmental disaster and corporate responsibility.
  • The American Revolution: causes, major events, and legacy.
  • The Great Depression: economic crisis and government response in the 1930s.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964: legislative landmark in the struggle for racial justice.
  • The Dust Bowl: ecological disaster and its impact on American agriculture.
  • The Waco Siege: government overreach and religious extremism.
  • The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire: workplace safety and labor reform.
  • The Black Lives Matter movement: police brutality and racial justice in the 21st century.
  • The Homestead Strike: labor dispute and the fight for workers’ rights.
  • The Panama Canal: engineering marvel and US influence in Central America.
  • The Marshall Plan: US aid to Europe after World War II and the Cold War.
  • The Cuban Missile Crisis: nuclear brinksmanship and US-Soviet relations.
  • The Montgomery Improvement Association: nonviolent resistance and the bus boycott.
  • The Roe v. Wade decision: reproductive rights and the women’s movement.
  • The My Lai Massacre: war crimes and US military conduct in Vietnam.
  • The Salem-Keizer school desegregation case: busing and the limits of integration.
  • The Flint sit-down strike: labor unrest and unionization in the auto industry.
  • The transcontinental railroad: westward expansion and economic growth.
  • The Iranian Hostage Crisis: US foreign policy and Middle East tensions.
  • The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty: US control of the Panama Canal and sovereignty issues.
  • The Black Sox Scandal: corruption and gambling in Major League Baseball.
  • The Freedom Summer: civil rights activism and voter registration in the South.
  • The Salem maritime trade: piracy and international commerce in the colonial period.
  • The Stono Rebellion: slave rebellion and resistance in South Carolina.
  • The Alaska Purchase: US acquisition of Alaska and its impact on Native Alaskans.
  • The United States and the League of Nations: US foreign policy and internationalism.
  • The Chicago Seven trial: political dissent and government repression during the Vietnam War.
  • The Reagan Revolution: conservative politics and the changing face of American politics.
  • The American Indian Movement: Native American rights and activism.
  • The Battle of Bull Run: first major battle of the Civil War and its impact.
  • The Wounded Knee Occupation: Native American sovereignty and government response.
  • The Whiskey Rebellion: taxation and the limits of federal authority in the early US.
  • The Iran-Iraq War: US involvement and Middle East politics.
  • The United States and the Cold War: US-Soviet relations and the arms race.
  • The Ku Klux Klan: white supremacy and domestic terrorism in American history.
  • The Battle of Midway: turning point in World War II and military strategy.
  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott: analyzing the civil rights movement and its impact on segregation in the South.
  • The Cuban Missile Crisis: evaluating the US and Soviet Union’s tense standoff in 1962.
  • The Trail of Tears: examining the forced removal of Native American tribes from their lands in the 1830s.
  • The Space Race: analyzing the competition between the US and Soviet Union to explore space.
  • The Emancipation Proclamation: evaluating the impact of President Lincoln’s proclamation on slavery during the Civil War.
  • The Black Panthers: examining the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and 1970s.
  • The Harlem Renaissance: analyzing the cultural movement that celebrated African American art, literature, and music in the 1920s and 1930s.
  • The Korean War: evaluating the US and UN’s conflict with North Korea and China in the 1950s.
  • The Boston Tea Party: examining the protest that sparked the American Revolution.
  • The National Parks System: analyzing the history and impact of the National Parks System in the US.
  • The New Deal: evaluating President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic reforms during the Great Depression.
  • The Black Codes: examining the laws passed in Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the rights of African Americans.
  • The Watergate Scandal: analyzing the political scandal that led to the resignation of President Nixon.
  • The War on Drugs: evaluating the US government’s policies and actions to combat drug use and trafficking.
  • The McCarthy Hearings: examining the anti-communist hearings led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.
  • The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake: analyzing the disaster and its impact on the city and American society.
  • The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: examining the tragedy that led to significant labor reforms in the early 20th century.
  • The Rodney King Riots: analyzing the 1992 riots in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
  • The Transcontinental Railroad: evaluating the construction of the railroad and its impact on American transportation and commerce.
  • The New York Draft Riots: examining the violent protests against the Civil War draft in New York City in 1863.
  • The Tulsa Race Massacre: analyzing the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma and its aftermath.
  • The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: examining the deadly global pandemic and its impact on American society.
  • The Battle of Gettysburg: evaluating the pivotal Civil War battle and its impact on the war and American history.
  • The Mexican-American War: analyzing the US conflict with Mexico and its impact on American expansion.
  • The American Indian Movement: examining the Native American organization and its activism for Indigenous rights.
  • The War in Iraq: evaluating the US-led war in Iraq and its impact on US foreign policy.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964: analyzing the landmark legislation that prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • The Jim Crow Laws: examining the laws that enforced racial segregation in the South after the Civil War.
  • The Women’s Suffrage Movement: evaluating the fight for women’s right to vote in the US.
  • The Anti-Vietnam War Movement: analyzing the protests and activism against the US involvement in the Vietnam War.
  • The Donner Party: examining the ill-fated wagon train journey and its impact on westward expansion.
  • The Great Migration: analyzing the mass movement of African Americans from the South to the North and West in the early 20th century.
  • The Red Scare: examining the anti-communist hysteria in the US during the Cold War era.
  • The Alamo: evaluating the 1836 battle in Texas and its significance in American history.
  • The Cuban Revolution: analyzing the revolution led by Fidel Castro and its impact on US-Cuban relations.
  • The Dust Bowl: examining the environmental disaster that devastated the Great Plains in the 1930s.
  • The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: analyzing the impact of the civil rights leader’s death on American society.
  • The California Gold Rush: evaluating the rush of people to California in search of gold in 1849.
  • The Salem Witch Trials: examining the 1692 witch hunt and its impact on American society.
  • The Reconstruction Era: analyzing the period of US history following the Civil War that aimed to rebuild the South and integrate newly freed slaves into society.
  • The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster: evaluating the tragic 1986 event that claimed the lives of seven astronauts.
  • The Great Society: examining President Lyndon B. Johnson’s domestic policies in the 1960s and their impact on American society.
  • The Bataan Death March: analyzing the brutal forced march of American and Filipino prisoners of war by the Japanese in World War II.
  • The Detroit Race Riot: examining the violent 1967 riots in Detroit and their impact on American race relations.
  • The Wounded Knee Massacre: analyzing the 1890 massacre of Sioux Indians by US troops and its impact on Native American relations with the US government.
  • The Spanish-American War: evaluating the US conflict with Spain in 1898 and its impact on American imperialism.
  • The Cold War: examining the geopolitical tensions between the US and Soviet Union from 1945-1991.
  • The Underground Railroad: evaluating the network of secret routes and safe houses used to help enslaved people escape to freedom in the 19th century.
  • The Tuskegee Airmen: examining the all-Black fighter squadron that served in World War II and their impact on American history.
  • The Boston Massacre: analyzing the 1770 event in which British soldiers killed five colonists and its impact on American revolutionary sentiment.
  • The 1968 Democratic National Convention: examining the protests and clashes between police and anti-war demonstrators during the convention.
  • The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision: evaluating the landmark decision legalizing abortion in the US in 1973.
  • The Louisiana Territory: analyzing the US acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
  • The Stock Market Crash of 1929: examining the causes and impact of the crash that led to the Great Depression.
  • The Lusitania sinking: analyzing the 1915 sinking of a British passenger ship by a German submarine and its impact on American entry into World War I.
  • The Second Great Awakening: evaluating the religious revival movement in the US in the early 19th century and its impact on American society.
  • The Black Panthers: analyzing the impact of the Black Panther Party on the civil rights movement and American society in the 1960s.
  • The Mexican-American War: examining the US conflict with Mexico in the 1840s and its impact on US expansionism.
  • The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: analyzing the 1911 tragedy and its impact on workplace safety regulations.
  • The Transcontinental Railroad: evaluating the building of the railroad in the late 19th century and its impact on American transportation and economy.
  • The Stono Rebellion: examining the 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina and its impact on American slavery laws.
  • The Battle of Gettysburg: analyzing the 1863 battle and its significance in the Civil War.
  • The Black Sox Scandal: evaluating the 1919 scandal in which members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team were accused of throwing the World Series.
  • The Oregon Trail: examining the westward expansion of American settlers to the Pacific Northwest in the 19th century.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964: analyzing the landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • The Indian Removal Act: evaluating the 1830 law that authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their lands in the Southeastern US.
  • The Battle of Antietam: analyzing the 1862 battle and its impact on the Civil War.
  • The Iran-Contra Affair: examining the political scandal involving the Reagan administration’s secret arms sales to Iran and illegal funding of Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
  • The Pullman Strike: analyzing the 1894 labor strike by railway workers and its impact on American labor laws.
  • The 1920s: examining the cultural, social, and political changes that occurred during the “Roaring Twenties.”
  • The Battle of Little Bighorn: analyzing the 1876 battle between US forces and Sioux and Cheyenne warriors and its impact on Native American relations with the US government.
  • The Montgomery GI Bill: evaluating the legislation that provided education and training benefits to US veterans after World War II.
  • The Black Codes: examining the laws enacted in the South after the Civil War that restricted the rights and freedoms of newly freed slaves.
  • The Korean War: analyzing the US involvement in the conflict and its impact on American foreign policy.
  • The Seneca Falls Convention: evaluating the 1848 convention advocating for women’s suffrage and its impact on the women’s rights movement.
  • The Bay of Pigs Invasion: examining the failed 1961 US attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s government in Cuba.
  • The Homestead Strike: analyzing the 1892 labor strike by steelworkers and its impact on American labor relations.
  • The Gadsden Purchase: evaluating the US acquisition of land from Mexico in 1853 and its impact on American territorial expansion.
  • The Harlem Renaissance: examining the cultural and artistic movement in the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated Black creativity and identity.
  • The Fourteenth Amendment: analyzing the constitutional amendment that granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the US.
  • The Battle of New Orleans: evaluating the 1815 battle in which American forces led by Andrew Jackson defeated British troops and its impact on American nationalism.
  • The Birmingham Campaign: analyzing the 1963 civil rights campaign in Alabama and its impact on the movement.
  • The Pullman Palace Car Company: examining the company’s history and impact on American railroad travel and labor relations.

About the author

' src=

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

You may also like

Sports Research Topics

500+ Sports Research Topics

Science Research Topics

300+ Science Research Topics

Biology Research Topics

350+ Biology Research Topics

Educational Research Topics

500+ Educational Research Topics

Quantitative Research Topics

500+ Quantitative Research Titles and Topics

Nursing research topic ideas

500+ Nursing Research Topic Ideas

american literature history research paper topics

mcgowanbooks.com

Best books for academic research.

mcgowanbooks.com

How Nonfiction Books Build College Research Skills

Raise your hand if you’ve ever stared at a blank Word document, wishing your college essay could generously write itself, perhaps thinking, “Forget this. I’ll have ChatGPT write my paper for me.” Yet many students don’t realize that nonfiction books often use the same research techniques their professors are asking for.

What is nonfiction? Whereas novels rely on an author’s imagination, nonfiction works are based on real subject matter and require facts and logic to make reasoned arguments. As such, nonfiction literature uses the same building blocks as many college research papers. Keep reading to learn how studying the former can help you succeed in writing the latter.

Separating Fiction From Nonfiction

First, let’s define fiction vs. nonfiction with respect to the writing process.

Fiction writing focuses on fundamentals like plot, characterization, and conflict in imaginary settings. Harry Potter doesn’t actually exist; Hogwarts isn’t a real school; and running head-on into Platform 9 ¾ is not, in fact, a good idea.

Meanwhile, nonfiction writing attempts to share knowledge or present an argument. Nonfiction authors put more emphasis on finding reliable sources, making evidence-based claims, and providing coherent analysis.

Understanding what is fiction and nonfiction matters because each requires different skill sets. And since academic writing is based on nonfiction techniques, it’s important to understand that nonfiction literature comes in many forms.

A Few Examples: Five Types of Nonfiction

Now that we understand the difference between fiction and nonfiction, let’s review five types of nonfiction writing. Each of these mediums is constructed differently and can cover a wide range of subject matter. However, all of them require a combination of structure and evidence to be effective.

This should sound familiar because academic papers take on different forms, but they are often assessed on similar analytical skills. The good news is that this allows students to pull from a variety of intellectual influences. Elaborating upon these types of nonfiction will show just how many resources college students have at their disposal.

The word “essay” derives from French for “attempt” or “trial.” It is a flexible form of nonfiction in which the author organizes an analysis on one of many possible literature topics.

As a common college assignment, the essay has defining traits that may be familiar to students. It begins with a thesis statement summarizing the author’s central argument. It follows with supporting claims, often in paragraphs containing topic sentences and strengthened with evidence. Effective essays are also charitable toward other perspectives, making space for counterarguments while responding with logical rebuttals. Therefore, looking to essays for guidance is always invaluable for students seeking to improve their own argumentative prowess.

The History Book

Anyone who’s been to Barnes & Noble knows that history books are perennially popular and full of dense research. With infinite topic examples in literature, history books are built upon letters, newspapers, government documents, interviews, and other sources obtained from older books or historical archives.

In that sense, writing a “history” is a bit like doing detective work. Students can learn from history books not just in terms of content – the actual historical evidence they bring to light – but also in process: the vast amount of effort required to organize diverse sources into cohesive, compelling narratives.

The Biography

The biography is a type of history book that focuses on the life and contributions of a specific person. As such, it requires the same commitment to investigative research and commonly includes, based on that research, some interpretation of its subject’s legacy.

However, biographies also frequently use narrative structures that readers can find in fiction. In following one person’s life from beginning to end, biographers have the opportunity to combine minute historical detail with the digestible language of storytelling.

That’s why biographies aren’t just useful for students researching only one person’s actions; they are also a source of guidance on how to communicate rigorous academic research through entertaining prose.

Let’s get even more specific. A memoir is another type of history book and is, in a sense, like a biography. The difference is that memoirs are written by the biographical subject themselves and are, as the name suggests, more so a collection of memories than a straightforward retelling of their life story.

While memoirs are thus prone to personal bias, they are not inherently bad resources. For one thing, identifying a subject’s bias is in and of itself a valuable part of academic research. Like biographies, memoirs also provide a model by which college students can learn to structure fact-based papers in narrative, often chronological form.

The Newspaper Article

Newspapers are among the most commonplace types of nonfiction writing and still provide a vital outlet for investigative journalism. As the “first draft of history,” news coverage can give students guidance on how to prioritize relevant information and keep background knowledge from overshadowing their research.

Journalists often structure their ideas like an “inverted pyramid,” putting their most important findings up front and asking critical questions – “Who?” “What?” “Where?” – before filling in details of decreasing importance. While distinct from argumentative nonfiction, like the essay, the newspaper article still contains a logical structure designed to communicate information effectively to the public.

Put Into Practice: A Few (More Specific) Nonfiction Examples

Having defined five forms of nonfiction literature in the abstract, let’s go over some specific examples of nonfiction.

As we cover these three pieces of literature, reflect upon their differences in structure, objectives, and use of sources. Think about their value not just in terms of content – any old study guide can list off facts, after all – but as holistic, cohesive contributions to academic discussion.

In other words, remember that strong nonfiction literature is defined by its readiness to make meaningful conclusions from clear, cogent analysis. Its ultimate goal, as with college research, is to “say something.”

Essay: “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” – Henry David Thoreau

What makes this essay so iconic? Among other things, let’s first marvel at how unapologetically Thoreau makes his case. His central claim – that citizens have the right to resist unjust governments – is stated right at the beginning with unambiguous language: “I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward.”

Weaving in provocative questions, exercises in logic, and references to slavery and the Mexican-American War, Thoreau provides here a masterclass in analytical writing. Rather than give only indisputable facts, he delivers memorable statements that, crucially, can be debated. Thoreau shows that what’s worse than a disagreeable essay is one which does not say anything worth disagreeing with.

Memoir: Night – Elie Wiesel

One of the most famous Holocaust memoirs ever written, Night demonstrates that real historical events – the author’s imprisonment at Auschwitz and Buchenwald – can be recounted with gripping if also upsetting prose.

Being a personal narrative, this memoir does not pretend to give us a complete history of World War II. Instead, it trades breadth for depth; in focusing on one person’s experiences, combined with commentary on his loss of faith in humanity, Night reminds us that nonfiction literature can vary widely in scope. Wiesel’s story is one of millions, and yet its ability to “zoom in” on individual tragedy gives us, ultimately, a clearer historical picture.

Newspaper Article: “Kennedy is Killed by Sniper” – New York Times (11/23/1963)

Any research paper writing service can tell you to use a catchy title, but sometimes the headlines just speak for themselves. This particular article recounts John F. Kennedy’s assassination and its aftermath, organizing all of its moving parts – Lyndon Johnson’s swearing-in as president, Lee Harvey Oswald’s arrest, eyewitness accounts – in order of importance.

Thus we see how, even in such a historic moment, the inverted pyramid model provides structure and flow to the story. Though still a work of nonfiction, summarizing real events from different perspectives, the investigative journalism on display here maintains its commitment to logical narrative.

Analysis: So How Will All of This Actually Help Me?

Ok, ok. At this point, you might still be wondering how a deep dive on nonfiction sources, replete with a few lovely examples, will actually translate into practical use.

In this section, let’s tie everything together and discuss how college students can use nonfiction literature as a template for academic writing. If you need college paper help and have been waiting patiently for concrete advice, know that your hard work is noted. With any luck, and perhaps even a bit of effort on a good day, you’ll never have to use ChatGPT again from here on out.

The Importance of Nonfiction Literature

Any nonfiction work is born from an author’s willingness to spend countless hours researching, editing, and thinking about a nuanced subject. It represents a triumph of intellectual curiosity.

And yet to make the most of literature, you have to be willing to read nonfiction books with intentionality. Passive readers will skim a book word by word, perhaps “enjoying the ride” but not critically engaging with its overall analysis. Active readers, however, will take thoughtful notes, not fixate on every detail, and end up absorbing more knowledge in the end. Graduating from passive to active reading marks a vital step towards appreciating all that nonfiction literature has to offer.

Applying Nonfiction Literature in College

It follows that college students who engage critically with nonfiction writing will incorporate its processes into their own academic writing.

After all, what makes somebody better at cooking: enjoying a nice meal, or watching a chef in the kitchen? Do musicians learn their instruments by putting on headphones, or do they go out and take lessons?

You get the point. If you need guidance on how to write your college research papers, you’re best advised by the contributions of those who have written before you. Observing how professional academics form sound arguments is the first step towards meeting their standards of quality in your college career.

How About Some Examples? Reviewing American Literature Topics

Just to give an idea, let’s look at a few American literature essay topics. If you need to write about American nonfiction for an assignment, these may be extra relevant. But even if you don’t, think about how you can translate lessons from robust academic works into your own college research.

Rather than just give more works of nonfiction, let’s also connect each subject to a specific kind of research assignment. Not every college paper is an argumentative essay, after all. By using these American literature research paper topics, though, it should become easier to visualize transposing these formats to other fields of study.

“Self-Reliance”: The Reflection Paper

We’ve already looked at Thoreau, so let’s turn to another giant of American literature, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and his classic 1841 essay on the necessity of self-reliance.

Imagine you’re asked to read Emerson and compile reflection paper ideas. Which arguments resonated with you? Which ones did you find unconvincing? Did “Self-Reliance” leave you with questions? Are there other texts, perhaps of Emerson’s time, that answered those questions for you?

The personal reflection format might require less formal language – first-person perspective, for example – but we thus see that it allows for the same commitment to academic analysis as a more argumentative assignment.

Legacies of Watergate: The Literature Review

At first glance, being asked to research literature review topics that other people have researched looks like an exercise in dull summarization. But that’s only the case if, as passive readers, we forgo critical engagement with scholarly debate.

Alternatively, good nonfiction histories often review nuances in historiography – in essence a historical literature review – before presenting their own original research. As an example, read how Beverly Gage outlines different interpretations of the Watergate scandal. If literature reviews still don’t sound exciting, just remember that your ability to appraise other scholars’ ideas is ultimately key to contextualizing your own.

The Civil Rights Movement: The Argumentative Essay

Finally, here’s a Socratic exercise. Argumentative essays often center around one research question, or “prompt”; however, as we’ve already established, students often struggle to transform that blank document into a sustained, nuanced analysis.

Asking questions can unlock your creative side and help you organize unlimited literature research paper topics. If you’re asked to assess the importance of churches during the Civil Rights Movement, just start asking. Which churches? Were they more important in the South? Did churches stay important throughout the 1960s?

These questions will direct your search for nonfiction literature, which in turn will guide your questions further. Before you know it, your research paper will not only have direction but the sources it needs to succeed.

In Conclusion: Finding Nonfiction Meaning in Academia

To review, we’ve learned:

  • What does nonfiction mean vs. fiction
  • Types of nonfiction writing
  • Specific examples of nonfiction works
  • Applicative uses of nonfiction literature
  • How to connect American literature with different types of essays

Creating academic research at a college level is daunting, but it gets less overwhelming over time. Don’t panic if you feel stuck or confused by a vague assignment, but also, just as importantly, don’t try to reinvent the wheel! Look to nonfiction literature and see how professional scholars do it. Learn by example, and your efforts will, with honest, original work, be rewarded with academic success.

US History Research Paper Topics: Moments that Shaped a Nation

image

Table of contents

  • 1.1 Interesting US History Topics for Research Paper Before 1877
  • 1.2 US History Paper Topics on the Civil War
  • 1.3 American History Topics for Research Paper on Industrialization
  • 1.4 American History Research Topics on Reconstruction
  • 1.5 20th-Century American History Paper Topics
  • 1.6 US History Term Paper Topics in World War I and II
  • 1.7 American History Paper Topics about the Civil Rights Movement
  • 1.8 Native American History Thesis Topics
  • 2 Which Topics to Choose for History Research?
  • 3 Conclusion: Reflections on America’s Past

Exploring the rich and complex narrative of the United States, this article is designed as a resource for students and researchers embarking on assignments that require a deep dive into American history. Perfect for term papers, thesis projects, and detailed historical analyses, the guide presents a curated selection of interesting US history research paper topics.

  • We provide a comprehensive guide for students, researchers, and history enthusiasts seeking engaging and insightful topics for their research papers on American history.
  • These topics cover critical eras and events shaping America, from the early days before 1877 to the transformative 20th century.

With these good US history research topics in mind, let’s go over each one in-depth, creating a foundation for smart research and analysis.

List of 160 American History Research Paper Topics

History is a rich and complex subject, ripe for exploration in academic research. Whether you’re a student seeking a topic for an assignment or a history enthusiast looking to delve deeper into America’s past, this list offers a diverse range of subjects. From early colonial times to the modern era, each topic provides a unique lens through which to examine the nation’s history.

Interesting US History Topics for Research Paper Before 1877

  • The impact of European colonization on Native American societies.
  • The Salem Witch Trials: Causes and effects.
  • The role of the Seven Years’ War in shaping early American society.
  • The Declaration of Independence: Context and legacy.
  • The Articles of Confederation: Strengths and weaknesses.
  • The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Key debates and outcomes.
  • The Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist debate: Impact on the US Constitution.
  • The Louisiana Purchase: Motivations and consequences.
  • The War of 1812: Causes, course, and outcomes.
  • Manifest Destiny: Ideology and impact on westward expansion.
  • The Trail of Tears and Native American Removal Policies.
  • The role of slavery in antebellum America.
  • The Mexican-American War: Origins and effects.
  • The Gold Rush of 1849 and its impact on American expansion.
  • The Compromise of 1850 and its role in the lead-up to the Civil War.
  • The Dred Scott Decision: Implications and controversy.
  • The Underground Railroad: Key figures and operations.
  • The election of 1860 and its role in the secession crisis.
  • The role of women in antebellum America.
  • Early American foreign policy: Principles and practices.

US History Paper Topics on the Civil War

  • The causes of the American Civil War: A comprehensive analysis.
  • Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and its impact on the Civil War.
  • The role of slavery in sparking the Civil War.
  • Military strategies of the Union and the Confederacy.
  • The Emancipation Proclamation: Intentions and effects.
  • Key battles of the Civil War: Gettysburg, Antietam, and others.
  • The role of technology in the Civil War.
  • The impact of the Civil War on civilian life in the North and South.
  • The role of African American soldiers in the Civil War.
  • The diplomatic dimensions of the Civil War.
  • Reconstruction plans: Lincoln vs. Johnson.
  • The assassination of Abraham Lincoln: Impact on post-war America.
  • The economic consequences of the Civil War for the South.
  • The role of women during the Civil War.
  • The Draft Riots of 1863: Causes and impact.
  • The impact of the Civil War on American literature and art.
  • The role of nurses and medical practices during the Civil War.
  • The use of propaganda in the Civil War.
  • The transition from slavery to freedom during and after the Civil War.
  • The legacy of the Civil War in American memory.

American History Topics for Research Paper on Industrialization

  • The Second Industrial Revolution: Key innovations and their impact.
  • The rise of American industrial tycoons: Carnegie, Rockefeller, and others.
  • The impact of the railroad expansion on American society and economy.
  • Urbanization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  • Labor movements and strikes of the late 19th century.
  • The rise of monopolies and antitrust laws in the United States.
  • The impact of immigration on American industrial growth.
  • The role of women and children in industrial labor.
  • Technological advancements and their societal impact during industrialization.
  • The emergence of consumer culture in the late 19th century.
  • The environmental impact of industrialization.
  • Social Darwinism and its influence on American society.
  • The rise of organized labor and the American Federation of Labor.
  • The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and its aftermath.
  • The Homestead Strike: Causes and consequences.
  • The impact of the Industrial Revolution on American agriculture.
  • The role of education during the Industrial Revolution.
  • Transportation innovations and their impact on American life.
  • The evolution of American business practices during industrialization.
  • The Gilded Age: Wealth, poverty, and social disparity.

American History Research Topics on Reconstruction

  • The Reconstruction Amendments: Impact and limitations.
  • Presidential vs. Congressional Reconstruction: A comparative analysis.
  • The role of the Freedmen’s Bureau in post-Civil War America.
  • Sharecropping and tenant farming: Continuation of slavery by another name?
  • The rise and impact of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction.
  • The Compromise of 1877 and the end of Reconstruction.
  • The Black Codes: Purpose and effects.
  • The impeachment of President Andrew Johnson: Causes and consequences.
  • The role of African Americans in politics during Reconstruction.
  • Economic challenges of the South during Reconstruction.
  • The establishment of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
  • The legacy of Reconstruction in the South.
  • The Jim Crow laws: Origins and impact.
  • The role of women during Reconstruction.
  • The Slaughterhouse Cases and their impact on civil rights.
  • The Enforcement Acts and their effectiveness in protecting African American rights.
  • The impact of Reconstruction on Northern society and politics.
  • Education reform in the South during Reconstruction.
  • The role of the U.S. military in enforcing Reconstruction policies.
  • The long-term effects of Reconstruction on American race relations.

Need help with research paper writing? Get your paper written by a professional writer Get Help Reviews.io 4.9/5

20th-Century American History Paper Topics

  • The Progressive Era: Reforms and key figures.
  • The impact of World War I on American society and politics.
  • The Roaring Twenties: Culture, economics, and politics.
  • The Great Depression: Causes and the New Deal response.
  • The impact of World War II on the American home front.
  • The Cold War: Key events and American foreign policy.
  • The Civil Rights Movement: Key figures and legislative milestones.
  • The Vietnam War: Causes, course, and impact on American society.
  • The Women’s Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
  • The Watergate Scandal and its impact on American politics.
  • The Space Race: Technological advancements and Cold War implications.
  • The rise of environmentalism in the 20th century.
  • The impact of the automobile on 20th-century American life.
  • The rise of the American suburbs in the post-World War II era.
  • The counterculture of the 1960s and its impact on American society.
  • The Reagan Era: Policies and impact on the United States.
  • The War on Drugs: Origins, strategies, and consequences.
  • The impact of technological advancements on late 20th-century life.
  • The rise of the internet and its impact on society and culture.
  • The 9/11 attacks and their aftermath on American foreign policy.

US History Term Paper Topics in World War I and II

  • The causes and consequences of American entry into World War I.
  • The impact of the Treaty of Versailles on post-war America.
  • American isolationism between World War I and World War II.
  • The Lend-Lease Act and American support for the Allies before entering World War II.
  • The attack on Pearl Harbor: Causes and immediate effects.
  • The home front during World War II: Women, minorities, and the war effort.
  • The role of propaganda in American support for World War II.
  • The development and use of the atomic bomb.
  • The impact of World War II on American foreign policy.
  • The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
  • The role of African Americans in World War II.
  • The D-Day invasion: Planning, execution, and significance.
  • The Battle of Midway: Turning point in the Pacific War.
  • American military strategy in the European and Pacific theaters.
  • The Holocaust and American responses to it.
  • The post-war world order and the establishment of the United Nations.
  • The GI Bill and its impact on post-war American society.
  • The Nuremberg Trials: Legal and moral implications.
  • The Marshall Plan and American post-war economic policy.
  • The start of the Cold War: Origins and early confrontations.

American History Paper Topics about the Civil Rights Movement

  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Causes and outcomes.
  • The role of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement.
  • The Little Rock Nine and school desegregation.
  • The Freedom Rides: Objectives and impact.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964: Development and effects.
  • The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Importance and consequences.
  • The role of women in the Civil Rights Movement.
  • The Black Power Movement: Ideals and key figures.
  • The impact of the Civil Rights Movement on other minority groups.
  • The assassination of Malcolm X: Context and aftermath.
  • The Selma to Montgomery marches: Significance and outcomes.
  • The role of the NAACP in the Civil Rights Movement.
  • The Birmingham Campaign and the use of nonviolent protest.
  • The role of the media in shaping public perception of the Civil Rights Movement.
  • The Civil Rights Movement in the North: Challenges and Achievements.
  • The Economic Bill of Rights proposed by the Poor People’s Campaign.
  • The role of music in the Civil Rights Movement.
  • The impact of the Civil Rights Movement on American law and society.
  • The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC): Contributions and challenges.
  • The legacy of the Civil Rights Movement in contemporary America.

Native American History Thesis Topics

  • The impact of European colonization on Native American cultures.
  • The Trail of Tears: Causes, course, and consequences.
  • Native American resistance movements: King Philip’s War, Pontiac’s Rebellion, and others.
  • The impact of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
  • Native American life on reservations in the 19th and 20th centuries.
  • The role of Native Americans in American wars.
  • The Ghost Dance Movement and the Wounded Knee Massacre.
  • Native American boarding schools: Policies and impact on culture.
  • The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and its implications.
  • The American Indian Movement (AIM): Goals and major actions.
  • The impact of the Dawes Act on tribal land and culture.
  • The role of Native American women in their societies.
  • Contemporary Native American issues: Sovereignty, land rights, and cultural preservation.
  • The Native American Renaissance: A cultural and literary overview.
  • The impact of environmental changes on Native American communities.
  • The repatriation of Native American artifacts and remains.
  • The role of treaties in Native American history.
  • Native American spiritual beliefs and practices.
  • The impact of the fur trade on Native American societies.
  • Contemporary Native American political activism.

Which Topics to Choose for History Research?

Given the breadth and diversity of US history topics, choosing one to write about can be difficult. To reduce your options, think about your interests and the extent of your investigation. Look for themes that provide a balance of available materials and new perspectives to explore.

When choosing a topic, consider its significance in the larger context of American history. Consider how the topic has influenced or reflected societal, political, or economic trends. For example, topics such as the Civil Rights Movement and World War II provide insights into moments of revolutionary change and struggle.

Also, examine the availability of primary and secondary sources. A well-documented topic provides for a more thorough study and a stronger argument. Always ensure that your chosen topic adheres to the criteria and objectives of your assignment or research aim.

Conclusion: Reflections on America’s Past

In this journey through American history, we have explored various topics that offer a window into the nation’s complex and multifaceted past. From the struggles and triumphs of early American society to the transformative events of the 20th century, these topics provide a foundation for understanding how the United States has evolved. Engaging with these topics enriches our historical knowledge and deepens our understanding of the present. As students, scholars, or simply curious minds, delving into these aspects of America’s past can provide valuable insights and perspectives on the nation’s journey and its ongoing story.

Readers also enjoyed

Feminist Research Topics for Students

WHY WAIT? PLACE AN ORDER RIGHT NOW!

Just fill out the form, press the button, and have no worries!

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.

american literature history research paper topics

Home

Search Google Appliance

  • Online Book Collections
  • Online Books by Topic
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Library Catalog (SIRIS)
  • Image Gallery
  • Art & Artist Files
  • Caldwell Lighting

Trade Literature

  • All Digital Collections
  • Current Exhibitions
  • Online Exhibitions
  • Past Exhibitions
  • Index of Library & Archival Exhibitions on the Web
  • Research Tools and OneSearch
  • E-journals, E-books, and Databases
  • Smithsonian Research Online (SRO)
  • Borrowing and Access Privileges
  • Smithsonian Libraries and Archives on PRISM (SI staff)
  • E-news Sign Up
  • Internships and Fellowships
  • Work with Us
  • About the Libraries
  • Library Locations
  • Departments
  • History of the Libraries
  • Advisory Board
  • Annual Reports
  • Adopt-a-Book
  • Ways to Give
  • Gifts-in-Kind

You are here

American history research guide, american history: smithsonian institution resources, american immigration history, american industrial history.

  • American Music History

American Presidency and Political History

American religious history, american studies and history, american women's history.

  • American Automobile and Transportation History

Basic History Research Tools

Design and decorative arts, environmental history, food and beverage history.

  • Graphic Arts

History of American Education

  • History of Technology: Invention and Inventors

History of the Computer and the Internet

Lewis and clark expedition, medical history, military history.

  • Naval History

Numismatic Resources

Photography history, railroad history, united states cartography and maps.

  • World's Fairs and Expositions Resources

The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives' American History Research Guide is a select list of resources for students, teachers, and researchers to learn about various topics of American History. 

  • Anacostia Community Museum
  • Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
  • From Smithson to Smithsonian: The Birth of an Institution :  Bibliography on the History of the Smithsonian Institution
  • National Air and Space Museum
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture
  • National Museum of American History
  • National Museum of the American Indian
  • National Portrait Gallery
  • National Postal Museum

Return to Top

  • Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies : The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies which documents and interprets the ethnic and immigrant experience in the United States. Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies has recently merged into the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
  • Bracero History Archive : The Bracero History Archive collects and makes available the oral histories and artifacts pertaining to the Bracero program, a guest worker initiative that spanned the years 1942-1964. Millions of Mexican agricultural workers crossed the border under the program to work in more than half of the states in America.
  • Ellis Island : The Ellis Island Immigration Museum and their online American Family Immigration History Center (AFIHC) allows visitors to explore the collection of immigrant arrival records stored in the Ellis Island Archives.
  • Immigrant Arrivals: A Guide To Published Sources : Library of Congress bibliography of print and web based resources.
  • Immigration History Research Center : The IHRC develops and maintains a library and archival collection, provides research assistance, produces publications, and sponsors academic and public programs. Its work supports the parent institution, the University of Minnesota.
  • Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930 : Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930, is a web-based collection of selected historical materials from Harvard's libraries, archives, and museums that documents voluntary immigration to the US from the signing of the Constitution to the onset of the Great Depression.
  • I mmigration: The Changing Face of America : A Library of Congress site for teachers and students.
  • National Archives & Records Administration Immigration Records: Immigration Records : NARA has immigration records for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1800 and 1959. The records are arranged by Port of Arrival.
  • Beyond Steel: An Archive of Lehigh Valley Industry and Culture : This Lehigh University Digital Library site highlights the Lehigh Valley's mid nineteenth-century boom, late twentieth-century decline and continuing community readjustment. Through the digitization and presentation of letters, books, photographs, maps, essays, and oral histories the site will aid researchers in understanding not only the lives of railroad barons and steel titans, but also the experiences of average folks who worked and lived in the community.
  • Inside an American Factory: Westinghouse Works Collection : A part of the Library of Congress American Memory Project, this collection of films, images and text. The collection contains 21 films showing various views of Westinghouse companies. Most prominently featured are the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, and the Westinghouse Machine Company.
  • U.S. Steel Gary Works Photograph Collection : The Indiana University Digital Library Program is produced this series of more than 2,200 photographs of the Gary Works steel mill and the corporate town of Gary, Indiana held by the Calumet Regional Archives at Indiana University Northwest.

American Music History Resources

  • African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920 : The sheet music in this digital collection has been selected from the Sheet Music Collection at the John Hay Library at Brown University. The full collection consists of approximately 500,000 items, of which perhaps 250,000 are currently available for use. It is one of the largest collections of sheet music in any library in the United States.
  • Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz

A bibliography of monographs and lesson plans for teachers from K to 12.

  • Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments : Features descriptions and images of many items in the collection and publication lists.
  • Historic American Sheet Music : The Historic American Sheet Music Project provides access to digital images of 3,042 pieces from the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University, published in America between 1850 and 1920.
  • Historic Sheet Music, 1800-1922 : This sheet music collection from the Library of Congress consists of approximately 9,000 items published from 1800 to 1922, although the majority is from 1850 to 1920. The bulk was published in many different cities in the United States, but some of the items bear European imprints. Most of the music is written for voice and piano; a significant minority is instrumental. Notable in this collection are early pieces by Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern, as well as music by other popular composers such as Victor Herbert, Jean Schwartz, Paul Dresser, Ernest R. Ball, Gussie L. Davis, Charles K. Harris, and George M. Cohan. Numerous arrangements of classical tunes by Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and other famous classical composers are also well-represented.
  • Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music : This collection, at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library of The Johns Hopkins University, contains over 29,000 pieces of music and focuses on popular American music spanning the period 1780 to 1960. All pieces of the collection are indexed on this site and a search will retrieve a catalog description of the pieces and an image of the cover and each page of music.
  • RoJaRo Index : An index to more than 300,000 entries, covering 250 music magazines from 20 countries, covering all types of contemporary popular music: rock, jazz, roots, blues, rap, soul, gospel, country, reggae, etc.

The Sheet Music Consortium : The Archive of Popular American Music is a non-circulating research collection covering the history of popular music in America from 1790 to the present. The collection is one of the largest in the country, numbering almost 450,000 pieces of sheet music, anthologies, and arrangements for band and orchestra, and 62,500 recordings on disc, tape, and cylinder. Subject strengths within twentieth-century holdings include music for theater, motion picture, radio and television, as well as general popular, country, rhythm and blues, and rocksongs.

  • A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation : A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation consists of a linked set of published Congressional records of the United States of America from the Continental Congress through the 43rd Congress, 1774-1875.  A select number of documents and reports from the monumental U.S. Congressional Serial Set are available as well.
  • American Presidency : This online exhibition from the National Museum of American History has a bibliography under the Resources and Teacher Materials which are age and grade specific.
  • American Presidency Project : The American Presidency Project was established in 1999 as a collaboration between John Woolley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The archives contain 75,117 documents related to the study of the Presidency.
  • American President : This resource is sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Launched originally in 2000 as the online companion to "The American President" -- the six-part PBS television series -- American President is a resource on the history of the presidency and the nature of contemporary policy making.
  • Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress : Online publication of the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, published by the Senate Historical Office and the Legislative Resource Center of the House of Representatives. Includes images from the Senate Historical Office. Database is searchable by name, position, and state.
  • Center for the Study of the Presidency : The Center is a non-profit educational institution devoted to the study of the presidency, government, and politics.
  • Data.gov : The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Data.gov includes searchable data catalogs providing access to data in three ways: through the "raw" data catalog, the tool catalog and the geodata catalog.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica's profile of the American Presidency : Read about the presidents and explore the electoral process, election results, images, video, and important documents related to the evolution of the nation's highest office.
  • I Do Solemnly Swear... Presidential Inaugurations : This Library of Congress collection offers approximately 400 items or 2,000 digital files from each of the 54 inaugurations from George Washington's in 1789 to George W. Bush's inauguration of 2001. This includes diaries and letters of presidents and of those who witnessed inaugurations, handwritten drafts of inaugural addresses, broadsides, inaugural tickets and programs, prints, photographs, and sheet music.
  • JFK Assassination Records Collection Reference System : Over 170,000 assassination-related documents. Contributing agencies include: the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); the Department of Justice; and the Department of State.
  • Miller Center of Public Affairs : The Scripps Library and Multimedia Archive serves as a research facility for scholars of U. S. public policy. The Library’s collection is a specialized one focused on American politics and history with special attention paid to the American Presidency.
  • POTUS: Presidents of the United States : This resource you will find background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included.
  • Presidential Libraries of the National Archives & Records Administration : The Presidential Library system is made up of ten Presidential Libraries. This nationwide network of libraries is administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), located in College Park, MD. These are not traditional libraries, but rather repositories for preserving and making available the papers, records, and other historical materials of U.S. Presidents since Herbert Hoover.
  • The Role of the Vice President : A brief history of the role of the Vice President as President of the U.S. Senate.
  • THOMAS - The Library of Congress : THOMAS has the Congressional Record and full text of legislation available from 1989 (101st Congress) to the present. In addition, THOMAS has summaries (not full text) of legislation from 1973 (93rd Congress). From the Library of Congress.
  • Voting America: United States Politics, 1840-2008 : This University of Richmond project examines the evolution of presidential politics in the United States across the span of American history. It offers a wide spectrum of cinematic and interactive visualizations of how Americans voted in presidential elections at the county level over the past 164 years. There are expert analysis and commentary videos that discuss some of the most interesting and significant trends in American political history.
  • Voting and Registration (U.S. Census Bureau Data) : Contains information on reported voting and registration by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics for the United States.
  • White House Historical Association : The White House Historical Association is a charitable nonprofit institution whose purpose is to enhance the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the White House.
  • The White House Building : Information on the White House, including historical details.
  • Women in Congress : This web site, based on the book Women in Congress, 1917–2006, contains biographical profiles of former women Members of Congress, links to information about current women Members, essays on the institutional and national events that shaped successive generations of Congresswomen, and images of each woman Member, including rare photos.
  • American Jewish Historical Society : The American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest national ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society’s library, archives, photograph, and art and artifacts collections document the American Jewish experience.
  • American Religion Data Archive : The ARDA collection includes data on churches and church membership, religious professionals, and religious groups (individuals, congregations and denominations).
  • Divining America: Religion and the National Culture : Divining America: Religion and the National Culture is designed to help teachers of American history bring their students to a greater understanding of the role religion has played in the development of the United States.
  • Journal of Southern Religion : JSR is an online journal targeted toward scholars, students, and others who are engaged in or interested in the study of Southern religion and culture.
  • Material History of American Religion Project : The Material History of American Religion Project studied (1995-2001) the history of American religion in all its complexity by focusing on material objects and economic themes.
  • North Star: A Journal of African-American Religious History : An online journal sponsored by Princeton University.
  • Religion and the Founding of the American Republic (Library of Congress) : Encompassing over 200 objects including early American books, manuscripts, letters, prints, paintings, artifacts, and music from the Library’s collections and complemented by loans from other institutions, Religion and the Founding of the American Republic explores the role religion played in the founding of the American colonies, in the shaping of early American life and politics, and in forming the American Republic.
  • Religious Movements Homepage Project at the University of Virginia : This Web site presents detailed profiles of more than two hundred different religious groups and movements in the United States.
  • Santos: Substance and Soul : There are nine separate reading lists on topics related to the history, culture, preservation, and identification of Santos objects.
  • Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online  (1841-1902) : The Brooklyn Daily Eagle was published from October 26, 1841 to 1955 and was revived for a short time from 1960 to 1963. Currently, the digitized newspaper collection includes the period from October 26, 1841 to December 31, 1902, representing half of the Eagle's years of publication.
  • Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers : This Library of Congress site allows you to search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
  • Common-Place: The Interactive Journal of Early American Life : Common-Place is an electronic quarterly journal about early American history and culture before 1900.
  • Documenting the American South - University of North Carolina : Documenting the American South (DocSouth) is a digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes ten thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.
  • Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History : The Gilder Lehrman Collection is the largest private collection of American history documents in the world. It preserves, exhibits, and disseminates archival resources chronicling the history of the United States from the beginning of European colonization, with emphasis on the period from 1760 through 1876. The collection contains resources on the history of colonial settlement, Indian relations, the American Revolution and its origins, the Constitution, the struggle over slavery, and the Civil War.
  • H-Net Web Site : H-Net Web Site includes archived copies of all history related listserv discussion lists and vacancy announcements for various fields in the humanities.
  • Making of America - Cornell University : Materials accessible here are Cornell University Library's contributions to Making of America (MOA), a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology.
  • The G.I. Roundtable Series : The American Historical Association produced the G.I. Roundtable Series to help win World War II. The site is comprised of three main sections. Section I: The pamphlets, reproduced here as primary documents, provide a unique insight into what Americans were thinking about at the end of the war, and how the recent past was seen as a prelude to the future. Section II: A still-evolving selection of Background documents and related readings to provide context on the origins and production of the series and the historiography of the period. Section III: The site provides an extensive analysis of the origins of the series, and how it fit into both the Army's larger program of preparation for postwar changes as well as the larger culture in which they were produced.
  • Within These Walls : An annotated reading list for elementary and middle school students and an extensive bibliography for older students interested in the themes related to the Ipswich House exhibition.
  • Cookery and Foodways Collection : The University of Denver Cookery and Foodways Collection is particularly strong in American regional cookery, and contains a large number of privately published fund-raising cookbooks from churches, service organizations, and other community groups.
  • Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl: Immigrant Women in the Turn-of-the-Century City : This web site is based upon curriculum materials produced by American Social History Project as part of the Who Built America? series.
  • National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Collection : The complete National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Collection is a library of 700-800 titles collected between 1890 and 1938 by members of NAWSA and donated to the Rare Books Division of the Library of Congress on November 1, 1938. The bulk of the collection is derived from the library of Carrie Chapman Catt, president of NAWSA from 1900-1904, and again from 1915-1920. Additional materials were donated from the libraries of other members and officers, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Alice Stone Blackwell, Julia Ward Howe, Elizabeth Smith Miller, and Mary A. Livermore.
  • Online Biographical Dictionary of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the United States : This free crowd-sourced project contains over 3,000 biographical sketches of grassroots women suffragists, including a special section focused on nearly 400 Black Women Suffragists.
  • Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College : The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history.
  • Women & Social Movements in the United States, 1775-2000 : The Women and Social Movements website is a project of the Center for the Historical Study of Women and Gender at the State University of New York at Binghamton and includes roughly 900 documents, 400 images, and 350 links to other websites.
  • Women in America: 1820-1842 : During the first half of the nineteenth century, Tocqueville and Beaumont were joined by scores of other European travelers curious about the new republic, and anxious to fill the European demand for accounts of American life. One of the most striking was the status of women--their domestic roles, their freedom in youth, their responsibilities in marriage, and their importance to the moral and religious life of the republic. Tocqueville and Beaumont observed all manner of social gatherings and recorded the conversations with prominent American citizens on a number of matters, including morality and the status of women.
  • Women Working, 1800 - 1930 : Women Working, 1800 - 1930 focuses on women's role in the United States economy and provides access to digitized historical, manuscript, and image resources selected from Harvard University's library and museum collections. The collection features approximately 500,000 digitized pages and images.

Automobile and Transportation History

  • America on the Move : Teachers and parents can use the resource guides, lessons, and activity plans to teach children (K- Middle School) about transportation in American history.
  • Antique Automobile Club of America : The Antique Automobile Club of America, founded in 1935, is dedicated to perpetuating the memories of early automobiles by encouraging their history, collection and use.
  • Automobile in American Life and Society : This site was created and developed by the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Henry Ford Museum. Each of the site’s five sections (design, environment, gender, labor, race) contains two essays—an overview of the topic and a more focused case study—plus a select annotated bibliography or bibliographic essay to guide further reading.
  • Carriage Association of America : The Carriage Association of America is an organization devoted to the preservation and restoration of horse drawn carriages and sleighs. The site features information about the organization and links to related sites.
  • Hemmings Motor News : This is the online resource of the advertising monthly that is devoted to antique, classic, vintage, muscle, street rod, and special interest automobiles, catering to car collectors and restorers. HMN also features the hobby's most complete calendar of upcoming events, hobbyists' legislative alerts, and a monthly listing of stolen collector cars.
  • Henry Ford Museum : The Henry Ford Museum began as Henry Ford's personal collection of historic objects. Today, the 12 acre site is primarily a collection of antique machinery, pop culture items, automobiles, locomotives, aircraft, and other items. 
  • Rural Heritage : The online version of the print journal in support of small farmers and loggers who use draft horse, mule and ox power. It features articles and dialogues on animals, equipment, health information, and other resources.
  • Society for Commercial Archeology : Established in 1977, the SCA is the oldest national organization devoted to the buildings, artifacts, structures, signs, and symbols of the 20th-century commercial landscape.
  • Best of History Web Sites
  • Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy
  • Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History  
  • History Matters: The U. S. Survey Course on the Web
  • National Archives Research Room
  • National History Day
  • Smithsonian History Explorer
  • Using Primary Sources on the Web
  • Architecture and Urbanism of the Southwest : Architecture and Urbanism of the Southwest, is an illustrated essay by John Messina (AIA, Research Architect) and the University of Arizona Southwest Studies Center and the School of Architecture. The site also provides a recommended readings list of books and articles.
  • Bata Shoe Museum : Located in Toronto, the Bata Shoe Museum holds over 10,000 shoes in the collection.
  • Built in America: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) 1933 to present : The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) collections are among the largest and most heavily used in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. This online presentation of the HABS/HAER collections includes digitized images of measured drawings, black-and-white photographs, color transparencies, photo captions, data pages including written histories, and supplemental materials.
  • City Beautiful: The 1901 Plan for Washington, DC : A University of Virginia American Studies project, this site documents the first explicit attempt to utilize the vaguely classical Beaux-Arts architectural style, which emerged from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, for the explicit intent of beautification and social amelioration was the Senate Park Commission's redesign of the monumental core of Washington D.C. to commemorate the city's centennial. The McMillan Plan of 1901-02, named for Senator James McMillan, the commission's liaison and principal backer in Congress, was the United States' first attempt at city planning.
  • Corning Museum of Glass : The Corning Museum of Glass's home page begins with its local address and phone numbers and provides a menu of places to visit within the museum site, including, "A Resource for Glass," a collection of information developed to answer questions about glass, and "Glossary of Glassmaking Terms," an alphabetical list of terms with in-depth definitions.
  • Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture : The Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture collects electronic resources for study and research of the decorative arts, with a particular focus on Early America. Included are electronic texts and journals, image databases, and information on organizations, museums and research facilities. The site was created and is maintained at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries.
  • Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture: Image and Text Collections : The Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture collects and creates electronic resources for study and research of the decorative arts, with a particular focus on Early America. Included are electronic texts and facsimiles, image databases, and Web resources. Made possible by the Chipstone Foundation, the project is produced at the University of Wisconsin Madison General Library System.
  • Furniture Glossary : A compilation of terms and acronyms on furniture styles, design and construction.
  • Harper's Bazaar Magazine : A browse-able collection of issues from the 19th Century magazine, Harper's Bazaar (1867-1900). 
  • MAD: Maine Antique Digest : MAD's bulletin board, with table of contents from current issues, and over 90 book reviews of books dealing with antiques and collectibles.
  • Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art : The Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art in Tacoma Washington presents contemporary art with a sustained concentration on the medium of glass. The Museum exhibition schedule includes works by internationally known artists and trends in contemporary art. The exhibition program offers artists and audiences the opportunity to experiment with and experience a full range of media in the visual arts.
  • National Building Museum : Created by an act of Congress in 1980, the National Building Museum is America’s premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning.
  • National Register of Historic Places : The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.  Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
  • The Noble Craftsman We Promote: The Arts and Crafts Movement in the American Midwest : An online version of the Toledo University exhibition, looks at four particular areas of Arts and Crafts in the Midwest: the book arts, architecture, interior and exterior design, and the decorative arts and attempts to explain how the movement in the heartland differed from its purer British counterpart.
  • Paint by Number: Accounting for Taste in the 1950s : A brief resource list for a unique subject.
  • Quilt Index : The Quilt Index aims to be a central resource that incorporates a wide variety of sources and information on quilts, quiltmakers and quiltmaking. The Quilt Index was conceived and developed by The Alliance for American Quilts and implemented in collaboration with Michigan State University's MATRIX: The Center for Humane Arts, Letters and Social Sciences Online and the Michigan State University Museum.
  • Sears Modern Homes : This site features a history of the Sears Modern Homes program, photos, catalog advertisements, references and a registry of owners. More than 100,000 Sears ready-made houses were sold from 1908 to 1940.
  • Skyscraper Museum : Founded in 1996, THE SKYSCRAPER MUSEUM is a private, not-for-profit, educational corporation devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. Located in New York City, the world's first and foremost vertical metropolis, the museum celebrates the city's rich architectural heritage and examines the historical forces and individuals that have shaped its successive skylines. Through exhibitions, programs and publications, the museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence.
  • Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) : Founded in 1940, the Society encourages scholarly research in the field and promotes the preservation of significant architectural monuments that are an integral part of the worldwide historical and cultural heritage.  They publish the quarterly Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians and bimonthly Newsletter.  There are several bibliographies and links to related organizations.
  • Stained Glass Magazine : Stained Glass Magazine on the World Wide Web, featuring the Stained Glass Association of America's conference schedule, professional announcements, calls for papers, and lists of useful catalogues and resources of interest to collectors and historians of stained glass.
  • Strong Museum (Rochester, NewYork) : The Strong Museum's more than 500,000 objects include the world's largest and most historically significant collection of dolls and toys, America's most comprehensive collections of homecrafts and souvenirs, and nationally important collections of home furnishings and advertising materials.
  • Textile Society of America : The Textile Society of America provides a forum for the exchange and dissemination of information about all aspects of textiles: historic, artistic, cultural, social, political, economic, and technical.
  • Urban Planning, 1794-1918: An International Anthology of Articles, Conference Papers, and Reports : These documents are primary source material for the study of how urban planning developed up to the end of World War I. They include statements about techniques, principles, theories, and practice by those who helped to create a new professional specialization. This new field of city planning grew out of the land-based professions of architecture, engineering, surveying, and landscape architecture, as well as from the work of economists, social workers, lawyers, public health specialists, and municipal administrators.
  • Vernacular Architecture Forum : The term "vernacular architecture" applies to traditional domestic and agricultural buildings, industrial and commercial structures, twentieth-century suburban houses, settlement patterns and cultural landscapes.  The Vernacular Architecture Forum was formed in 1980 to encourage the study and preservation of these informative and valuable material resources.
  • Victoria & Albert Museum (London) : The Museum's ceramics, glass, textiles, dress, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, sculpture, paintings, prints and photographs span the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa, and date from ancient times to the present day. There are 2000 images of the collection available for online viewing.
  • Winterthur Museum & Library (Delaware) : The Winterthur Library contains approximately half a million imprints, manuscripts, visual materials, and printed ephemera for research from the 17th century to the early 20th century. The museum collections include 85,000 domestic artifacts and works of art made or used in America to 1860.
  • Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention : This site is in association with the Eames exhibition tour
  • American Environmental Photographs, 1891-1936: Images from the University of Chicago Library : This collection consists of approximately 4,500 photographs documenting natural environments, ecologies, and plant communities in the United States at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. The photographs were taken by Henry Chandler Cowles (1869-1939), George Damon Fuller (1869-1961), and other Chicago ecologists on field trips across the North American continent.
  • Bureau of Reclamation History : The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation History site is a collection of oral histories, photographs, and papers on the agency and it's work.
  • Conservation and Environment - Library of Congress : The historic and more recent maps contained in this category show early exploration and subsequent land use in various areas of the United States. These maps show the changes in the landscape, including natural and man-made features, recreational and wilderness areas, geology, topography, wetland area, vegetation, and wildlife. Specific conservation projects such as the growth and development of U.S. National Parks are included in this category.
  • Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920 : The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920 documents the historical formation and cultural foundations of the movement to conserve and protect America's natural heritage, through books, pamphlets, government documents, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and motion picture footage drawn from the collections of the Library of Congress. The collection consists of 62 books and pamphlets, 140 Federal statutes and Congressional resolutions, 34 additional legislative documents, excerpts from the Congressional Globe and the Congressional Record, 360 Presidential proclamations, 170 prints and photographs, 2 historic manuscripts, and 2 motion pictures.
  • Forest History Society Databases : The Forest History Society has six databases that are searchable on the website via InMagic's Web Publisher software. All of the databases provide useful, detailed information about primary or secondary resource materials that aid research in the broad fields of forest, conservation, and environmental history.
  • H-Environment - H-NET, the Humanities & Social Sciences Online initiative : This website is intended as a general resource for people interested in environmental history. Much of its content is compiled from the discussion list H-Environment and includes book reviews, conference announcements, a course syllabus library, and a survey of films. There are also links to other organizations and websites where you can find materials of interest.
  • History of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service : Official website of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with links to their archival collections, oral histories, and other information sources.
  • Love Canal Collection : The University Of Buffalo Library holds the records of the Ecumenical Task Force, 1979-1991 which contain extensive documentation of the toxic waste controversies associated with the Love Canal and related toxic waste sites in Niagara County, New York. The ETF assembled a resource file of government and other reports concerning the Love Canal and related environmental issues. The reports in the resource file and elsewhere in the records include draft documents, photocopied statements prepared by Love Canal residents, scientists and ETF members for hearings on the Love Canal, speeches, consultant reports, articles, as well as printed and online reports.
  • Bon Appétit! Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian : The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History website of their Julia Child's Kitchen exhibition.
  • Doubtless as Good: Thomas Jefferson's Dreams of American Wines Fulfilled : This short bibliography, prepared by staff at the National Museum of American History, includes books on the material culture of viniculture, some historic works on American winemaking not included in the Gabler bibliography, and some relevant works on American culture and taste.
  • Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project : The Michigan State University Library and the MSU Museum have created an online collection of some of the most influential and important American cookbooks from the late 18th to early 20th century.
  • Food Reference Website : A fairly comprehensive private website that provides links to articles, information, food history dates, and a wide range of useful information on food.
  • Food Timeline : A resource about food history, social history, manners and menus covering Prehistory through modern day.
  • Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive : The Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the William L. Clements Library on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor contains thousands of items from the 16th to 20th centuries - books, ephemera, menus, magazines, graphics, maps, manuscripts, diaries, letters, catalogues, advertisements, and reference works. It is a work in progress, and material is being added and catalogued daily.
  • New York Food Museum : A new and developing web-based resource on New York City foodways and food history.
  • Peacock Harper Culinary Collection - Virginia Tech University : The Peacock Harper Culinary Collection is a collection of cookbooks and related items housed in the Virginia Tech Library. The VT Image Base contains over 700 images pertaining to culinary history and the collection. They publish an online newsletter called the Virginia Culinary Thymes
  • Southern Foodways Alliance : The Southern Foodways Alliance website contains links to ongoing research projects, symposiums and their oral history texts. It is a subsidiary of the University of Mississippi's, Center for the Study of Southern Culture.
  • Taking America to Lunch : This Smithsonian exhibition in the National Museum of American History features samples from the museum's collection of lunch boxes from the 19th century plain metal buckets to 20th century popular culture images on boxes made of synthetic materials.

Graphic Art

  • American Printing History Association : The American Printing History Association was founded to encourage the study of printing history and its related arts and skills, including calligraphy, typefounding, typography, papermaking, bookbinding, illustration, and publishing. APHA is especially, but by no means exclusively, interested in American printing history.
  • Fine Press Book Association : The Fine Press Book Association is an organization formed by individuals interested in the art of fine printing to promote printing skills and the appreciation of beautiful books.
  • Graphic Artists Guild
  • Robert C. Williams Paper Museum : This Web site traces the history, art, and science of paper making.
  • Society for the History of Authorship, Reading & Publishing : The Society (SHARP) provides a global network for book historians, 1000 members in over 20 countries, including professors of literature, historians, librarians, publishing professionals, sociologists, bibliophiles, classicists, booksellers, art historians, reading instructors, and independent scholars.
  • Separate Is Not Equal: Brown vs. Board of Education : The annotated bibliography includes information about related Web resources and teacher materials, as well as fiction and non-fiction books for children, young adults, and adults.
  • Slates, Slide Rules, and Software: Teaching Math in America : A collection of reference resources on the tools used in teaching mathematics in the United States from the 1800s onward.

History of Technology - Invention and Inventors

  • Canada Science and Technology Museum : This site links you to the various collections within the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
  • Edison After Forty : This listing includes Edison's Papers, book-length studies, children's books, and museums.
  • Edison Papers Web Site : The Edison Papers Web Site is a searchable database, based on the University Press of America's editions of Thomas Edison's papers, which detail the first 31 years of his life.
  • Hagley American Patent Models : The largest privately-owned collection of United States patent models in the world. Containing nearly 4,000 patent models and related documents, the collection spans America's Industrial Revolution.
  • Lighting a Revolution: A Bibliography of Lighting : A collection of books, articles, and web sites on the history and technology of electrical lighting.
  • National Inventors Hall of Fame : Web site for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, in Akron, Ohio. Features a collection of biographies of members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
  • Powering a Generation of Change : This bibliography lists books, journal articles, and reports documenting the story of electrical power restructuring in North America.
  • Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) : The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) is dedicated to the historical study of technology and its relations with politics, economics, labor, business, the environment, public policy, science, and the arts.
  • The Office Museum : This commercial website engages in research on the history and evolution of offices, antique office machines and equipment, and business technology based on original documents and artifacts.
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office : The official web site of the USPTO has a searchable database. Patents issued between 1790 and 1976 are searchable only by patent number and current US classifications.
  • Yesterday's Office : This site contains articles on antique or redundant office technology and links to related sites.
  • Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota : CBI is dedicated to promoting study of the history of information technology and information processing and their impact on society.
  • Chronology of Events in the History of Microcomputers : A timetable of significant events in the history of computing, with product announcements and delivery dates from a variety of sources.
  • Computer Museum History Center (Silicon Valley) : The Computer Museum History Center is a non-profit entity dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computing history. It holds one of the largest collections of computing artifacts in the world.
  • Intel Museum (Santa Clara) : This museum documents the development and construction of computer chips by one of the leading manufacturers of chip technology.
  • Internet Archive : The Internet Archive is a non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format. Founded in 1996 and located in the Presidio of San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to include more well-rounded collections. Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages in the collections.
  • Internet Histories : A collection of links about the history of the Internet, from the ISOC , the Internet Society, a non-governmental international organization, committed to global cooperation and coordination for the Internet.
  • Making the Macintosh: Technology and Culture in Silicon Valley : "Making the Macintosh" is an online project documenting the history of the Macintosh computer. This project collects and publishes primary material on the Macintosh's development and early reception. It draws on the extensive holdings of the Stanford University Library's Department of Special Collections, the personal papers of engineers and technical writers involved in the Macintosh project, and interviews conducted for the project.
  • Discovering Lewis and Clark : This comprehensive website contains more than 1,400 pages, and is updated monthly with additional material. This website includes a nineteen-part synopsis of the expedition's story by historian Harry W. Fritz, illustrated with selections from the journals of the expedition, photographs, maps, animated graphics, moving pictures, and sound files.
  • Kansas State Historical Society: Lewis and Clark : This website provides the user with information about the history of the expedition in Kansas.
  • Lewis and Clark Expedition: Selected Resources : The Smithsonian Institution has created this directory of sites on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
  • Lewis and Clark Across Missouri : The Geographic Resources Center at the Department of Geography, University of Missouri partnered with the Missouri State Archives to create this website offering campsite maps, photo-realistic images of important river landmarks, and animated virtual Missouri River travel to trace Lewis and Clark's expedition. 
  • Lewis and Clark in North Dakota : Lewis and Clark in North Dakota is one of most informative websites available about the expedition. A highlight is the In North Dakota Link that includes personal profiles of the individuals involved in the expedition, background information about the sites that Lewis and Clark visited, an expedition chronology, a facts and trivia section, maps, and a bibliography.
  • Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Inc. : The mission of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation is to stimulate public appreciation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition's contributions to America's heritage, and to support education, research, development, and preservation of the Lewis and Clark experience. Their website includes a detailed history of the expedition with a bibliography. The site also includes a link to the The Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Library. The Library  has about 800 book titles and 300 articles relating to the Lewis & Clark Expedition. The library also has maps, genealogical information, sound, and video recordings. Users can search the library's catalog online.
  • Lewis and Clark: Indiana Bicentennial Commission : This site outlines Indiana's important role in the expedition and lists events to commemorate the expedition.
  • Lewis and Clark: Mapping the West : This Smithsonian site reviews the cartographic work of the Corps of Discovery.
  • Monticello, The Home of Thomas Jefferson: Jefferson's West : This website has a special section on Lewis and Clark that includes an expedition timeline, bibliography, website links, and online study resources for teachers and students. This site is particularly recommended for users who are interested in researching the role that President Thomas Jefferson played in the expedition.
  • PBS Online: Lewis and Clark : This website is a companion resource to the Ken Burns film: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery and contains several special features that will appeal to users. It provides users with a search engine enables users to search the expedition journals by author, date, or year. It contains transcripts of unedited interviews with various experts and historians about their perspectives on the expedition. It also includes expedition timelines, maps, a bibliography, and related links.
  • Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America : This site provides a small sampling of primary materials (maps and journal entries) related to the Lewis and Clark expedition that are housed in the Library of Congress.
  • The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition : The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition website makes available for users the text of the celebrated Nebraska edition of the journals, edited by by Gary M. Moulton. Moulton's edition is considered to be the most accurate and inclusive version published. Currently, the site offers almost two hundred pages from volume 4. In the future, the site will provide access to the full set of journals, almost 5000 pages of primary source material. This site also includes a full text search engine.
  • Artificial Anatomy: Papier-Mâché Anatomical Models : Resources on Anatomy, Papier- Mâché, Preservation, and Trade Catalogs.
  • DeWitt Stetten, Jr., Museum of Medical Research (NIH) : Established in 1986 as a part of the NIH centennial observance, the Stetten Museum collects and exhibits biomedical research instruments and NIH memorabilia.
  • Human Radiation Experiments (DOE) : A website from the US Department of Energy offering a "roadmap" to the stories and records of the cold-war story of radiation research on human subjects.
  • Medical Antiques & Pre-1900 Antique Surgical Sets : From the Arbittier Museum of Medical History, examples of medical antiques, amputation, and surgical sets by some of the most famous makers of the 1800's. Of particular interest are those surgical antiques used in the Civil War. There is a section on pricing and valuation of early surgical sets and kits as well as extensive topics on antique medical collecting.
  • Medical Heritage Library : The Medical Heritage Library is a digital curation collaborative among some of the world’s leading medical libraries. The collection resides at the Internet Archive.
  • Medicine in the Americas, 1619-1914 : The Medicine in the Americas website provides access to a number of key primary historical documents that deal with a number of areas, such as women’s health, public health, and clinical works of enduring historical value. Currently, there are a total of eight works in the archive, and they include Clara Barton’s “The Red Cross of the Geneva Convention” from 1878 and L. Emmett Holt’s 1894 work “The Care and Feeding of Children: A Catechism for the Use of Mothers and Children’s Nurses”.
  • National Library of Medicine : National Library of Medicine home page, with links to a variety of sites on the Internet.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) : This database is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders authored and edited by Dr. Victor A. McKusick and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere, and developed for the World Wide Web by NCBI, the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
  • The Medical Heritage Library : The Medical Heritage Library (MHL) is a digital curation collaborative among some of the world’s leading medical libraries. The collection resides at the Internet Archive.
  • Access to Military Service and Pension Records : The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard.
  • Air University Library's Index to Military Periodicals : The Air University Library's Index to Military Periodicals is a subject index to significant articles, news items, and editorials from English language military and aeronautical periodicals. The Index contains citations since 1988 and is updated continuously. A comprehensive list of all journals covered by AULIMP since 1949 is available as the Historical Index of AULIMP titles.
  • Company of Military Historians : The web site for the journal with several useful links and color plates of uniforms.
  • Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms : Sets forth standard US military and associated terminology to encompass the joint activity of the Armed Forces of the United States in both US joint and allied joint operations, as well as to encompass the Department of Defense as a whole.
  • Historic U.S. Government Publications from World War II : This Southern Methodist University Libraries site allows users to search or browse a collection of over 300 United States government documents produced during World War II.
  • Index to the Uniforms of the American Revolution : This site is provided by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of California and contains several images of American Revolutionary War uniforms.
  • Military Review - English Edition Archives : Archival collection of the professional journal of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) and the Command and General Staff College (CGSC).
  • Military Women Veterans : This site documents the contributions of American women to the Armed Forces of the United States.
  • Papers of the War Department, 1784-1800 : Papers of the War Department is a project of the Center for History and New Media, George Mason University and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. This collection of more than 55,000 documents is in an online format with extensive and searchable metadata linked to digitized images of each document.
  • Price of Freedom: Americans at War : This online exhibition from the National Museum of American History presents a timeline of American military conflicts from the War of Independence through the War in Iraq, 2003. It also includes information on hundreds of artifacts related to America’s military history, along with learning resources for educators.
  • Redstone Hyper-media Historical Information : Designed by the MICOM Historical Office, this home page features the Redstone Arsenal Complex Chronological Highlights such as; The Pre-Missile Era (1941-1949) and Women at War: Redstone's WWII Female
  • United States Army Center of Military History : CMH Online is an information and education service provided by the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
  • Valley of the Shadow : The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH) at the University of Virginia's Web page featuring Edward Ayers's material on the Great Valley in the Civil War.
  • Veterans History Project - Library of Congress : The Veterans History Project covers World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars. It includes all participants in those wars--men and women, civilian and military. It documents the contributions of civilian volunteers, support staff, and war industry workers as well as the experiences of military personnel from all ranks and all branches of service--the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.
  • War Times Journal : The War Times Journal is a free online magazine which covers all periods of military history and military science.
  • West Point in the Making of America : There are eight subject categories from this exhibition reading list on West Point graduates and their contributions to the nation in peace and war.
  • World War I Edition of Stars and Stripes - Library of Congress : From February 8, 1918, to June 13, 1919, by order of General John J. Pershing, the United States Army published a newspaper for its forces in France, The Stars and Stripes. This online collection, presented by the Serial and Government Publications Division of the Library of Congress, includes the complete seventy-one-week run of the newspaper's World War I edition.

Naval and Maritime History

  • Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology : The Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology has been at the forefront of underwater archaeology for over 35 years. The ACUA serves as an international advisory body on issues relating to underwater archaeology, conservation, and submerged cultural resources management.It is working to educate scholars, governments, sport divers, and the general public about underwater archaeology and the preservation of underwater resources.
  • All Hands Magazine Archives : Each issue of this U. S. Navy bulletin and magazine (1922-2011) has been scanned and digitized in Adobe Acrobat format.  Free access.
  • American Merchant Marine at War : The U.S. Maritime Service Veterans complied this collection of war service related topical links.
  • Council of American Maritime Museum : The Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM) is an organization dedicated to preserving North America's maritime history. The Members include museums, museum professionals, and scholars from United States, Mexico, Bermuda, Australia and Canada. CAMM works to promote high professional standards in the preservation and interpretation of maritime history. Our Members seek to convey and preserve this history through collections, sites, vessels, projects, exhibitions, and research.
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships : The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, commonly known as DANFS, is the foremost reference regarding U.S. naval vessels. Published in nine volumes (from 1959 to 1991), it gives histories for virtually every U.S. naval vessel.
  • Fast Attacks & Boomers: Submarines in the Cold War : Selections for further reading on the growth and development of the U.S. Nuclear Navy.
  • Historic Naval Ships Association : The purpose of the Historic Naval Ships Association is to facilitate the exchange of information and provide mutual support among those who are working hard to maintain their aging vessels physically and financially. The ships of HNSA are located in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and Australia. The ships are organized into three categories on the site: name of ship, type of ship, and location.
  • Index to Ships in Books -- Search Page : This index allows researchers to search the names of commercial and naval vessels that were published in a variety of books and serials. A bibliography of those printed resources is included.
  • International Congress of Maritime Museums : The International Congress of Maritime Museums is a professional guild of associations, organizations, and individuals in the maritime preservation field. Their website includes a news section that provides information about recently discovered wrecks, upcoming museum exhibits, and other developments in the field.
  • Maritime History Links on the Net : This comprehensive list covers a variety of subjects related to Maritime History.
  • Nautical Research Guild, Inc. : The Nautical Research Guild links researchers, collectors, and builders of the highest quality ship models. The Guild emphasizes learning about ships and maritime history through academic research, as applied and expressed in the process of ship model building and other artistic and academic endeavors.
  • Steamship Historical Society of America : The Steamship Historical Society (SSHSA) is an organization dedicated to preserving artifacts and memories from the steamship days of the past.
  • U.S. Naval Historical Center : The Naval Historical Center is the official history program of the Department of the Navy. The Center now includes a museum, art gallery, research library, archives, and curator as well as research and writing programs.
  • U.S. Naval Vessel Register : The Naval Vessel Register contains information on ships and service craft that comprise the official inventory of the U.S. Navy from the time of vessel authorization through its life cycle and disposal. It also includes ships that have been stricken but not disposed.
  • American Numismatic Society : Official website of the American Numismatic Society offers a list of online resources , including MANTIS , a searchable database of over 600,000 objects from the Society's collections of international coins, paper money, tokens, ‘primitive’ money, medals and decorations.
  • American Numismatics Association : Features information about ANA, a membership form, a link to ANA's ftp site, and links to an educational and museum directory. The FTP site includes press releases; ANA's library catalog; ANA's classification system; video list; and slide lists. The educational and museum directory features ANA's exhibits online; scholarship information; and convention updates.
  • Coins of Colonial and Early America : This University of Notre Dame site features discussions, descriptions and images of the coins and tokens used in Colonial and Confederation America based on examples in the Department of Special Collections. A companion project features Colonial and Confederation era paper currency.
  • Money - Past, Present & Future : Sources of information on monetary history, contemporary developments, and the prospects for electronic money.
  • National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History : The Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection (NNC) is America's collection of monetary and transactional objects. This diverse and expansive global collection contains objects that represent every inhabited continent and span more than three thousand years of human history.
  • U.S. Department of the Treasury : U.S. Department of Treasury's Home Page includes press releases and updates on new programs and seminars being offered by the Department.
  • Freeze Frame: Eadweard Muybridge’s Photography of Motion : Information on the collection, links, and readings on Muybridge and his work on locomotion.
  • George Eastman Museum: International Museum of Photography and Film : The George Eastman Museum collects and interprets images, films, literature, and equipment in the disciplines of photography and motion pictures and cares for the George Eastman legacy collections.
  • International Center of Photography : The International Center of Photography is a museum, a school and a center for photographers and photography, whose mission is to present photography's vital and central place in contemporary culture and to lead in interpretation issues central to its development.
  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Collection : Link to the "Collection Finder" page of the Library of Congress American Memory site.
  • LIFE Magazine photo archive hosted by Google : Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.
  • Museum of Photographic Arts : The Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) is one of the first museum facilities in the United States designed exclusively to collect and present the world's finest examples photographic art.
  • National Stereoscopic Association : The association promotes the study, collection and use of stereographs, stereo cameras and related materials for collectors and students of stereoscopic history. There is a link to the Oliver Wendell Holmes Stereoscopic Research Library.
  • NYPL Digital : The New York Public Digital Library is a continually expanding collection of digitized images and text selected from throughout the Research Libraries' collections.
  • Stereoscopy : Stereoscopy.com provides information about stereoscopic imaging (3-D) for both amateurs and professionals.
  • The Daguerreian Society : The Daguerreian Society is an organization of individuals and institutions sharing a common interest in the art, history and practice of the daguerreotype.
  • UCR Arts : This museum features contemporary exhibitions, digital and web art online, and a vast historical photograph collection.
  • Building the Washington Metro : This site tells the story of the Washington Metro, a 103-mile rapid transit system serving Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia.
  • Center For Railroad Photography & Art : The center's focus is on the preservation and presentation of railroad-related photography and art.
  • Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum : This expansive website has an online library of 19th century pictures (more than 2,300), maps and descriptions of railroad construction and travel.
  • Great Northern Railway Historical Society : The Society works to preserve and promote the history of the Great Northern Railway, which was created in September 1889 from several predecessor railroads in Minnesota and eventually stretched from Lake Superior at Duluth and Minneapolis/St.Paul west through North Dakota, Montana and Northern Idaho to Washington State at Everett and Seattle.
  • National Railway Historical Society : Founded in 1935, the National Railway Historical Society has nearly 18,000 members and over 177 Chapters spread throughout the United States, Canada and Great Britain. It is now the United States' largest rail enthusiast organization.
  • Railroad Maps, 1828-1900 : The maps presented here are a selection from the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division holdings, based on the cartobibliography, Railroad Maps of the United States: A Selective Annotated Bibliography of Original 19th-century Maps in the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress. This annotated list reveals the scope of the railroad map collection and highlights the development of railroad mapping in 19th-century America. Described are 623 maps chosen from more than 3,000 railroad maps and about 2,000 regional, state, and county maps, and other maps which show "internal improvements" of the past century.
  • Railroads and the Making of Modern America : This University of Nebraska project seeks to document and represent the rapid and far-reaching social effects of railroads and to explore the transformation of the United States to modern ideas, institutions, and practices in the nineteenth century. Railroads and the Making of Modern America seeks to use the digital medium to investigate, represent, and analyze this social change and document episodes of the railroad's social consequence.
  • Academic Info: The American West : Academic Info, an educational organization, created this directory of Internet resources on the history of the American West. This list covers a variety of subjects including Native Americans, women, religious history, the Gold Rush, Asian Americans, and railroads.
  • History of the American West, 1860-1920 : This site contains over 30,000 photographs, drawn from the holdings of the Western History and Genealogy Department at Denver Public Library. These photos illuminate many aspects of the history of the American West. Most of the photographs were taken between 1860 and 1920. They illustrate Colorado towns and landscape, document the place of mining in the history of Colorado and the West, and show the lives of Native Americans from more than forty tribes living west of the Mississippi River.
  • New Perspectives on the West : This is the companion website to the Ken Burns documentary series, the West. This site contains selected documentary materials, archival images and commentary, as well as links to background information and other resources.
  • The First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820 : This Library of Congress site consists of 15,000 pages of original historical material documenting the land, peoples, exploration, and transformation of the trans-Appalachian West from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century. The collection is drawn from the holdings of the University of Chicago Library and the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Kentucky
  • The Oregon Territory and its Pioneers : This website focuses on the pioneers of the Oregon Territory up to and including 1855...The first section is called THE SETTLING OF OREGON and is a compilation of information [including pioneer lists by year of emigration] extracted from a variety of sources. The second section lists the UPDATES that are in progress. The third section is devoted to RESEARCHING THE PIONEERS and provides links to research and historic sites that may be of interest."
  • The Oregon Trail : This website is a comprehensive source of information about the historic Oregon Trail. It includes primary source documents such as Trail diaries and memoirs. The site was created by Prof. Mike Trinklein and Steve Boettcher, creators of The Oregon Trail, the award-winning documentary film which aired nationally on PBS.
  • Canadian Centre for Architecture  CCA Library: Special Collections Trade Catalogues : Approximately 5,600 trade catalogues documenting building technology and construction methods from the late eighteenth century to the present. Core of the collection formed through acquisition of the relevant portions of the Franklin Institute trade catalogue collection. Coverage is broad and includes such categories as concrete and lumber, metalwork and woodwork, flooring, heating and insulation, plumbing and electricity, windows and roofing.
  • Columbia University. Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library : The American collection is one of the most extensive in existence. It begins with the first pertinent book to be published in the colonies, Abraham Swan's British Architect (Philadelphia, 1775), and includes a large number of titles listed in H.R. Hitchcock's basic bibliography, American Architectural Books. In the seventies and eighties the scope of the American collection was expanded to include printed source materials not previously collected. These include early trade catalogs from the manufacturers of building products (1840-1950).
  • Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Library Reference Collection : There are over 4,500 trade catalogs in the Cooper-Hewitt Library collection, some dating from the 17th century.
  • Corning Museum of Glass. Rakow Research Library : The Juliette K. and Leonard S. Rakow Research Library of The Corning Museum of Glass has a wide-ranging collection including books, magazines, trade and auction catalogues, personal and corporate archives, videotapes, microforms, sound recordings, drawings, prints, photographs, and slides. Its mission is to acquire and preserve all informational resources on the art, history and early science and technology of glass, in all languages and all formats.
  • D'Arcy Collection : The D'Arcy Collection of the Communications Library of the University of Illinois is a collection of almost two million original advertisements published between 1890 and 1970. The collection, which was donated by the D'Arcy, MacManus & Masius advertising agency (now D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles) in 1983, is a rich source of research information on products advertised by many agencies. While the vast majority of these advertisements appeared in newspapers, magazines and trade journals, there are a few in other forms such as brochures, signs, and programs. Most of the clippings advertise standard consumer products, but there are a number of obsolete categories such as spats, bathing shoes, and Prohibition.
  • Digital Collections & Trade Catalogs from the Indiana Historical Society : This collection concentrates on catalogs from businesses that were either headquartered in Indiana or had a substantial presence in the state. Items in this collection date from the 1840s through the 1990s. The catalogs document the wide range of commodities that have come out of Indiana.
  • Hagley Museum and Library : The library houses an important collection of books, pamphlets, trade catalogs, manuscripts, photographs, ephemera, and audiovisual materials documenting the history of American business and technology. Hagley's main strength is in the Middle Atlantic region, but the scope of collecting includes business organizations and companies with national and international impact.
  • Instruments for Science, 1800-1914: Scientific Trade Catalogs in Smithsonian Collections : Digital collection of scientific instrument trade catalogs
  • John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History : The Ad*Access Project presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II. The advertisements are from the J. Walter Thompson Company Competitive Advertisements Collection of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History in Duke University's David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
  • Marketing in the Modern Era : Marketing in the Modern Era: Trade Catalogs and the Rise of 19th-Century American Advertising: an online exhibit at the Baker Library at Harvard University.
  • National Museum of American History Library Trade Literature Collection : This collection contains more than 460,000 catalogs, technical manuals, advertising brochures, price lists, company histories and related materials representing over 36,000 companies.
  • National Museum of American History -- Archives Center, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana : The National Museum of American History purchased the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, ca. 1724-1977 in 1967. The collection was assembled by Isadore Warshaw and represents the largest advertising ephemera collection in the United States, occupying more than 1,020 cubic feet of storage space.  Organization, re-housing, and description of the Warshaw Collection are a long-term project. Most portions of the collection are open to researchers in the Archives Center.
  • New Jersey Trade and Manufacturers' Catalogs : Housed in Special Collections and University Archives, the Rutgers University Libraries collection of New Jersey trade and manufacturers catalogs represents part of the University's effort "to collect, preserve and make available for research, primary and secondary materials in various formats, documenting all aspects of New Jersey's history, from its founding to the present."
  • Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology : Particularly strong collections within the OHA include the areas of medical illustration, including anatomical drawings and paintings, photographs, and photomicrographs; reconstructive surgery and prosthetics; tropical and infectious disease research; trade literature and advertisements; medical technology and battlefield surgery from the Civil War through to the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
  • Seed Catalogs from the Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collection : The Smithsonian Libraries has a unique trade catalog collection that includes about 10,000 seed and nursery catalogs dating from 1830 to the present, documenting the history of the seed and agricultural implement business in the United States, as well as providing a history of botany and plant research such as the introduction of plant varieties into the US. Additionally, the seed trade catalogs are a window into the history of graphic arts in advertising, and a social history, through the text and illustrations, showing changing fashions in flowers and vegetables.
  • Sewing Machine Galleries : Created by David and Lin Best, this site comprises photographs of over 130 sewing machines from their collection, together with information about the manufacturers that produced them.
  • Sewing Machines: Historical Trade Literature in Smithsonian Institution Collections : This guide illustrates the range of materials published by and about sewing machine companies in the United States, starting in the 1840s. Sewing machine catalogs and other industry materials are just one portion of the remarkable collections of manufacturers' trade literature held in the libraries, archives and curatorial units of the Smithsonian Institution. 
  • Shedding Light on New York: Edward F. Caldwell & Co. : The E. F. Caldwell & Co. Collection at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, contains more than 50,000 images consisting of approximately 37,000 black & white photographs and 13,000 original design drawings of lighting fixtures and other fine metal objects that they produced from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries.
  • The Virtual Laboratory (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science) : The digital library of the Virtual Library contains scans of historical books, journals, laboratory notebooks and instrument catalogues. Furthermore, it provides bibliographical information based on tables of contents (overview) and on existing personal bibliographies which have been checked for consistency. Every item can be acessed by author, title, year or word contained in the title.
  • University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Special Collections. Romaine Trade Catalog Collection : Lawrence B. Romaine (1900-1967) was an antiquarian book dealer, who bought and sold rare books, manuscripts, trade catalogs, and other Americana. Romaine was recognized as the leading expert in the U.S. on trade catalogs, and was the author of A Guide to American Trade Catalogs, 1774-1900 (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1960), the standard reference work in this field.  Romaine spent approximately 30 years collecting over 41,000 trade catalogs from the 19th and early 20th centuries, on every imaginable product from agricultural implements, clothes, medical and surgical instruments to weathervanes and windmills. The bulk of his collection focused on machines, tools, engines and other hardware used in agriculture and manufacturing industries.
  • University of Delaware Trade Catalogs: An online exhibition : The University of Delaware Library Special Collections Department houses an extensive collection of trade catalogs and advertising ephemera produced in the United States from the middle of the eighteenth century until the present day. The trade catalog collection also complements the Special Collections Department's traditional strengths in the history of horticulture, science and technology, printing and publishing, and the book arts. Companies selling printing supplies, agricultural implements and nursery stock, type founders, publishing companies, and booksellers are particularly well-represented as are the catalogs of Delaware businesses.
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, National Art Library : The National Art Library holds numerous examples of trade catalogues within its collections. Some items entered the NAL during the 19th century, and both current and retrospective examples of trade catalogues have been added to the collections throughout the 20th century. Since 1983 the policy has been to actively collect both current and retrospective examples of trade literature in areas broadly in line with the research interests of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
  • Winterthur Museum Library : WinterCat is the Winterthur Library's online catalogue and includes nearly 60,000 bibliographic records, representing the holdings of the four collections that constitute the Winterthur Library. Records for imprints, periodicals, rare printed materials, manuscript and ephemera holdings, photographs, and archival resources are all in one database, which researchers can use to determine the library's holdings on any given topic, person, or organization through one search. WinterCat features hyperlinks to manuscript finding aids and selected images.
  • Women Working, 1800-1930: trade catalogs : To illustrate the world of women working, the Open Collections Program of Harvard University Library has digitized a group of trade catalogs. These colorful works illustrate the dramatic changes that were taking place between 1870 and 1930 in the home, in the workplace, and in the minds of retailers and manufacturers. 
  • Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) : This site contains approximately two million physical and cultural geographic features in the United States and its territories. The Federally recognized name of each feature described in the data base is identified, and references are made to a feature's location by State, county, and geographic coordinates.
  • Library of Congress Map Collection 1500-2004 : The Library of Congress' map collection contains the topical areas of cities and towns, conservation and environment, discovery and exploration, cultural landscapes, military battles and campaigns, as well as transportation and communication.
  • Mapping History: American History : The maps cover a variety of historical topics from pre-1500 Native American culture, to the Civil War and Reconstruction, to 20th century health. Some of these maps are interactive.
  • National Map Small-Scale Collection : The site from the U.S. Geological Survey offers a collection of small-scale datasets available for free download, along with hundreds of printable reference maps developed as part of the 1997-2014 edition of the National Atlas. 
  • University of Georgia Libraries Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscripts : The collection encompasses 500 years including maps on Georgia, the New World, the Colonial America, the revolutionary America, the revolutionary Georgia, the Union and expansion, the American Civil War, the frontier to the new South, Savannah and the coast, and transportation.
  • University of Illinois Historical Maps Online : These maps mainly focus from 1650 to 1994 on North America and the Northwest Territory, Maps of the Midwest, Illinois and Champaign County, and the Warner & Beers Atlas of 1876.
  • University of Texas at Austin's Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection : This collection contains maps arranged by state, city, and topical. Many of the maps are from the late 1700s through the early 1900s.
  • US History by Online Highways : The topical maps include the areas of early America, Colonial Period, Revolutionary America, young republic, and election maps of the early 1900s.

World's Fairs and Expositions

  • A Century of Progress: The 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair : The John Crerar Library (which is now part of the University of Chicago Libraries) collected various official publications, press releases, guidebooks, and other related materials pertaining to this world exposition. Approximately 350 of those collected items are now available on this website. The collection may be browsed by publication author, publication title, and the general subject of each publication.
  • Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition Centennial : This University of Washington Libraries digital collection contains more than 1200 photographs of the 1909 fair held on the grounds of the University of Washington, depicting buildings, grounds, entertainment and exotic attractions.
  • Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs, 1851-1940 : The Donald G. Larson Collection at Cal-State Fresno, consists of approximately 1,600 books and more than 6,500 pamphlets, postcard, sheet music, and other materials.
  • ExpoMuseum : ExpoMuseum was first created as a web site in 1998 by Urso S. A. Chappell, and is maintained by him.The site pays tribute to the past, present, and future of these immensely popular expositions, and also includes a number of fun features, such as a discussion area and a special section dedicated to the architecture of these places.
  • Hyper-text Thesis on the World's Columbian Exposition : A Masters thesis, by Julie K. Rose, M.A. English, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA on the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, in Chicago, Illinois, which features a virtual tour of the Fair and offers analysis of social and cultural importance of the World's Columbian Exposition.
  • Paris 1900 - The Exhibit of American Negroes : The Exhibit of American Negroes is a reconstruction of highlights from an exhibit of the same name put together by W. E. B. DuBois, Thomas Calloway and the Historic Black Colleges for the Paris 1900 International Exposition.
  • Progress Made Visible: American World's Fairs and Expositions : The Special Collections Department of the University of Delaware Library holds a wide variety of primary source materials relating to the World's Fairs and Expositions held in the United States between 1876 and 1939.
  • Revisiting World's Fairs and International Expositions: A Selected Bibliography, 1992 - 1999 : This Smithsonian Institution Library bibliography supplements Bridget Burke's bibliography, "World's Fairs and International Expositions: Selected References 1987-1993," which was published as part of Fair Representations: World's Fairs and the Modern World, edited by Robert Rydell and Nancy Gwinn. It focuses on secondary materials that were published between 1992 and mid-summer 1999, but also includes some entries for materials prior to 1992 that were not included in the Burke's bibliography.
  • The 1904 World's Fair: Looking Back at Looking Forward : An online exhibition in association with the Missouri Historical Society's 2004 centennial celebration of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
  • The History of World Expositions : An EXPO 2000 resource on twenty previous World's Fairs and Expositions from 1851 to 2000.
  • The Iconography of Hope: The 1939-40 New York World's Fair : Created by John C. Barans, this site features historical information and digitized photographs chronicling the 1939-40 New York World's Fair.

520 Excellent American History Topics & Tips for an A+ Paper

How can you define America? If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, studying US history will help you find the answer.

This article will help you dive deeper into this versatile subject. Here, you will find:

  • Early and modern US history topics to write about. We’ve also got topics for DBQ essays for students taking an AP US history class.
  • Tips on how to create a great history paper.

Have you checked out our custom writing service yet? Our experts are always ready to help you with your assignments.

🔝 Top 10 American History Topics

✅ how to write a history paper, ⭐ top 10 us history topics to research.

  • 🦅 Topics Before 1865
  • ⚔️ Civil War Topics
  • 🛠️ Reconstruction & Industrialization
  • 🗽 20th Century Topics
  • 🔫 Topics on WWI & II
  • ☮️ Civil Rights Movement Topics
  • 💬 Debatable Topics
  • ✊🏿 Black History Topics
  • 🏞️ Native American Topics
  • ⭐ Topics on Famous People

🔍 References

  • The ideology of the Black Panthers
  • How did tenements affect America?
  • Why was Wilmot Proviso so controversial?
  • What characterizes the Roaring Twenties?
  • Cause and effect of the Missouri Compromise
  • The role of women during the Great Depression
  • Did anyone profit from the 1929 Stock Market Crash?
  • Michael Collins’ contribution to the space exploration
  • How did the US benefit from the Bracero Program?
  • Brigham Young’s contribution to the development of the West

History writing is controversial by nature. Selecting questions and topics is already a subjective process. On top of that, you need to interpret the sources. So, there is much to think about when it comes to history papers.

We’ve compiled several tips to make it easier for you. Check it out:

  • Don’t be afraid to disagree . People explain many issues by conventional wisdom. Be skeptical and examine your own bias.
  • Explore new terrains . Not all historical events get the attention they deserve. Writing about generally neglected topics can yield fascinating results.
  • Consider how situations change over time . Frame your subject with a start- and endpoint.
  • Wonder . History is not just descriptions of what happened—it also questions how and why specific events took place.
  • Avoid relating everything to the present . Examine the past on its own terms. In doing so, keep the chronological order straight.
  • Don’t judge your subject . Your goal is to understand the past. Remember: moral norms might have been different in the period you’re studying.
  • Give context . It’s crucial to engage with and interpret your sources. Pinpoint their place in the grand scheme of events.

Finally, you might want to write in the present tense. While this works for other social sciences, it’s not advisable for history. It’s best to keep the past in the past! Also, if you need to construct a MLA title page , there’s nothing wrong in using a specialized tool to do that, as long as it allows you to concentrate on the more important part—writing.

  • What caused the Red Scare?
  • What did the Loyalists fight for?
  • Literacy rates during Puritan times
  • The effects of the Great Awakening
  • Why was the Boston Tea Party justified?
  • The aftermath of the Battle of Bunker Hill
  • Why was presidential Reconstruction a failure?
  • The causes of the economic recession of the 1780s
  • Railroads development role in the Industrial Revolution
  • Frederick Douglass’s contribution to the abolition of slavery

🦅 Essay Topics on US History before 1865

The period of colonial America is packed with turmoil. Think of the Boston Tea Party or the American Revolution. And these are only two of that era’s most notable events. In this rubric, you’ll find colonial American history essay topics. The period in question starts with the British arrival in the New World and ends with the Civil War.

  • The origins of Thanksgiving. One idea is to find out why the Pilgrims started celebrating it in the first place. Alternatively, you could examine how it became a national holiday.
  • Why did the British begin settling in the New World? This topic allows you to explore the rivalry with Spain. Or you could investigate England’s problem with poverty.
  • Discuss the emergence of joint-stock companies. Who profited from them? What is their legacy? You might also want to study their role in early settling attempts.
  • Compare and contrast the Jamestown and Plymouth settlements. You can concentrate on areas such as religion and government.

Barack Obama quote.

  • Why did Americans start revolting? An excellent place to begin might be America’s position in global power struggles. The impact of the European Enlightenment movement is also something to consider.
  • The history of African American culture. Ask yourself these questions: How does it differ from the way it is now? What factors influenced its development?
  • What problems arose during the drafting of the Constitution? You might want to write about the economic crisis. Other important factors include different interest groups and their expectations.
  • How did the American Revolution influence society? Your essay can be concerned with its immediate or long-term impact. Find out how women, slaves, and other groups reacted to the revolutionary spirit.
  • Consequences of the Royal Proclamation of 1783. American settlers didn’t obey the proclamation, but it still proved to be influential. Your paper could discuss why. Perhaps you’d also like to ponder if it was a good idea.
  • The role of nationalism in the westward expansion. Explore how Americans justified their belief in Manifest Destiny.

Don’t forget to check out these essay topics on early American history:

  • Why did the settlers start importing slaves?
  • How did Texas become a sovereign republic?
  • Why was the American Revolution successful?
  • Discuss the significance of the Louisiana Purchase.
  • What events led to the war of 1812 ?
  • How did the French Revolution impact America?
  • Describe the changes the American Revolution brought to the states.
  • What did “American” mean in the 18 th century?
  • The role of the Sons and Daughters of Liberty in achieving unity.
  • Why was the right to bear arms included in the Bill of Rights?
  • The first President of the United States.
  • Investigate the origins of the two-party system.
  • Alexander Hamilton’s financial policies: opposition and political consequences.
  • How did Washington, DC become the national capital?
  • Trace the Lewis and Clark expedition.
  • Analyze the importance of cotton for the South’s economy in the 1800s.
  • How did the relations between the settlers and Native Americans develop over time?
  • Who formed the abolitionist movement, and why?
  • How did Kansas become a battleground for proponents and opponents of slavery?
  • Who were the Border Ruffians?
  • What was the Compromise of 1850?
  • Consequences of the Mexican-American war.
  • Long-term influences of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin .
  • Compare the real Underground Railroad with the Underground Femaleroad in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale .
  • The Declaration of Independence and its legacy.
  • What did the philosophy of transcendentalism entail?
  • Abigail Adams and the fight for women’s rights in the new republic.
  • Who was Daniel Shays?
  • Trace the ratification process of the United States’ Constitution.
  • What problems arose with the Missouri Compromise ?
  • The revival of religion in the US after achieving independence.
  • How did the mass immigration of Germans and Irish people impact the US?
  • Nativism in the US: riots and the politics of the Know-Nothings.
  • How did the South and the North respectively argue for and against slavery?
  • Investigate the emergence of the “Old American West.”
  • Study the connection of the blue jeans’ invention with the California gold rush .
  • Describe a day in a life of a slave.
  • Why was the Dred Scott Decision significant?
  • How does the 1860 election relate to the southern states seceding from the Union?
  • Explain the term “popular sovereignty.”

⚔️ Civil War Topics for Your Paper

In the pre-war period, tensions in the US over state rights and slavery were high. The differences seemed impossible to overcome. Eventually, this led to several southern states seceding from the Union. What followed was the bloodiest war ever to take place on American ground. In writing about the Civil War, you can explore military, political, and social issues.

  • Did the South ever have a chance to win? The conflict seemed to be heavily in favor of the more industrialized North. Still, it took four years of fighting to get the South to surrender. Your essay could examine the South’s underestimated strengths.
  • Compare and contrast the South’s and North’s economic situation on the eve of the Civil War. You might want to investigate the following questions: What did they produce? How did this influence the decision to wage war?
  • How did the Emancipation Proclamation affect the war? You could focus on the contributions of African American soldiers.
  • Discuss the fatal mistakes made on the battlefields of the Civil War. What decisive moments impacted its results the most? Your paper might explore what the generals could have done differently.
  • Was the Civil War inevitable ? It may be interesting to contemplate a possible compromise. In doing so, think about whether this would have merely delayed the war.
  • The general public’s position on the Civil War. It might be compelling to analyze who supported the effort and why. One focal point could be on differences between social classes.
  • The role of beliefs during the Civil War. You could investigate what the South and the North respectively held sacred. Were religious beliefs a crucial motivator for one or both sides?
  • The “Angel of the Battlefield”: Clara Barton. An essay could analyze how she contributed to the recognition of women’s war participation. It could also examine how it forwarded the struggle for women’s rights.

Clara Barton.

  • What were the political reasons to fight the Civil War? Investigating this question might yield surprising insights.
  • Contrasting Stonewall Jackson and Ulysses Grant might be engaging for those who are interested in military strategies.

Do you want more? Have a look at the following topic samples for high and middle school students:

  • Analyze why Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address became a critical moment in American history.
  • Was the Civil War justified?
  • Why was Fort Sumter relevant?
  • How did the Civil War battles impact the American social sphere?
  • What does the notion of the “Lost Cause” mean?
  • Would the election of a different man other than Abraham Lincoln as president have prevented the Civil War?
  • Why did many former slaves enlist in the Union army after the Emancipation Proclamation?
  • Describe the consequences of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination .
  • Why was slavery essential for the South?
  • Foreign US policy during the 1860s.
  • European reactions on the American Civil War.
  • How did Jefferson Davis’ government differ from Abraham Lincoln’s ?
  • Analyze the notion “A rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight.” Why was this especially true in the South?
  • Why did the Union rely heavily on blockades to weaken the Confederation?
  • Examine how Mary Boykin Chesnut’s A Diary from Dixie reflects on the war.
  • How did the war affect life in the South vs. the North?
  • Investigate the events that led to the Union victory in 1864-65.
  • Was the abolitionist movement the catalyst for the war?
  • The impact of industrialization on the battlefield.
  • What technologies emerged during the Civil War?
  • Discuss the societal effects of war photography.
  • How did the Civil War affect the many immigrants who recently entered the United States?
  • Did the American Civil War impact the rest of the globe? If so, how?
  • Can one consider Abraham Lincoln one of the best presidents in American history? If so, why?
  • Compare and contrast the most important generals and their tactics.
  • Debate the influence of Manifest Destiny on exacerbating tensions.
  • What states were devastated the most after the war, and why?
  • Describe the South’s and North’s goals during the Civil War.
  • What does the term “Bleeding Kansas” mean?
  • Newspaper coverage of the Civil War in the South vs. the North.
  • Analyze various letters to understand how people from different backgrounds perceived the Civil War.
  • Art and theater in 1860s America.
  • Debate how sectionalism and protectionism contributed to pre-war tensions in the US.
  • Why did the Crittenden Compromise fail?
  • How did the border states perceive the battles of the Civil War?
  • Explore the war contributions and legacy of Mary Edwards Walker.
  • The importance of the US navy in leading the Union to victory.
  • What happened on the West Coast during the Civil War?
  • Trace a timeline of the Civil War’s key battles.
  • Nation-building and national identity: how did the Civil War shape the idea of “Americanness”?

🛠️ Essay Topics on Reconstruction & Industrialization

After the war, industrialization was rapidly changing the American landscape. Additionally, restoring the order after years of fighting proved a challenge. In abolishing slavery, Republicans took the first step to ensure constitutional rights for African Americans. But not everyone shared the same viewpoints. Dive deeper into these confusing times with one of our topics on American history before 1877:

  • Why did scholars initially view the Reconstruction Era in a bad light? When answering this question, you can focus on the idea of “Black Supremacism.” You also might want to analyze what compelled them to shift their perspective.
  • Another option is investigating what caused Reconstruction to fail . You can further argue where it succeeded and perhaps offer a new interpretation.
  • Maybe you’d prefer an essay on why the Reconstruction Era mattered . This topic allows you to highlight crucial contemporary debates still relevant today.
  • Tracing the origins of the Ku-Klux-Klan has much to offer. You can link this topic to today and question if handling them has changed.
  • Why did President Johnson veto the enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1866? It might be interesting to contrast his political reasoning and his personal beliefs.
  • Compare the phases of Reconstruction. How did the concept change from Lincoln’s initial plans to President Johnson’s execution?
  • How did urbanization affect American life? Your paper could contrast life in the city and the countryside. You can take economic, social, and health factors into account.
  • How did the American landscape change during industrialization? You might want to examine city growth and architecture.
  • The invention of electricity was one of the most important events in human history. It might be compelling to wonder what side effects its implementation had.
  • Why not investigate the symbolism of skyscrapers? Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead is a fascinating source for this subject.

But wait, that’s not all of it. We’ve got more, including topics on American history since 1877:

  • Did the situation for freedmen improve after Reconstruction?
  • How did industrialization affect African Americans?
  • Discuss what consequences the Compromise of 1877 had.
  • The role of transportation during industrialization.
  • How does an assembly line work?

The first ever assembly line was installed by Henry Ford.

  • The invention of the automobile.
  • Describe in what ways mass production affected American society.
  • What was the Panic of 1873?
  • Long-term effects of Plessy v. Ferguson.
  • How did the Freedmen’s Bureau help former slaves?
  • Why did rebuilding the South prove so difficult?
  • Debate the effects of the print revolution on American society.
  • What was the primary goal of Reconstruction?
  • How did the Reconstruction Act affect politics in the South?
  • What caused the formation of Radical Republicans?
  • The transformation of leisure in late 19 th century America.
  • Analyze why landownership was a crucial issue in establishing African American equality.
  • Was President Johnson’s attempted impeachment in 1868 justified?
  • How did the US government help exacerbate the wealth gap in the late 19 th century?
  • What changes did transcontinental railroad transportation bring?
  • How did John D. Rockefeller influence the American economy?
  • The role of oil in industrializing America.
  • Discuss the relevance of the Great Upheaval.
  • Changing gender roles in times of urbanization.
  • Industrialization and Education: obstacles and opportunities for women and African Americans.
  • Analyze how industrialization and urbanization in the USA challenged old values.
  • How did the American newspaper business change in the 19 th century?
  • The impact of sensationalism on the American public.
  • Why did steel become such a crucial material during the late 1800s?
  • What caused the Reconstruction Era to come to an end?
  • How did contemporary cartoons attempt to depict the mood during Reconstruction?
  • What problems did Ulysses S. Grant have to face with his administration?
  • Compare and contrast reconstruction measures in various states.
  • Why did cities become increasingly attractive for America’s rural population in the 19 th century?
  • Examine the significance of the Slaughterhouse Cases.
  • Determine the difference between Presidential Reconstruction and Radical Reconstruction?
  • From the black code to Jim Crow: institutionalized racism in the southern states.
  • The combined rise of populism and imperialism in the 1800s.
  • Discuss the significance of regional differences during industrialization .
  • The impact of labor unions on the American work environment.

🗽 20th Century US History Topics to Write About

By the turn of the century, the US was a significant global player. Events such as the Great Depression affected the whole world. In addition, American contributions to the arts changed the cultural sphere forever. If you’re looking for modern US history thematic essay topics, this section is for you.

  • Why did the “final frontier” gain such importance in the 20 th century? Your essay could examine if the space race was an extension of Manifest Destiny.
  • How did the Titanic’s sinking influence innovation and safety regulations ? The ship was the biggest and most technologically advanced ocean liner at the time. Carrying over 2000 passengers, it sank on its maiden voyage. Investigating its legacy might yield fascinating results.
  • How did progressivism shape the political landscape in America at the turn of the century? In the early 1900s, the USA was almost a different country than it was 50 years prior. How did this happen? And who were the leading figures of this process?
  • Are you curious about the development of American workplace laws? Write about the consequences of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
  • If you’re into corporate history, look into the rise and fall of America’s formerly largest retailer, Sears.
  • The real William Randolph Hearst vs. his portrayal in David Fincher’s Mank . This topic allows you to combine film theory and the history of American journalism.
  • The impact of Citizen Kane on movies around the globe. To this day, Citizen Kane is considered one of the most influential films ever made. In a paper on the 1941 masterpiece, you can focus on what made it special. Which features are still prominent in cinema today?
  • How did the eugenics movement affect American society? You might want to investigate marriage laws or forced sterilizations.
  • Consequences of the Spanish-American War. The brief battle didn’t last long, but its impact was immense. Your essay could highlight the war as a stepping stone to making the US a global power.
  • Escalating racial violence: The Rosewood Massacre. In 1923, the entire town of Rosewood, Florida, was wiped out by white aggressors. How did racial tensions get so far?

Haven’t found anything yet? Here are some other American history thesis topics for you to explore:

  • The impact of the Cold War on the American economy.
  • What caused the Great Depression?
  • Ellis Island as a beacon of hope for immigrants and refugees.
  • The transformation of the American school system in the 1920s.
  • What were pop art’s main concepts?
  • Moral vs. political considerations during the annexation of Hawaii.
  • Who were the Social Gospel preachers?
  • John Dewey’s role in advancing education.
  • What sources fueled American progressivism?
  • Trace the timeline of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.
  • What was laissez-faire capitalism?
  • How did President Woodrow Wilson reform businesses?
  • A dive into the speakeasy culture.
  • How did the widespread availability of cars impact American dating life?
  • Prohibition: reasons and consequences.
  • Connecting arts and civil rights: The Harlem Renaissance.
  • Al Capone and the rise of organized crime in the 1920s.
  • What was the New Deal, and why was it necessary?
  • How did FDR’s “Alphabet Agencies” help the economy after the Great Depression?
  • Explore the funding of the UN.
  • Discuss the significance of the Berlin Airlift.
  • Screen rebels: how James Dean and Marlon Brando changed American cinema forever.
  • Find a connection between McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials.
  • How did affordable television perpetuate the idea of the ideal American family?
  • Analyze the political consequences of the Watergate scandal.
  • A new American culture: variety shows in the 1950s.
  • The origins of Rock’n’roll.
  • What caused the US to slide into inflation in the 1970s?
  • Counterculture literature in the middle of the century: The Beat Generation.
  • The aftermath of the Vietnam War.
  • What made John F. Kennedy a popular president?
  • The development of Hippie culture in the 1960s.
  • Reproductive rights and the rise of American feminism in the late 20 th century.
  • Intertwining show-business and government: Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
  • Outline the tactical maneuvers of Operation Desert Storm.
  • How did MTV revolutionize the music industry ?
  • Why did drug use become an existential problem in America during the 1970s and 80s?
  • American environmental reform policies from 1960 to 1980.
  • ’70s fashion as a social and political statement in the US.
  • How did the sexual revolution redefine American social life?

🔫 Topics about America in World Wars I & II

America during the World Wars is an engaging writing prompt. But it may be too broad for an essay. That’s why it makes sense to narrow your focus. Which area do you find most interesting about the subject? For example, you can choose between culture, economy, technology, and, of course, the military.

  • Repressions and progress went hand in hand in the postwar US. Writing about the impact of WWI on domestic American politics would give you various directions to research.
  • President Woodrow Wilson was against entering the war until 1917. What events led the US to break its neutrality?
  • Many Germans of the time called the Treaty of Versailles a “dictate of shame.” It is often considered a significant reason for World War II. What was the US’ position on the Treaty of Versailles?
  • After WWI, America followed isolationist politics. Until 1941, when they declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Could the USA have stayed out of WWII?
  • How did WWII affect the American economy? Think about military needs and rationing.
  • President Woodrow Wilson was a fierce supporter of the League of Nations. But congress coerced him not to have the USA join. Should America have become a member of this organization?

Woodrow Wilson quote.

  • How did American civilians contribute to the war effort? Your essay can focus specifically on women. Be sure to examine new arrangements in daily life.
  • If you’re more into art, why not analyze how the world wars influenced American art?
  • WWII changed all aspects of American life, including their diet. What new methods of food preservation emerged during that time?
  • Another fascinating topic to engage in is propaganda and advertisement in the US during WWII. Your focus might lie on how they targeted different members of society.

Don’t forget to read the rest of our topics on this issue:

  • Evaluate Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points program.
  • How did the American army recruitment work in WWII?
  • “Kilroy was here”: examine where the mysterious slogan comes from.
  • Outline the history of Japanese Americans in Japanese internment camps.
  • US spies: where and how did they operate?
  • The Manhattan Project: trace the making of the atomic bomb.
  • How did migration shape American society in the 1930s and ‘40s?
  • The notion of freedom in America before, during, and after the wars.
  • What role did communication play for the military in WWI vs. WWII?
  • Canadian-American relations during WWII.
  • How did the wars spur transportation developments in the US?
  • Discuss the significance of D-Day.
  • Could the allies have won WWII without the USA?
  • Why did America emerge as a “Global Policeman” after the world wars?
  • The effects of National Socialism in America.
  • In what ways does the outcome of WWII still influence American society today?
  • Compare and contrast military strategies in Europe vs. the Pacific.
  • Was the dropping of the atomic bomb necessary?
  • After the Little Boy’s devastating results, why did the American government decide to drop Fat Man?
  • What made the Zimmerman telegram such a central document for American war participation?
  • What happened to prisoner-of-war camps in the US after the fighting was over?
  • Compare the leadership styles of Franklin D. Roosevelt in WWII and Woodrow Wilson in WWI.
  • Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?
  • What methods did the American government use to conceal their operations?
  • Growing up in the ‘40s: how did the war impact the manufacture of toys?
  • Which medical advancements were helpful to American soldiers in WWII that didn’t yet exist in WWI?
  • How did the 1940s fashion in the USA reflect the global situation?
  • Did the two world wars change the civil rights situation for African Americans? If so, how?
  • How did the war affect employment in the US?
  • What was unique about the Higgins boats?
  • The role of submarines in WWI.
  • How did America cooperate with the allied forces in Europe in WWI?
  • Discuss how the American citizens reacted to being drawn into WWI vs. WWII.
  • Did anyone in the US profit from the wars? If so, who?
  • Describe how American families changed during WWII.
  • What stories do letters that soldiers sent to their families back home tell?
  • Joseph Heller’s depiction of World War II in the novel Catch-22 .
  • Compare and contrast memory culture concerning WWII in Russia vs. the USA.
  • How did the perception of America on the global stage change after World War I?
  • The role of women in the US military.

☮️ Essay Topics About the Civil Rights Movement

The struggle for African American equality finally intensified in the 1950s and 60s. Influential figures such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks emerged. Their resilience inspired countless others. Seventy years later, the fight is far from over. The rights of minorities and people of color are still a crucial topic in American society today.

  • Nine months before the Montgomery Bus Boycott , Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white woman. Yet, Rosa Parks is the one commonly associated with sparking the event. Why is Claudette Colvin often ignored in history?
  • Everybody knows Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr, but who were the Civil Rights Movement’s lesser-known figures? Start your research with Aurelia Browder and Susie McDonald.
  • Which concepts and themes can you find in Martin Luther King Jr. ’s I Have A Dream speech? One idea is to focus on how he expresses hope and freedom for black Americans.

Martin Luther King Jr Quote.

  • Which committees and organizations were central to the Civil Rights Movement’s success ? Discuss the roles of the SNCC, CORE, and NAACP.
  • What makes Malcolm X a controversial figure? Be sure to mention his nationalist ideas and membership in the Nation of Islam.
  • The Little Rock Nine: what made their integration into Little Rock Central High School difficult? In your research paper, you can write about harassment issues and military intervention.
  • What did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 change? On the one hand, you can talk about the history of voter rights. On the other, you might want to investigate how the public reacted to the new law.
  • If you prefer personal stories, you can trace Ruby Bridges’ experiences. She became famous as the first black person to go to an all-white school. She’s still alive today.
  • History can be ugly. If you’re not afraid to encounter violence during your research, check out the Freedom Rides. How did they help attract international attention to the Civil Rights Movement?
  • Consequences of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Did the movement die with him? How did the government respond?

Are you curious for more? Have a look at these prompts:

  • Compare the modern Black Lives Matter movement with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
  • What did the Black Panthers party achieve?
  • The best way to teach about the Civil Rights Movement in 8 th grade.
  • What happened at the Greensboro sit-ins?
  • Why did the civil rights activists encounter so much violence, even though they mostly protested peacefully?
  • Compare and contrast Gandhi’s methods and those of Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Why was Bloody Sunday a crucial moment for the Civil Rights Movement
  • What was the “long, hot summer”?
  • Examine the creation of the Kerner Commission.
  • The role of students in advancing civil rights for African Americans.
  • What rights did black Americans gain through the Civil Rights Movement
  • Describe the Nation of Islam’s goals.
  • Who were the members of the Black Panther Party?
  • What distinguishes the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s from previous movements to establish more rights for African Americans?
  • Give a brief overview of the most important Supreme Court decisions concerning the struggle for equality.
  • The importance of the church for the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Compare the effects of various marches for freedom.
  • What made Martin Luther King Jr. a great leader for the movement?
  • How did the murder of Emmett Till affect the public’s view on segregation and racism?
  • How did the press support or hinder the Civil Rights Movement?
  • Loving v. Virginia: legacy and contemporary significance.
  • What did the notion of “miscegenation” entail?
  • What were the Jim Crow laws?
  • Describe the goals and achievements of Operation Breadbasket.
  • Who was Stokely Carmichael?
  • Analyze Ralph Abernathy’s autobiography And the Walls Came Tumbling Down . Why do some people consider it controversial?
  • Debate the criticism brought up against the Congress of Racial Equality.
  • Why did some civil rights activists in the 1960s radicalize?
  • Did the election of Barack Obama mark the end of the struggle for equal rights?
  • Discuss the success of the Baton Rouge bus boycott.
  • What events led to Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Voting Rights Act?
  • Examine Coretta Scott King’s career after her husband’s passing.
  • Investigate conspiracy theories concerning James Earl Ray’s role in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
  • The publishing and writing process of Malcolm X’s autobiography.
  • How and why did the 2020 election undermine parts of the Voting Rights Act?
  • Is studying the Civil Rights Movement still relevant today? If so, why?
  • How did CORE help desegregate schools in Chicago?
  • Who is Jesse Jackson?
  • Contemporary commemoration of the Civil Rights Movement.
  • How did John F. Kennedy’s death impact the Civil Rights Movement?

💬 Debatable US History Topics to Research

Controversy has been a constant companion of American history. And it’s not only questionable segregation practices that are up for debate. Women’s and LGBT rights, as well as welfare programs, are issues still unresolved today. If you want argumentative or persuasive essay topics about American history, check out this section.

  • Memories are always socially constructed. “How do various communities around the US perceive monuments of slaveholders?” is an engaging question to explore in your essay.
  • In 1995, an exhibition at the Smithsonian centered around the Enola Gay sparked a nationwide controversy. Critics said the exhibit focused too much on the Japanese suffering the nuclear bomb dropped from the aircraft caused. Was that criticism justified?
  • In the past, Colonial Williamsburg’s issues with slavery were often overlooked. Instead, when creating and developing the historical site, the focus lay on its democratic values. Is Colonial Williamsburg still a good place to learn about American history?
  • What does the Liberty Bell stand for today? You can include recent and older controversies surrounding the location and custody of the bell.
  • Tracing the history of LGBT rights will yield many debatable insights. Which court decisions would you consider especially controversial, and why?
  • The legacy of the Centralia massacre in 1919: are the events linked to the Red Scare? How did the town try to obscure the truth?
  • In 1887, President Eisenhower supported a campaign to promote patriotism. Part of this was the addition of “under God” to the American Pledge of Allegiance. Analyze the debates surrounding the issue.
  • The history of prostitution laws in the US. Your thesis could suggest a connection between decriminalizing sex work and the workers’ wellbeing.
  • In the 2020 election, several states voted to legalize not only marijuana but also other drugs. History shows many movements to legalize recreational drug use. What was different now?
  • Many older Disney cartoons depict racist stereotypes. The question of adjusting them to modern values sparked much debate. Using this discussion to explore how America should deal with problematic media from the past might be promising.

Keep reading and discover more controversial United States history topics.

  • Did President Barack Obama deserve his Nobel Peace Prize?
  • What did the US gain from the Iraq War?
  • Would Germany have won WWII without America’s intervention?
  • Should the presidents of the previous century have done more to promote animal rights?
  • Given its historical context, should we keep celebrating Thanksgiving?
  • Why did it take so long for American women to achieve legally equal rights?
  • Find historical reasons why the US never instituted universal healthcare.
  • The necessity of cow’s milk in America: past vs. present.
  • Was the annexation of Puerto Rico justified?
  • Did the Chicano Movement achieve positive changes for Mexican Americans?
  • John F. Kennedy’s most controversial presidential actions.
  • The ratification of the 8 th amendment.
  • Was the government’s response to 9/11 justified?
  • The role of faith in American history before 1877 and after.
  • Who or what caused the US’ drug overdose epidemic?
  • HIV/AIDS denialism in America in the 1990s.
  • What should Locust Grove do to restore its deteriorating African American cemetery? Can the place be considered a historical site?
  • Why did some states introduce felon disenfranchisement in 1792? Did the new law spark any outrage?
  • Trace the historical timeline of the same-sex marriage debate.
  • The USA has always been a country of immigrants. How did this lead to immigration being a fiercely discussed topic nowadays?
  • How did the US contribute to the current instability in the Middle East?
  • Was the “Lost Generation” reckless?
  • How do US historians influence public opinion?
  • Does the Red Scare reflect on Russian-American relations today?
  • Should Bill Clinton have stayed in office ?
  • Discuss the benefits of being a hippie in the 60s.
  • Can the members of the Beat Generation serve as role models for travel enthusiasts today?
  • Roe v. Wade: what made the court case a turning point in the fight for women’s reproductive rights?
  • Did American feminism become too radical by the late 19 th century?
  • The rise and fall of DDT: Why was it allowed in the first place?
  • What should US history education for high school students look like?
  • From a historical perspective, does the reality in Watchmen seem like a likely scenario for the future?
  • Psychiatric methods in early 1900s America.
  • The role of performance-enhancing drugs in the history of American sports achievements.
  • Why do some people believe that the moon landing was staged?
  • Criticism against Ayn Rand’s objectivism and its influence.
  • Before opening America’s first women’s hospital, gynecologist J. Marion Sims experimented on slaves. Should he still be celebrated as the ‘father’ of modern gynecology?
  • Is the notion of “American Century” accurate?
  • American exceptionalism in the 20 th century vs. now.
  • Has technological innovation always been beneficial for the American public?

✊🏿 Black History Topics for an Essay

African American experiences are still very different than those of their white compatriots. That’s why it’s crucial to analyze people of color’s perspectives of and contributions to history. Black history includes thematic topics on education, society, and culture.

  • Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave adapts the 1853 memoirs of Solomon Northup. Though the film doesn’t shy away from brutal images, critics argued it was too soft. Should film writers surrender accurate historical representation to make their content more accessible?
  • After the Civil War, slavery was officially banned in the US. Still, the South continued to find ways to exploit black labor. Examine the consequences of new methods such as convict leasing and sharecropping.
  • Many of those who opposed slavery complied with the system by staying silent or inactive. What did this mean for the reality of African Americans? Why didn’t these people stand up?
  • A paper on what caused the Red Summer of 1919 can focus on the South to North migration of African Americans during WWI.
  • In the 20 th century, the Great Migration relocated many African Americans. How did this event impact the development of black culture? Your paper could concentrate on art movements or political activism.
  • The GI Bill promised financial benefits to veterans. But former black soldiers didn’t profit as much as their white compatriots. To analyze a concrete example of racist inequality, you can write about how the GI Bill affected African American veterans.
  • For decades, American universities did their best to keep African Americans from receiving higher education. How is education inequality still impacting black students today?
  • After WWI, Tulsa was a prosperous city home to the so-called “ Black Wall Street .” Then the Tulsa Race Massacre happened, and the area was left in shambles. Explore the moving history of Tulsa’s Greenwood District.
  • Do you want to investigate the powerful interplay between cinema and reality? Dedicate your essay to the connection between D.W. Griffith’s 1915 picture The Birth of a Nation and the Ku Klux Klan’s revival. What did this mean for black lives in the early 20 th century?
  • Pan-Africanism in the United States: Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Writing about this topic, you might want to highlight African American nationalism in the 20 th century.

Are none of these prompts for you? Don’t worry; we’ve got more African American history paper topics for college students:

  • Booker T. Washington vs. W. E. B. Du Bois: similarities and disagreements.
  • African American innovators who never received credit for their inventions.

The most important African American inventors.

  • From Hiram Rhodes Revels and Shirley Chisholm to Barack Obama: African Americans who paved the way for modern American democracy.
  • Should the US government pay reparations to descendants of former slaves?
  • Sojourner Truth: how did the former slave fight to end injustice?
  • How did job competition in the North intensify racial tensions in the 20 th century?
  • The accomplishments of Dorothy Johnson Vaughan.
  • Ida B. Wells’ legacy and the history of lynching in America.
  • Why do we celebrate Black History Month, and why is it important?
  • What does Juneteenth commemorate?
  • Histories of the most famous black scientists in the United States.
  • How did the geographic distribution of black people in America transform over time?
  • Key activists of the abolitionist movement.
  • How did African Americans contribute to NASA’s success?
  • African Americans in the age of Prohibition: views and effects.
  • Juxtapose the development of black rights and felon rights.
  • Analyze the significance of Marian Anderson’s show on the National Mall for the Civil Rights Movement.
  • African American women in the beauty business: the story of Madame C. J. Walker.
  • What motivated many black Americans to fight in WWI voluntarily?
  • How did enslaved people manage to escape to the Northern states?
  • Compare the origins and outcomes of the Civil Rights Movement’s various marches.
  • The New Deal’s effect on African Americans.
  • Explore the connection between black history in the US and cotton.
  • What does the term “black flight” mean, and why might the phenomenon be a problem?
  • How did white capping inhibit the development of black communities?
  • What were the goals of the Che Lumumba Club?
  • Analyze the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case. What did its outcome mean for equality?
  • What makes Angela Davis a crucial figure in the black history discourse?
  • Analyze how Jackie Robinson broke the “color line” to pave the way for African American participation in professional sports.
  • Discuss the long-term consequences of the Tuskegee experiment.
  • How did the Watts Riots affect African American communities in California?
  • Explore the origins of Kwanzaa.
  • African American poetry before 1877: Lucy Terry’s Bars Fight .
  • Not so free after all: enactment of the Fugitive Slave Law.
  • Did the situation for American people of color improve after the implementation of Affirmative Action laws? If so, how?
  • Trailblazing black Americans in education.
  • How did sports help promote equality for African Americans in the 1900s?
  • Who were the Scottsboro boys?
  • Journalism’s fight for social justice: The Crisis magazine then and now.
  • How did Prohibition help dissolve segregation?

🏞️ Native American Topics to Write About

Much effort has gone into improving the relations between Americans and the indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, this hasn’t always been the case. The history of native Americans is tainted with cruel battles. Taking a closer look reveals the interplay of various cultures and customs.

  • Pocahontas is one of the most renowned figures in Native American history. Compare Pocahontas’ real life vs. how she is depicted in the media. Why was she often romanticized?
  • How did Andrew Jackson’s government justify the Indian Removal Act? Moral standards during that time and economic reasoning might be a compelling area to focus on.
  • Native American participation in American wars. The colonists fought many battles with each other. France, Spain, and England all competed for the new territory. Did Native Americans participate in these fights? If so, whose side were they on?
  • African peoples were not the only ones who suffered serfdom. Your research paper could cover the colonial enslavement of Native Americans.
  • In the 18 th century, settlers and natives negotiated a variety of treaties. What did they say? Were these treaties ever beneficial for the natives?
  • The Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 organized Native American lives into reservations. What did life look like for natives in these reservations? Additionally, you could examine how reservations affect their lives today.
  • Attempts to deal with Native Americans included assimilation and “civilization.” How did these methods work out? For a concrete example, investigate Henry Pratt’s Carlisle Indian Industrial school.
  • If you want to know more about Indian belief systems, research the emergence of the Ghost Dance. Originating in the late 19 th century, many native communities adapted the new tradition.
  • Geronimo escaped captivity countless times before turning himself in. How did he do that? Your essay can look at his beliefs and this geographical knowledge.
  • The Narragansett was the first tribe to encounter European settlers. What were their relations? How did they develop? Consider territorial struggles and the role of Roger Williams.

Are you looking for something else? Check out these US history essay questions and prompts:

  • Compare and contrast American and Australian historical relations to their native population.
  • What events led to the breakout of King Philip’s War?
  • Ancient Indian burial rituals and modern myths.
  • How did the Cherokees rebuild their lives after the Trail of Tears?
  • Sacagawea’s contribution to the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
  • Great Native American leaders: Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull.
  • What happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
  • Consequences for Native American lives after the proclamation of 1763.
  • The crucial role of Navajo Code Talkers in WWII.
  • How did integration into American culture transform tribal life for different tribes?
  • Explore naming customs of various Native American tribes.
  • Is Black Elk Speaks an accurate representation of Lakota culture?
  • What did the American Indian Movement achieve?
  • What makes the Massacre of Wounded Knee significant?
  • Trace Leonard Peltier’s career in politics and activism. 
  • Chief Tecumseh and the Indian confederacy.
  • Compare and contrast the cultures of native tribes from various regions in America before colonization. 
  • How did American policies regarding the indigenous population change from the Mayflower’s arrival until now? 
  • What happened to California’s extensive Native American population after it became a state?
  • The development of Native American music.
  • Traditional Cherokee farming tools and techniques.
  • Native Americans and religion: what compelled some chiefs to convert to Christianity? 
  • How did N. Scott Momaday’s House Made of Dawn shape indigenous cultures’ image for the general public?
  • How did native spiritualism relate to the environment?
  • Gender roles of the Sioux tribe before 1900.
  • The greatest battles between First Nations and Americans.
  • Why were the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee considered the “Five Civilized Tribes”? 
  • America’s first native newspaper: The Cherokee Phoenix and its modern equivalent.
  • How did many of today’s Native Americans become entangled with alcohol and gambling? 
  • Myths and speculations on the ancient origins of indigenous Americans. 
  • Economic development of Native American tribes in the 20 th century.
  • Why did Cochise and his Apache warriors raid American settlements?
  • Trace the history of indigenous feminism.
  • What were the blood quantum laws, and why were they introduced?
  • Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill: forging an unlikely friendship.
  • The accomplishments of Oglala Lakota chief Red Cloud.
  • How did the Louisiana Purchase impact First Nations in the region? 
  • The history of Native Americans in law and politics.
  • The political aftermath of the Sand Creek Massacre
  • Cheyenne warrior societies: the emergence of Dog Soldiers as a separate band.

⭐ Topics on Famous People in American History

People shape history. Many of America’s leading historical figures made it to global importance. This section provides you with history essay topics on American artists, presidents, innovators, and more.

  • The “King of Pop” Michael Jackson died a decade ago. Why is he still one of the most debated American celebrities? Your essay could focus on the controversial allegations of child abuse towards him.
  • The social influence of Benjamin Franklin’s journalism is an enticing topic. It allows you to look at the founding father from a different angle. Make sure to include in your essay his desire to educate Americans in morality.
  • John Harvey Kellogg was a progressive healthcare leader. He was also a fierce follower of Adventism. If you endorse obscure things, write about Kellogg’s “warfare with passion.”
  • Mural made Jackson Pollock famous. Reflect on his career before and after the painting. How did the artist find his passion for drip painting? 
  • As a First Lady, Betty Ford was a strong advocate for women’s rights. But her political influence didn’t end with her husband’s career. Discuss Betty Ford’s accomplishments after her time in the White House. Mention her addiction and the subsequent establishment of the Betty Ford Center.
  • In 1935, J. Edgar Hoover founded the FBI. In his later years, he became a controversial figure due to his abuses of power . Examine Hoover’s investigations of subversion. What do you find surprising about them?
  • Before his brother’s assassination, Bobby Kennedy wasn’t particularly popular in the US. Analyze his speeches during his political career after the event. What made him a compassionate orator?
  • The Kennedy-Nixon debates provide a rich foundation for those interested in political campaigning. How did the public react to them? What did the polls say? Keep in mind that it was America’s first televised presidential debate.
  • If you seek to combine environmentalism and politics, Al Gore is your man. How did Al Gore shape America’s political discourse in the 2000s? Consider his loss against George Bush in the controversial 2000 election.
  • Literature enthusiasts know Allen Ginsberg for his explicit poem Howl . How did he express his political and social activism in his works? You could focus on his fight for free speech and the Howl trial. 

We’ve got more topics on regents and other famous Americans for you to check out:

  • Just Say No: Nancy Reagan and the failure of her anti-drug campaign.
  • Why was Abraham Lincoln such a controversial figure?
  • Kurt Cobain and Nirvana: the voice of the ‘90s youth.
  • Ronald Reagan was an actor before he became president. What drove him into politics?
  • What circumstances made Donald Trump’s presidency possible?
  • Why was Jimmy Carter such an unpopular president? 
  • Discuss what Eleanor Roosevelt achieved for women. 
  • Stanley Kubrick: was he the greatest filmmaker of the 20 th century?
  • The role of First Ladies before the Civil War.
  • Judith Butler’s influence on American feminism. 
  • Margaret Sanger: the initiator of the birth control movement. 
  • How did Oprah Winfrey get to where she is now?
  • Steve Jobs and the revolution of computer technology.
  • Research the mysterious Zodiac Killer and his ciphers. Why were many people obsessed with him?
  • How did the Wright Brothers shape the history of aviation?
  • Amelia Earhart’s disappearance: myths and facts. 
  • J. Robert Oppenheimer’s contributions to physics.
  • Bruce Lee and the transformation of martial arts.
  • How did O.J. Simpson end up in the US’ most famous car chase?
  • Charles Goodyear and the road to vulcanized rubber.
  • Creating nanotechnology : the legacy of Eric Drexler.
  • Muhammad Ali’s influence on raising awareness for Parkinson’s research.
  • Describe how Bobby Fischer impacted the world of chess.
  • What made Chuck Norris so famous?
  • How did Marilyn Monroe change the American attitude towards sexuality?
  • Truman Capote’s role in advancing LGBT rights.
  • Harper Lee’s biography after the publishing of To Kill A Mockingbird . 
  • Transforming science fiction: the legacy of Philip K. Dick. 
  • Andy Warhol as a global anti-capitalist icon.
  • Bringing quantum physics forward: the brilliance of Richard Feynman.
  • Samuel Colt and the consequences of inventing the revolver.
  • Analyze the significance of Helen Keller’s work for women’s and disabled persons’ rights.
  • How did Sam Walton become the wealthiest American in 1985?
  • Discuss the importance of Thurgood Marshall for the Civil Rights Movement.
  • What inspired Bill W. to found Alcoholics Anonymous? 
  • Paving the way for gay politicians: the activism of Harvey Milk. 
  • What was Louis B. Mayer’s management style with MGM?
  • Walt Disney: who was the person behind the chipper cartoons? 
  • Trace Estée Lauder’s success story.
  • How did Olympia Brown contribute to advance gender equality in the religious sphere?

We hope you found your ideal essay or project topic on US history. Good luck with your assignment!

Further reading:

  • Americanism Essay: Examples, Tips & Topics [2024 Update]
  • 497 Interesting History Topics to Research
  • 460 Excellent Political Topics to Write about in 2024
  • 149 Interesting History Essay Topics and Events to Write about
  • A List of 450 Powerful Social Issues Essay Topics
  • 210 Immigration Essay Topics
  • A List of 175 Interesting Cultural Topics to Write About
  • 512 Research Topics on HumSS (Humanities & Social Sciences)
  • Pre-Columbian to the New Millenium: US History
  • A Brief Guide to Writing the History Paper: Harvard
  • American Civil War: History.com
  • Reconstruction: Encyclopedia Britannica
  • Industrialization and Urbanization in the United States: Oxford Research Encyclopedias
  • The United States in WWI: Khan Academy
  • America Goes to War: The National WWII Museum
  • Controversies: National Council on Public History
  • The 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time: Smithsonian Magazine
  • American History: History Central
  • The 25 Moments From American History That Matter Right Now: Time
  • All Topics: American Historical Association
  • Native American: Library of Congress
  • African American History: National Archives
  • Civil Rights Movement: ADL
  • US 20th Century: Princeton University
  • The Progressive Era: Lumen Learning
  • Timeline: United States History: World Digital Library
  • Explore by Timeline: The New Nation (1783-1860): US General Services Administration
  • The Emergence of Modern America: Smithsonian Institution
  • What Was the Cold War?: National Geographic
  • The Story of the Atomic Bomb: The Ohio State University
  • Continental Feminism: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • The Constitution: The White House
  • The US During World War I: Delaware.gov
  • America in the First World War: The British Library
  • Key Events and Figures of Reconstruction: The City University of New York
  • Reconstruction and Its Impact: IDCA
  • 400 Years since Slavery: a Timeline of American History: The Guardian
  • American Revolution Facts: American Battlefield Trust
  • The Presidents of the United States: Constitution Facts
  • What Caused the American Industrial Revolution: Investopedia
  • Reasons Behind the Revolutionary War: NCpedia
  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to LinkedIn
  • Share to email

380 Powerful Women’s Rights & Feminism Topics [2024]

Are you looking for perfect feminist topics? Then you’ve come to the right place. With our help, you can be sure to craft a great essay. Here, you can find feminist topics for discussion, feminism research topics and other ideas and questions for students. Some people think all feminists hate...

300 Interesting Nutrition Topics to Research

It’s not a secret that our health largely depends on nutrition. A balanced and wholesome diet improves our immune system. It lowers the risk of getting sick and makes us more productive. But if we don’t eat right, our overall well-being and performance worsen. You see, nutrition topics are more...

665 Excellent Presentation Topics & Tips

A presentation is a speech in which you explain a topic to an audience. It usually includes visuals done in a program such as PowerPoint. Teachers in schools and in colleges love to assign presentations for various reasons: In this article, you’ll find a list of 625 presentation topics in...

220 Pop Culture Topics for an A+ Essay

There are many ways to define popular culture. Here’s one of them: pop culture includes mainstream preferences in society within a specific time frame. It covers fashion, music, language, and even food. Pop culture is always evolving, engaging in new trends, and leaving the old ones behind.

500 Sociology Questions and Topics [Examples & Tips]

Sociology is a study that focuses on people’s interactions. It looks at structures and changes in social life. Any situation involving people can become a topic of sociology. This article is designed to help high school and college students with sociology assignments. Whether you’re writing an essay, creating a presentation,...

590 Unique Controversial Topics & Tips for a Great Essay

Controversial issues are the ones that evoke a variety of opinions. They often cause heated debates. And, as you can guess, controversial research topics are not easy to handle. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. This article will: We gathered controversial topics for research paper on medical, science, education, and other...

A List of 240 Physics Topics & Questions to Research

Plates break when you drop them. Glasses help you see better. Have you ever wondered why? Physics has the answer. It studies the observable as well as invisible aspects of nature. An essential part of this is examining the structure and interactions of matter.

240 Interesting Biology Topics for Essays & Research Papers

Biology is often called the science of life. From bacteria to whales, biologists study all kinds of organisms. Have you ever wondered why bees dance? Or how can chickens be the closest modern relatives to dinosaurs? The buzzing world is full of complex wonders like these. That’s why it’s so...

321 Interesting Chemistry Topics & Writing Tips

Chemistry studies matter and what it’s made of. It tells us how substances change and what properties they have. Chemistry seeks to answer questions such as: What is the Universe made of? How do elements react with each other? Read our article to dive deeper into this intricate subject. What...

250 Geography Essay Topics & Geology Writing Ideas

The Earth is a complex system. To understand it, geologists examine the lithosphere and its layers. They trace our planet’s history by using physical and chemical methods. At the same time, geographers observe environmental patterns. They also focus on the interaction between humans and nature. Keep reading to find out...

260 Interesting Math Topics for Essays & Research Papers

Mathematics is the science of numbers and shapes. Writing about it can give you a fresh perspective and help to clarify difficult concepts. You can even use mathematical writing as a tool in problem-solving. In this article, you will find plenty of interesting math topics. Besides, you will learn about...

220 Cause and Effect Essay Topics: Fun & Interesting

Cause and effect essays examine how an event happened and what consequences it had. Gaining weight after eating lots of fast food is an example of a cause-and-effect relationship. Possible topics cover a variety of subjects ranging from mental health to history and politics. This article gives you an outline...

Encyclopedia Britannica

  • Games & Quizzes
  • History & Society
  • Science & Tech
  • Biographies
  • Animals & Nature
  • Geography & Travel
  • Arts & Culture
  • On This Day
  • One Good Fact
  • New Articles
  • Lifestyles & Social Issues
  • Philosophy & Religion
  • Politics, Law & Government
  • World History
  • Health & Medicine
  • Browse Biographies
  • Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
  • Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
  • Environment
  • Fossils & Geologic Time
  • Entertainment & Pop Culture
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Visual Arts
  • Demystified
  • Image Galleries
  • Infographics
  • Top Questions
  • Britannica Kids
  • Saving Earth
  • Space Next 50
  • Student Center
  • Introduction & Top Questions
  • The 17th century
  • The new nation
  • Poets and poetry
  • Drama and the novel
  • Early 19th-century literature
  • New England Brahmins
  • The Transcendentalists
  • New England reformers and historians
  • Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman
  • Literary comedians
  • Fiction and local colourists
  • The naturalists
  • Henry James
  • Critics of the gilded age
  • Henry Adams
  • Poets of the era
  • Experiments in drama
  • The new poetry
  • Critics of society
  • Hemingway, Faulkner, and Steinbeck
  • Lyric fictionists
  • Socio-literary critics
  • Moral-aesthetic critics
  • Realism and “metafiction”
  • Southern fiction
  • African American literature
  • New fictional modes
  • The influence of Raymond Carver
  • Multicultural writing
  • Formal poets
  • Experimentation and Beat poetry
  • “Deep image” poets
  • New directions
  • Autobiographical approaches
  • Miller, Williams, and Albee
  • The Off-Broadway ascendancy
  • Literary biography and the “new journalism”

John Smith: Virginia

When did American literature begin?

Who are some important authors of american literature, what are the periods of american literature.

Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch

American literature

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences - American literature: a vanishing subject?
  • Miami Dade College - Learning Resources - American Literature & Culture: American Literature
  • Academia - An Outline of History of American Literature
  • Eastern Connecticut State University - American Literature after the Civil War
  • Library of Congress - Books That Shaped America - 1850 to 1900
  • The University of Regina OEP Program - A Guide to Making Open Textbooks with Students - Case Study: Expanding the Open Anthology of Earlier American Literature
  • PBS LearningMedia - Harlem in the 1920s
  • Poetry Foundation - U.S. Latinx Voices in Poetry
  • American literature - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
  • American literature - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
  • Table Of Contents

John Smith: Virginia

Literature has existed in the Americas for as long as the people who lived there have been telling stories. Native American cultures have a rich history of oral literature. Mayan books from as far back as the 5th century are known, and it is believed that the Maya started writing things down centuries before that. As a specific discipline viewed through the lens of European literature, American literature began in the early 17th century with the arrival of English-speaking Europeans in what would become the United States.

Notable authors of American literature include: John Smith , who wrote some of its earliest works; Phillis Wheatley , who was the first Black woman to become a poet of note in the United States; Edgar Allan Poe , a standout of the Romantic era; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , a celebrated poet; Emily Dickinson , a woman who wrote poetry at a time when the field was largely dominated by men; Mark Twain , a master of humour and realism; Ernest Hemingway , a novelist who articulated the disillusionment of the Lost Generation ; and Toni Morrison , a writer who centred her works on the experiences of Black Americans and received a Nobel Prize in 1993.

American literature is often divided into six major periods :

  • Pre-colonization
  • The Colonial and Early National period (17th century to 1830)
  • The Romantic period (1830 to 1870)
  • Realism and Naturalism (1870 to 1910)
  • The Modernist period (1910 to 1945)
  • The Contemporary period (1945 to present)

American literature , the body of written works produced in the English language in the United States .

Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it. For almost a century and a half, America was merely a group of colonies scattered along the eastern seaboard of the North American continent—colonies from which a few hardy souls tentatively ventured westward. After a successful rebellion against the motherland, America became the United States, a nation. By the end of the 19th century this nation extended southward to the Gulf of Mexico , northward to the 49th parallel, and westward to the Pacific. By the end of the 19th century, too, it had taken its place among the powers of the world—its fortunes so interrelated with those of other nations that inevitably it became involved in two world wars and, following these conflicts, with the problems of Europe and East Asia . Meanwhile, the rise of science and industry, as well as changes in ways of thinking and feeling, wrought many modifications in people’s lives. All these factors in the development of the United States molded the literature of the country.

This article traces the history of American poetry , drama , fiction , and social and literary criticism from the early 17th century through the turn of the 21st century. For a description of the oral and written literatures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, see Native American literature . Though the contributions of African Americans to American literature are discussed in this article, see African American literature for in-depth treatment. For information about literary traditions related to, and at times overlapping with, American literature in English, see English literature and Canadian literature: Canadian literature in English .

  • How to Cite
  • Language & Lit
  • Rhyme & Rhythm
  • The Rewrite
  • Search Glass

Research Paper Topics for American Literature

Research paper topics for American literature are assignments by English professors and high school teachers. English instructors require students to explore an author's work by focusing on the author's views and literary philosophies. Authors create an opportunity for students because they write from an historical perspective and provide a visual landscape of their societies as they experienced it. Research paper topics often center on a particular period in American literary history.

Colonial Period

The colonial period is set between 1607 and 1765. Mmajor historical characters of the period include Jonathan Edwards, William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Cotton Mather and Benjamin Franklin. Research paper topics can center on plantation life and the influence of Puritan self-government in colonial America. Students can focus their writings on the education and instructional advice each author promotes within the works produced during this time.

Revolutionary Period

The revolutionary period of 1765 to 1789 is steeped in American ideology on the definition of freedom. Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" is arguably the most explored work by American literature students. English professors often assign academic papers that require students to compare the views and ideals expressed within Paine's work with that of the ideals of the "Declaration of Independence." Students also can choose to write papers on the works of Phillis Wheatley, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Nationalism and Romanticism

The American citizenry began to adopt a sense of nationalism between 1789 and 1830. Students in American literature classes read about James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans" and the works of Washington Irving and William Cullen Bryant. Research paper topics can center on transcendentalism, and students can explore man's struggle with colonial ideals as a wilderness motif within their papers. The subject of how Bryant's work influenced Abraham Lincoln's "Emancipation Proclamation" is another common assignment.

American Renaissance

The American Renaissance is a period in literary history -- set between 1830 and 1870 -- in which Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson are major characters. Research paper topics for American literature often provide opportunities for instructors to assign papers on Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." Students can write papers on symbolism, moral ambiguity and views of attitudes toward women of the period, or they can compare Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" with Martin Luther King's "A Letter from Birmingham Jail."

African Influence and Realism

The Africans' struggle with colonial ideals is expressed by popular literary characters such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth. The Rise of Realism is an American literature period set between 1870 and 1914. Douglass arouses the reader's sympathy as he promotes humanitarianism in his work "My Bondage and My Freedom." English students can choose paper topics on the impact of the Underground Railroad in the United States, as well as woman's suffrage and African American spirituals or Harriet Beecher Stowe's book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

Contemporary American Literature

The Contemporary American Literature period is set between 1914 and the present. Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, William Carlos Williams and Langston Hughes are major literary characters that English instructors use to explore the period. Research paper topics for American literature can explore the lives of common people and social perception in poetic forms. Students have the option of exploring how poets perceive God, creation and life by focusing on a literary work's tone, imagery and choice of language. Writers can also explore the short works of William Faulkner.

I am currently an Adjunct English Instructor (vendor). I teach English, ESL, and writing (composition). My blog focuses on helping students use margin comments as tools for revising their essays. I have published a full textbook version of the glossary and mini glossaries. The book has been approved and adopted by two major universities.

153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]

American history is not as long as the European one. However, it’s one of the richest histories in the world. It’s full of controversies, different opinions, and interesting facts. Those who study American history will find how many voices, perspectives, and points of view can coexist.

When writing an essay about America, you should try to stay as objective as possible. Think creatively and consider historical events from a new perspective.

This abundance of information and events can intimidate anyone. That’s why it can be very challenging to select one single US history topic to write about. There are so many!

To decide on it, students should answer several questions:

  • What time period interests me the most?
  • What specific event sounds the most appealing to me?
  • What historical figure impresses me?

It is indeed a daunting task to attempt to put the remarkable story of the US into an essay list. Fortunately, we’re not trying to do so.

Tired of researching historical encyclopedias? This is the perfect article for you – read through this collection of 153 US history essay topics prepared by our team .

🌎Top 10 American History Topics to Write about

  • 🏗️ Topics before 1877
  • 🌻 Topics: 1878-1899
  • 🏙️ US Topics: 1900s

🧊 Cool American History Topics

  • 🧐 US Regents Topics
  • ✊ Black History Topics

🎉 Fun US History Essay Topics

👌 easy american history essay topics, ❓ us history essay questions, 📋 how to cite an american history essay.

  • The 20th Century.
  • America’s Role in Normandy Landings.
  • Conquest of California.
  • The Great Depression.
  • USA: Colonial History.
  • The Oregon Trail.
  • African American Slave Trade.
  • Who was Harriet Tubman?
  • America in the Modern World.
  • Klondike Gold Rush.

☝️ Good US History Topics by Period

This is the IvyPanda list of American history topics that can help students get inspired!

We divided the history into epochs and organized the US history essay topics accordingly. Besides, this US history topics list structured thematically. It, hopefully, will make it easier to navigate and get started.

One of the best ways to look at history is to examine it from a chronological perspective. The topics in this section are structured based on the time period.

Every period is filled with key events and figures. American society is the product of those events—it’s vital to have a closer look at it.

🏗️ History Topics before 1877

  • America before Columbus . In this topic, you can talk about the first people in the Americas and what historians know about them. There are a lot of archeological findings and artifacts that survived thousands of years. Write about Christopher Columbus and how “the discovery” was not a discovery. The Americas have been inhabited and had developed civilizations long before Europeans put their foot there.
  • The first landing of Christopher Columbus and the New World

These ideas are for essays and research papers.

  • Christopher Columbus: Biography, Discoveries, Contributions . You can talk about Christopher Columbus and his biography. Track how his image has been changing throughout history. Modern historians see him as a person who contributed to the genocide of Native Americans. What is your opinion about him?
  • The British Rule in the Americas and the first British Settlements. Explore the first permanent colony in North America and what English wanted the colonies to be. There were a lot of obstacles, which first settlers had faced before Jamestown became a prosperous city. They suffered from a shortage of food, severe climate conditions, and disease. Plus, there were problems with the Indians. Research what “the middle ground” was and why this concept is relevant to this topic.
  • What is Puritanism?
  • Puritans in Great Britain
  • The Puritan Ethic in the United States . Who the Puritans were? Why were they sent to the New World? What were their religious beliefs? Explore the influence puritans had in the past. Is puritanism still relevant in the US today?
  • The Effects of the Spanish Rule and The Conquistadors in the Americas. Spanish Colonization of the Americas laid foundations for the Latin American identity. It is also considered the very first mass genocide in the world. It is indeed a matter of perspective. You can talk about how the contact between the Native Americans and the Spaniards affected both parties.
  • The Protestant Reformation and its influence on the US History. Religion was one of the main reasons why the first settlers decided to travel to the New World. Write about the connection between the freedom of religion in the US. What influence did it have on the nation as a whole in the future? Why is it crucial? How did it affect the lifestyle of people in the US?
  • Native Americans and “the Middle Ground” . Not everyone knows that the famous Disney cartoon Pocahontas is based on the true story. If this story was told by a Native American, it would be different. In this essay, you can comment on the role that Native Americans played in the European Colonization. Elaborate on the disappearance of “the Middle Ground.”
  • The beginning of slavery in British America and the Middle Passage. You can analyze the way this institution was established. Write about the factors that influenced it in the 17th century, try to include first-person accounts of slavery. Use the American Slave Narrative , for instance, Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa . This inclusion will demonstrate how inhumane slavery was and will open a good discussion.
  • Christianity, slavery, and colonialism in the US
  • The witchcraft trials . Elaborate on religious views of the New England public. How such views made it possible for more than 200 people to be accused of witchcraft. Discuss a Puritan code, the structure of the society, and what type of women were prosecuted.

Salem was an epicenter of the witchcraft trials in the US.

  • The Boston Tea Party as the key event of the American Revolution. The Boston Tea Party is a highly celebrated event in the history of the US. Discuss why is that? Why is it so important for the Americans? Talk about the birth of patriotism, resistance and the revolt against colonialism. What did the rebels mean by “taxation without representation?”
  • The American Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence. This topic is one of the most popular in the history of the United States. First, you could write about a military battle with Great Britain and the reasons for it. Second, talk about political battles within the US at that period. Examine the establishment of the new nation.
  • How the Revolutionary war changes American Society
  • Why was the Declaration of Independence written?
  • Was the American Revolution really revolutionary?
  • The meaning of the Constitution. This is one of the most fruitful and fascinating debates in US history. Some people argue that it is written in a very vague way to allow American society to evolve. Others say that its text allows minorities to be deprived of the very things it promises to establish. Elaborate if you find the Constitution to be a liberal, radical, or a conservative document.
  • Why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. Talk about the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and explore why these amendments are so important. What did the amendments guarantee? Why was The Bill of Rights added to the Constitution in the first place?

James Madison wrote the amendments in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties.

  • The Founding Fathers’ influence on the US. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are sacred documents. The Founding Fathers are major figures for the Americans as well. Writing about the influence of the Founding Fathers, select one or two members to focus on. Consider the diversity among the members. How did it help the Founding Fathers in leading the war and framing a sustainable government?
  • What is the role of the Founding Fathers in American society and religion?
  • European Colonization influence on the Native American population
  • Removal of Indian tribes. American History is unjust at times. Explore how unconstitutional the treatment of Indian Americans was and why they find it this way. Look at the way the Founding Fathers addressed this issue. Examining the Indian Removal Act of 1830 will allow you to fully develop this topic. Analyze why the policy was accepted in the first place. Why is it called “ethnic cleansing” by the majority of historians nowadays?
  • Native Americans lost their freedom
  • The impact of railroads in America. The rapid expansion of America would be impossible without the railroad construction. The railroads triggered the development of the Midwest and the West. Despite that, the construction of the railroads was highly monopolistic and undemocratic. Comment on the richest men in the US – John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.
  • The role of cotton in the American economy. The American Economy in the 19th century heavily depended on cotton production. There was even a saying “Cotton is King” that was very popular at that time. Besides cotton, it heavily depended on the slaves. This period in American History is called the Antebellum Era. Look at the role of cotton from several perspectives. How profitable was it? How did slaves contribute to the American economy? How financially unviable was the abolition of slavery?

he cotton plantation is “the Second Middle Passage.

  • History of American Transcendentalism.
  • Why was Transcendentalism important for American Culture? The essay can start with a broad explanation of what transcendentalism is. Explain where it started and how it evolved. Explore what views the group had on women’s rights, slavery, education, government, and religion. You could write about the most prominent transcendentalists – Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau.
  • Religions in the 19th Century America. Known as the Second Great Awakening or Christian Revivalism, religion in the 19th century America was altered. Look back at the beginning of the American Revolution. Anglicans, Methodists, and Quackers were the fastest-growing religious groups then. Discuss all of them.
  • The abolition of slavery and the Civil War . A lot of historians believe that slavery in itself did not cause the conflict. In this essay, you could elaborate on this idea and consider the other point of view. For a long essay, write about Abraham Lincoln’s thoughts on slavery. His ideas about slavery and racial inequality were one of the most discussed aspects of his entire life. Look at his letters and write about the complexity of his views.
  • The causes of the Civil War and the aftermath of war. This essay is one of the easiest American history essays to write. Talk about the causes and effects of the Civil War (1861-1865) in the US. Why did it happen? What was achieved?
  • The struggle over the goal and the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment . You can elaborate on the goal of the amendment. Was it able to protect the rights of black citizens? Why was it still possible for the states to deny them their right to vote?
  • How did Reconstruction change the United States after the Civil war?
  • The Reconstruction governments. What type of reforms did the reconstruction government implement? What positive reforms happened during the Reconstruction Era? You could discuss radical reconstruction and white supremacy that spawned during the Reconstruction period. Elaborate on the idea of manifest destiny. Why was it so popular in the 19th century in the US?
  • The Compromise of 1850 . Why was reaching the compromise necessary? You can describe the terms of the compromise. Explain what results were achieved: political, economic, and cultural.

🌻 American History 1878-1899

The United States was going through many changes during this period: from various social changes and changes in foreign and domestic policies to rapid economic and cultural changes. This time saw the country changing for the best in some aspects and for the worst in others.

  • Industrialization after the Civil war. Industrialization of the United States was going on for almost half a century. However, the most impressive growth happened in 1880-1900. The expansion of the steel, iron and oil industries drove the American economy. Comment on all the inventions, technological advancements that happened in the US at that time.
  • Immigrants and their ideas of the American Dream
  • Social reforms during the Progressive Era
  • American Foreign Policy in the 1890s

George Washington's quote from his Farewell Address to the American people.

  • The importance of the Progressive Era reforms
  • Race relations during the Progressive Era reforms
  • Japanese Americans Immigration in the 19th century

🏙️ 20th Century US History Topics

The 20th century for the United States and the world, in general, was highly eventful. Economic crises, two World Wars, the Cold War, and the fight over civil rights. Plus, a huge economic and technological upheaval, the space program.

This list of American History topics after 1900 can be great for those looking for inspiration for a paper.

Here you go:

  • The door to America— Ellis Island. What are America’s best features? Economic opportunities, political and religious freedom? An abundance of jobs and opportunities? Land and natural resources? All of these made the United States experience the migration flux from all over the world. Elaborate on how Ellis island is a symbol of American immigration and the American dream.

Many immigrants entered the US through Ellis Island

  • The rise of capitalism
  • Work environments during the Progressive Era
  • Women’s suffrage movement in America
  • The causes and effects of women’s suffrage movement in the US
  • Changes in American Government after WWI
  • Is prohibition to blame for the organized crime in The United States?
  • The economic impact of the Great Depression. The Great Depression is one of the longest economic downturns in the history of the United States. You can talk about several main causes of the crisis. Another good approach would be to analyze the way American presidents handled this crisis.
  • Japanese American discrimination during the Great Depression
  • How did Roosevelt plan to end the Great Depression?
  • The Great Depression and what is the new deal?
  • The Role of the United States during World War 2
  • Why did the United States fight and lose the Vietnam War?
  • The war in Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement
  • A Comparison of the traditional and the revisionist arguments regarding the Origins of The Cold War
  • The Cold War and US diplomacy
  • The Cold War and how it influenced American society

History is tough, but some significant historical events take our breath away even centuries later. Here is our list of cool American history topics. Even if you don’t find any topic that works for you, it can inspire you to look for moments in history that appeal to you personally.

  • The true Story of Pocahontas: An untold story of a Native American girl. The true story of Pocahontas is covered with myths. Critically examine the story of her life and death. Try to understand it from a standpoint of a 12 years old Native American girl kidnapped by a white colonizer.
  • Native American tribes in the US History
  • What was discussed at the Constitutional Convention?
  • The history of the Statue of Liberty
  • Henry Ford and how his inventions changed America
  • Moon landing conspiracy
  • The war on drugs in US History
  • Illegal immigrants in the US
  • The American sense of humor
  • American pop culture in the 1920s . This time period is called “the roaring twenties.” It was filled with drastic political and cultural changes in the United States. Jazz, flapper culture, prohibition, and economic abundance are important elements of the 1920s.

The 20s were“roaring” due to the popular culture of the decade.

  • The history of gangs in the US
  • What did hippies believe in?
  • History of Hippie’s Culture
  • Presidential assassinations in the United States History. Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and JFK were the only US Presidents murdered while in office. You don’t have to retell the stories of their deaths! Instead, explore how these assassinations triggered some vital political reforms.
  • The history of the Fifth Amendment

🙌 Most Interesting American History Topics

Use the following list of most interesting US History topics for your next essay. Choose what US history interesting event or a historic figure captures your attention the most.

🧐 US History Regent Topics

  • The Relationships Between Federal and State Governments
  • Was there a need to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
  • The Cold War: Origins, Causes, Phases, and the Results
  • Why and How the Cold War Was Fought
  • The US Army in the Iraq War
  • The Iraq War: Background and Issues
  • Why did the Iraq War go against the plan?
  • Executive Orders and Presidential Power in the United States
  • History of the American Constitution
  • The Turning points of the American Revolution

The Battle of Saratoga was a key turning point of the Revolutionary War.

✊ Black History Essay Topics

Studying the history of the United States without studying slavery is impossible, mainly because the issue of race is ingrained into the DNA of America.

Black African American history allows students to get a different perspective on the same events. It lets them hear the voices that are so often erased from the history books. These African American history essays can help anyone looking for a good topic to write about.

  • Slave Resistance in the Eighteen Century. Continuously throughout history, African American slaves were portrayed as voiceless and victimized. Others presented them as almost indifferent and passive to their own destiny. You can examine a different perspective, an Afrocentric one. The history of slavery was not the history of passivity, it was a history of black resistance.
  • African American Music as a Form of Resistance
  • African American Religion and Spirituality in the United States
  • The 13th Amendment and the End of Slavery
  • The Jim Crow Laws in the United States History . Jim Crow Laws were the laws that enforced racial segregation in the country. Dedicate an introduction to discuss where the name “Jim Crow” comes from. Give a historical background to how the laws were used. This topic can make a strong essay because no one can stay indifferent.
  • Gender and Jim Crow
  • The Role of Martin Luther King, Jr in The Civil Right Movement
  • Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream”
  • Brown vs The Board of Education . The ruling in Brown vs. The Board of Education was one of the most fundamental changes in the US educational system. How did the general public receive the news about the desegregation of public schools? How did the American educational system change after this case?
  • The Significance of the Harlem Renaissance
  • Barack Obama: The First African American President
  • Barack Obama’s healthcare reforms
  • Has Obama’s Presidency changed America?

Obama prevented a few crises in the US.

  • The Cowboy Culture in the US
  • How Did Yellow Journalism Start?
  • Why is Superman the most American of all the heroes?
  • The History of American Flag
  • History of Sports in the United States
  • History of Thanksgiving Turkey in the United States
  • How Did Highways Change the United States of America?
  • American History through Hollywood Film

Sometimes you simply do not have enough time to write a profound essay. These American history topics are relatively easy, and you don’t have to research them a lot. Even if you do, there is a ton of information available.

  • British Colonization of the Americas
  • Slavery and racism in the United States
  • The Puritans Influence on the American Society
  • The pilgrims and the puritans
  • The Causes of the Vietnam War
  • Why Was Martin Luter King Assassinated?
  • American Moon Landing
  • What Are Major Events in the US History?
  • What Started the US History?
  • What Is the Most Important Piece of the US History?
  • What Is the US History Summary?
  • What City Was the First Capital in the US History?
  • What Was the First American State in the US History?
  • What Are Some Controversies in the US History?
  • How Far Was the New Deal a Turning Point in the US History up to 1941?
  • How the Airplane Industry Changed US History?
  • What Was President Reagan Known For in the US History?
  • How Reagan’s Ideology Shaped the US History?
  • Why Is the Reagan Revolution in the US History?
  • How Richard Nixon Influenced the US History?
  • What Vietnam War Showed About US History?
  • Did the Concept of Imperialism Exist in the US History?
  • Why Did the Wars in the Middle East Go Down in the US History as Unnecessary?
  • What Is the Most Popular Ideology in the US History?
  • How Does the US History Describe George W. Bush?
  • How Did the Use of Nuclear Weapons in Japan Affect the US History?
  • What Are Some Horrible and Forgotten Events in the US History?
  • Is Donald Trump the Second Worst President in the US History?
  • What Was the Biggest Political Miscalculation in the US History?
  • Who Is the Most Overrated First Lady in the US History?
  • How Well Do US History Teachers Really Know About the US History?
  • Who Was the Wimpiest President in the US History?
  • Who Are Some of the Great Asian Americans in the US History?
  • What Was the Most Corrupt Time in the US History?
  • What Was the Bloodiest Single Day Battle in the US History?
  • Who Is the Greatest Hero in the US History?
  • How Did King Philip’s War Change the US History?

Your citation will depend on the type of requirements your instructor will provide you with. You can ask your teacher which style of citation is preferable before the essay writing. The school itself may have specific guidelines for every typeof academic writing.

Chicago, MLA, APA are the main styles of citation in academic writing.

For history essays, there are two key methods of referencing both primary and secondary sources:

  • In-text citation. In this method, you mention the author and the year in the body of the essay. The list of references is placed at the end of the essay.
  • Footnote Referencing. In this method, you put a number in the body. It corresponds with the reference at the bottom of each page. At the end of the essay, a list of works read rather than cited should be included.

All the citation entries should be listed in alphabetical order. If you mention the same author multiple times with different works, use chronological order.

Keeping track of all the sources, both read and cited, is time-consuming. For that, students can try to use different online software systems. These systems can help arrange the list alphabetically and correctly organize all the citations.

Reference list

These digital tools are worth checking out:

Thank you for reading so far! Now you’re ready to start an amazing paper on US history. Share this article with those who may find it helpful, and leave a comment below.

🔗 References

  • U.S. History and Historical Documents: USAGov, the Official Guide to Government Information and Services.
  • All Topics: National Museum of American History.
  • TIMELINE, United States History: World Digital Library.
  • How Do I Cite Sources: Plagiarism.org.
  • Citing Primary Sources, Chicago: Teacher Resources, Library of Congress.
  • Black History, Topical: National Archives.
  • Black History Month: National Geographic Society.
  • College Writing: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  • Writing Historical Essays, A Guide for Undergraduates: Department of History, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
  • Writing an Essay Introduction: Research & Learning Online.
  • Research and Citation Resources: Purdue Writing Lab, College of Liberal Art.
  • Citing Your Sources, Citing Basics: Research Guides at Williams College Libraries.
  • Citing Electronic Sources: Academic Integrity at MIT, a Handbok for Students.
  • Generate Topic Ideas Quickly and Easily: Online Research Library Questia.
  • Colonization Essay Ideas
  • Political Parties Research Ideas
  • Culture Topics
  • Demography Paper Topics
  • Financial Crisis Paper Topics
  • Ethnographic Paper Topics
  • Obamacare Questions
  • Urbanization Ideas
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 12). 153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/us-history-essay-topics/

"153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]." IvyPanda , 12 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/us-history-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]'. 12 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]." March 12, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/us-history-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]." March 12, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/us-history-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]." March 12, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/us-history-essay-topics/.

  • Skip to search box
  • Skip to main content

Princeton University Library

Finding scholarly literature on a topic in history.

  • Finding out what other historians think
  • Finding bibliographies

Finding historiographic essays -- first steps

  • Finding book reviews

For topics that are of wide interest, you may be able to find an essay that reviews the literature on that topic, and that sets it in context by discussing how other historians have approached that topic. This kind of essay is invaluable when you are starting a research project. There are two easy ways to find them:

History Compass is an online journal that publishes historiographic essays. If there is an essay on your topic, it can be an excellent place to start. Caution: if you do not find what you need with your first search, don't choose Edit Search, because you will then be searching all the publisher's online journals. Return to the starting point for History Compass to continue searching just within this journal.

If your topic is covered, check Oxford Bibliographies Online (currently, covers African Studies, Atlantic History, Medieval Studies, Military History, Classics, Criminology, Islamic Studies, Philosophy, and Renaissance and the Reformation, and many other fields)

America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts In both of these bibliographic databases, "historiography" is a Subject. For example, in AHL, to find historiography on the American Civil war, do a Subject search for: civil war historiography

Annual bulletin of historical literature History Reference (SH). Firestone Z6205 .H65 and online

The "Blackwell Companions" are a series published both in print and online in Blackwell Reference Online . If there is one on your topic, it can be an exceptionally useful place to start reading. Note: to find print copies of the Blackwell Companions, do a keyword search in the Main Catalog for " Blackwell companions to history," "Blackwell companions to American history," " Blackwell companions to British history," " Blackwell companions to world history," or " Blackwell companions to European history " to see if there is a volume in this series that covers your topic. Some copies circulate, and others are in the History Reference room on A floor.

US History British History


















History Reference (SH). Firestone KF352 .C66 2013
There is also a series of guides to American presidents. Published thus far: Washington, Madison and Monroe, Jefferson, the era of Andrew Jackson, the Reconstruction presidents, Wilson, Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Nixon, Adams, and both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt.







European History









World History











  • << Previous: Finding bibliographies
  • Next: Finding book reviews >>
  • Last Updated: Dec 19, 2023 1:33 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.princeton.edu/history/secondarysources

My Paper Done

  • Services Paper editing services Paper proofreading Business papers Philosophy papers Write my paper Term papers for sale Term paper help Academic term papers Buy research papers College writing services Paper writing help Student papers Original term papers Research paper help Nursing papers for sale Psychology papers Economics papers Medical papers Blog

american literature history research paper topics

75 Literature Research Paper Topic Ideas For You!

Literature Research Paper Topic

Through the exceptional examples we intent on sharing below, you will know how to stay on topic writing a research literature paper with ease. Stay with me.

English British Literature Research Paper Topic Ideas

  • A review of the character of Lady Macbeth in the works of William Shakespeare
  • Typical characters dominant in World War 1 and II books
  • How did Charles Dickens picture Victorian England in his works?
  • How Greek and Roman influenced Western literature
  • The role of the three Medieval Centuries of Literature in Britain
  • The construction of social identity through British English literature
  • How the natural world is represented in English British literature
  • Discuss the Anglo-Saxon oral poet myth

What is a Good Research Paper Topic For Early American Literature?

  • Major historical characters during the colonial period in America
  • How the revolutionary period of 1765 to 1789 defines freedom for America
  • The role of James Fennimore Cooper in enhancing nationalism
  • Moral ambiguity lessons during the American renaissance period
  • African Influence and Realism in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book
  • Social perception of contemporary American literature
  • The place of women in early American literature
  • Historical and cultural considerations of early American literature

Literature Research Paper Topic Ideas For High School

  • Discuss why ‘Harry Potter’ is still dominant
  • What is the difference between Utopian and dystopian literature?
  • How to distinguish fan fiction from other genres of literature
  • The significant contributions of the works of Shakespeare
  • Describe how literature enhances male chauvinism
  • Why are sex and romance the most read genre in literature?
  • The pros and cons of literature to society
  • How religion coincides with literature

Literature Research Paper Topics For University Degree Students

  • The impact of digitization on the dissemination and consumption of literature material
  • Interrelations and patterns existing between fables and human stories
  • The role of reading behaviors on the growth of literature
  • The shared elements of oral and written literature
  • How to make literature more interactive and human-centered
  • Evaluating the challenges facing the publishing industry
  • The impact of digital media on old literary forms
  • Is it possible to attain intellectually oriented people through reading?

Latest British Literature Research Paper Topics

  • Pertinent issues lacking in the British literature
  • Myths and facts on the gender issue in British literary materials
  • Why some books are considered literary classics?
  • A view of men in the works of William Shakespeare
  • What is the reception of modern literary works in Britain?
  • The theme of destiny and free will in the works of William Shakespeare
  • How the Victorian period impacted British literature
  • The variation between love presented in the books and the physical

Argumentative American Literature Research Paper Topics

  • Can books portray a fake reality from that which exists?
  • Are there realistic features in fiction stories?
  • Can the media complement the existing literary materials effectively?
  • Is the American literature a catalyst of violence
  • Are book reviews able to be without bias?
  • Is human dependence on technology harmful to print materials?
  • Has the coronavirus lockdown had an impact on American literature?
  • Is the government to blame for poor reading habits among citizens?

Hot Literature Topics For Research Paper

  • How are poets coping in the innovative era?
  • Which novels have withstood the test of time to now, and why?
  • Are countries losing their cultures as a result of ignoring literature?
  • Latest forms of copyright in the technology era
  • How racism is portrayed in novels in the 21st century
  • What is the place of literature in shaping a society’s morals?
  • How does culture affect literature in the American context?
  • An examination of how religion and literature collide

Controversial Literature Research Paper Topics

  • How to handle the topic of abortion in literature
  • Is literature promoting old cultural values that have been overtaken by events?
  • An analysis of the portrayal of sex in literary materials
  • Were Romeo and Juliet a mere fantasy story?
  • How far is too far for comedy in oral literature?
  • Feminism issues raised in the existing literary materials
  • The portrayal of ethnicity through literature
  • Who should censor literary materials used by students?

World Literature Research Paper Topics

  • The relationship between old and contemporary American literature
  • What role does gender play in any form of literature?
  • Compare and contrast the American and British works of the middle and early ages
  • The role of the works of Muslim philosophers to new inventions
  • How have publication intervals fallen out of fashion?
  • Distinguish between performance and narration in literature
  • The role of the supernatural and spirituality in literature
  • Why cultural values differentiate different works

High-Quality Literature Research Paper Topic Ideas

  • The role of female writers in the literature
  • Why do individual books get banned?
  • Problems facing the practical study of literature
  • The use of images in written literature
  • Early modern American works
  • Cross-cultural literary books
  • Functions of literature
  • Central themes in early British literature

Many students find writing a research paper challenging. Do not feel disappointed if you didn’t find a topic of your choice. You can still try our research paper writing services to get an affordable, customized literature research paper. You can still seek assistance from our writing help from experts on any section of your research paper today. Give it a try. Contact us with a “ do my research paper ” request and get a top grade. 

Holocaust Research Paper Topics

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Terms & Conditions Loyalty Program Privacy Policy Money-Back Policy

Copyright © 2013-2024 MyPaperDone.com

Illustration

  • Research Paper Guides
  • Research Paper Topics

Literature Research Paper Topics: 250 Top Ideas

  • Speech Topics
  • Basics of Essay Writing
  • Essay Topics
  • Other Essays
  • Main Academic Essays
  • Basics of Research Paper Writing
  • Miscellaneous
  • Chicago/ Turabian
  • Data & Statistics
  • Methodology
  • Admission Writing Tips
  • Admission Advice
  • Other Guides
  • Student Life
  • Studying Tips
  • Understanding Plagiarism
  • Academic Writing Tips
  • Basics of Dissertation & Thesis Writing

Illustration

  • Essay Guides
  • Formatting Guides
  • Basics of Research Process
  • Admission Guides
  • Dissertation & Thesis Guides

Literary_Research_Paper_Topics

Table of contents

Illustration

Use our free Readability checker

Joe_Eckel_1_ab59a03630.jpg

Joe Eckel is an expert on Dissertations writing. He makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.

You may also like

Education Research Topics

Are you looking for an engaging literary research paper topic? Whether you're writing a college-level essay or a master's thesis, the right literature research paper topics can make all the difference. They range from exploring particular genres or authors to examining the use of language in literary works. By researching these topics, you will gain a greater understanding of the ideas, improve your critical thinking skills, and learn to appreciate the nuances. This article will explore such literature topics for research and open up endless possibilities for analysis and interpretation, ranging from classic to modern-day texts. Are you ready to choose a trending topic and write a paper that will win your professor’s heart? 

What Are Literary Research Paper Topics?

Literary research paper topics focus on a particular literary work, such as a book, poem, novel, play, or story. They provide a great starting point for researching the specific aspect you're planning to explore for a better perception of the idea and help to eliminate any artificial facet. Literary research topics may analyze a single text, compare different writings by the same author, or contrast different authors' styles.  Common literature topics for research papers comprise symbolism, characterization, themes, plot structure, historical context, point-of-view analysis, biographical contexts, and intertextual connections. These research paper topics may also focus on how an author has been interpreted or evaluated over time, analyzing the critical reception of their works and examining any changes within literary canonization. Additionally, these topics can explore how literary works intersect with other disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology, sociology, politics, or economics.

Literature Research Paper Topics for Students

For students looking for research topics in literature for study, there is a wide variety of options available. Depending on the level and course, they might focus on analyzing particular authors, literary movements, or genres, exploring the use of language throughout history, or examining representations of gender, race, and class in books. You also need to study literary devices and their effects on readers when exploring literary topics for a research paper . Below are examples of literature topics for different students:

Literary Research Paper Topics by Categories

Research paper topics for literature by category offer an exclusive and stimulating perspective on literary analysis worldwide. They can be grouped into literary movements, authors, and genres, as well as topics related to language and history. If you are interested in European, American, and English literature topics, these ideas will help you find the perfect literary research paper topic for your project.

Literature Research Paper Ideas by Periods

You may aspire to find literature topics for research papers from different historical periods. This involves studying literature from various cultures or eras, such as ancient, medieval, or modern ones. These ideas also cover the examination of themes and symbols used in writings and scrutinizing characters and their development through various works. Other topics include the exploration of texts from a political perspective in relation to their historical contexts. These ideas contain some literary research topics from various periods:

Bottom Line on Literature Research Paper Topics

Literature topics for research can explore a wide range of themes and works. Whether you are looking for visionary ideas about poetry, fiction, or books from different eras, there is no shortage of literature paper topics to choose from. To narrow down your focus and find the best idea for your project, consider researching literary movements, reading widely, and thinking about the areas that interest you most.  Literature topics for research papers should be chosen based on students' interests and areas of expertise. By conducting in-depth research, you will gain a greater appreciation for literary work and its impact on society. With this article as a guide, you can take the time to find a topic that speaks to you and create an engaging research paper.

Illustration

We would like to remind you that our professional writers are available 24/7 and will be glad to help you. StudyCrumb provides the best research paper writing service quickly and efficiently. Fill out the form on our website, and don't worry about anything else.

Characteristics of Good Literature Research Paper Topics

Literary research paper topics are usually considered good when they are:

With these important characteristics of literary topics for research papers in mind, you're ready to start writing!

How to Choose a Literature Research Paper Topic?

Choosing a literature research paper topic can be daunting, but with careful thought and planning, you're sure to find the perfect one. In order to do this, you need to complete the following:

With these tips, you can find the perfect literary research paper topic! Don’t have time for reading piles of books? Get professional help with research paper writing from StudyCrumb and have your study completed by a real pro.

List of Literature Research Paper Topics

A list of literature topics for research offers a wide range of literary-related issues that can be explored and studied for your project. It includes ideas that could spark your creativity and help you choose the best title. Whether you're interested in exploring the works of Shakespeare or examining modern literature, this list of literary research paper topics has something for everyone!

Interesting Literary Research Paper Topics

If you are interested in classic books or modern trends, these ideas can be a fascinating starting point for your project. They include theories, criticism, comparison, and specific authors or genres. Besides providing an analysis of the work, a literary research paper topic could also comprise examining different themes. Explore the following interesting literature topics for your project:

Great Literature Research Paper Topics

A list of great literature research topics provides a variety of ideas related to literary works. These research topics in literature can offer an exciting starting point for your English paper:

Unique Literature Research Paper Topics

Unique literature topics for research papers can help students explore new concepts and gain a deeper understanding of their subject. Below are rare literature paper topics for you to review:

Spotted any ideas for your literature research paper? Now it’s time to compose your study. Leave us ‘ do my research paper ’ notice and get a professional writer to work on your project. 

Controversial Literary Research Paper Topics

Controversial literary research topics can provide students with an opportunity to explore complex and sometimes contentious issues related to literary texts. Find below a controversial literary research paper topic for your dream English project!

Fresh Literature Research Paper Ideas

Coming up with fresh ideas for literature research topics can be daunting. Students may want to look at the works they have studied or venture outside the traditional reading list and explore different authors and genres. Some literature research paper ideas comprise studying how certain authors influenced the literary movement, analyzing how language has been used throughout history, or examining gender, race, and class representations from a literary text. Here is a perfect list of fresh ideas!

Literature Research Paper Topics for High School

These are literature topics to research, specifically tailored to high school students. They involve exploring the influence of literary work on culture, analyzing a single author's literary movement or genre, or investigating language use throughout history. This list of research topics in literature for high school provides an original starting point for your literary project!

Literature Research Paper Topics for College Students

These titles entail more serious and in-depth scrutiny than a high school literary paper. A college-level literary research paper topic provides students with a broader range of analysis. It encompasses looking at literature as a form of political commentary to get its relationship with other art forms. Below are literature research paper topics for college students:

World Literature Research Paper Topics

Research paper topics for world literature allow students to explore literary works from any part of the world, including texts written in English, Spanish, and other languages. Below is a list that provides original world literature research topics for any project:

American Literature Research Paper Topics

In research paper topics for American literature, you examine the works of early American writers and poets, as well as those from later periods. Here is a list of American literature topics for your paper!

British Literature Research Paper Topics

In British literature research topics, you explore works from early British writers to contemporary authors. Ideally, research topics for British literature should encompass works written by authors from all eras, including Medieval, Renaissance, and modern. Here is a list of English literature research paper topics for your perfect essay!

Did you know that you can generate a bunch of title ideas using our Research Paper Topic Generator ?

European Literary Research Paper Topics

European literature research paper topics offer an excellent opportunity to explore the works of European authors. They allow you to study and analyze the academic traditions and cultures of some of Europe's most influential writers. You can find such literary research paper topic ideas in the list below:

Ancient Literary Research Paper Topics

There are many exciting options to consider if you're looking for ancient literature research paper topics. They can be studied with regard to history, culture, art, and philosophy. To gain more insight, you could explore the works of Homer, Henry James, Virgil, and the Mahabharata, or old Egyptian writings, such as The Iliad and Odyssey . Below is a list of ancient literature topics for research you can choose from.

Medieval Literature Research Paper Topics

The medieval literary study provides a unique opportunity to explore literature research topics of the Middle Ages. From Beowulf to The Canterbury Tales , these works offer insights into this era's cultural beliefs and values. Here are such literary topics for research papers to focus on:

Renaissance Literary Research Paper Topics

The Renaissance literature research paper ideas explore works of literature during the Renaissance era, which spanned from the 14th to the 17th century. They focus on the themes, authors, and literature of this period to provide a better understanding of how literary works have evolved within this timeframe and their impact on our current literature. Some of the most influential figures who contributed immensely to writings during this era were William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes. If you are interested in researching this period, you can consider a literature research paper topic from the list below:

Romantic Literature Research Paper Ideas

Romantic literature emerged during the late 18th century and flourished throughout the early 19th century in Europe. It is characterized by its focus on emotion and depictions of nature. This movement had a lasting impact on literary works and has been highly influential. Research topics in literature can explore the writings of authors such as Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and William Wordsworth. Here are some ideas related to romanticism:

Modernist Literary Research Paper Topics

Modern literature emerged during the early 20th century until the end of World War II. It is characterized by a rejection of traditional conventions and focused on experimentation with form. This movement had an unprecedented impact on literature research topics and is highly influential today. If you are looking for literary topics for research papers that focus on modernism, consider exploring the following:

Current Literature Research Paper Ideas

Current literature paper topics can look at the latest trends. They include exploring contemporary works such as Harry Potter by J.K Rowling and Stardust by Neil Gaiman. These topics may also involve analyzing social media's effects on literary writings. If you are looking for current literary topics for a research paper, consider the following:

In case you need more paper topics, feel free to browse our blog. We have a wide arsenal of ideas starting from philosophy research paper topics to education research paper topics .  

  • Relevant They should be engaging, thought-provoking, and appropriate to the academic work.
  • Specific Similarly, good literature research topics must have a narrow focus and not be overly broad.
  • Interesting They should pique your interest and encourage you to explore and aspire to know more about the literary work.
  • Challenging Deep analysis, thoughtful reflection, and creative thinking are also vital.
  • Unique They should be memorable and offer new insights into academic work.
  • Brainstorm: First, start by brainstorming topics that interest you. Think about the works you've been studying, authors and genres you enjoy reading, and themes that have resonated with you.
  • Narrow it down: Once you've identified a few research topics that intrigue you, narrow them down to one that is most relevant and specific.
  • Research: Explore if it is relevant. This will guarantee that you have enough material to work with.
  • Refine: Once you have researched, refine your topic to ensure it is specific and engaging. Consider the most interesting aspects and how they can be explored further.
  • Choose: Finally, choose the title that best reflects your interests and passions for an enjoyable research experience!
  • Use of symbolism in romantic poetry.
  • Importance of technology within cyberpunk genres.
  • Impact of fantasy on contemporary culture.
  • Representation of male or female authors as represented by classic literary works.
  • Postmodernist views of time and space in literature.
  • Representation of race and ethnicity within contemporary fiction.
  • Representation of LGBTQ characters in literary works.
  • The role of mythology during the era of ancient works.
  • Social media impact on modern texts.
  • Classic and contemporary literary criticism.
  • Literary influences of Jane Austen's works.
  • Symbolism as represented by gothic texts.
  • Relevance of classic mythology within contemporary fiction.
  • The role of magic or fantasy in children's literature.
  • The role of women in Victorian literature.
  • Representation of race and ethnicity in early 20th-century literature.
  • Themes of love and loss in romantic poetry.
  • The use of horror genres in contemporary fiction.
  • Postcolonialism's impact on literary works.
  • Nature in 19th-century literature .
  • Representation of LGBTQ characters as represented by contemporary fiction.
  • Technology's impact on modern literary works.
  • Classic and contemporary interpretations of gothic texts.
  • The role of magic and fantasy in modern literary works.
  • Representation of death and loss in 20th-century works.
  • Rebellion themes in Shakespeare's tragedies.
  • Class and economic status in Victorian texts.
  • Symbolism in romantic poetry.
  • Impact of British imperialism on literary fiction worldwide.
  • Gender and sexuality representation in early 20th-century writings.
  • Postcolonialism in 19th-century fiction.
  • The literary influence of WWII on modern writings.
  • Vampires' role in gothic literary texts.
  • Use of fantasy in childhood writings.
  • Technology's impact on contemporary literary works.
  • Race and ethnicity as represented by postmodern fiction.
  • Religion in romantic poetry.
  • Themes of love and loss in 20th-century texts.
  • Horror genres in literary fiction.
  • Postmodernism's impact on contemporary literary works.
  • The role of jealousy in 17th-century literary works.
  • Gender identity as represented by reformist fiction.
  • Mythological figures as portrayed by Greek and Roman poetry.
  • The relationship between gender and power in Shakespeare's plays.
  • Themes of isolation in 20th-century British poetry.
  • Metaphors in the works of Gabriel García Márquez .
  • Themes of rebellion and revolution in African American literary texts.
  • The role of women in medieval romance literature.
  • Poverty representation in Victorian novels.
  • Themes of oppression and freedom in colonial Latin American texts.
  • Use of metaphor and allegory in Dante's divine comedy.
  • Influence of industrialization on 19th-century fiction.
  • Dystopian settings within modern literature.
  • Religion in contemporary fiction.
  • Racial stereotypes during 19th-century English literature.
  • Themes of sexuality and desire in ancient Greek poetry.
  • The relationship between political power and language in Shakespeare's plays.
  • Conflict representation during 20th-century English fiction.
  • English role in colonial Indian literature.
  • Gender and racial representations within African American autobiographies.
  • Themes of justice and control in Victorian English novels.
  • Themes of oppression and resistance in feminist texts.
  • The role of English in modern Japanese fiction.
  • Themes of identity and belonging in postcolonial Indian literature.
  • Censorship, free speech, and social responsibility in 19th-century English novels.
  • Politics and power representations in Latin American poetry.
  • Gender, race, and class representations in English renaissance drama.
  • English as a tool for political ideology within the works of George Orwell.
  • Language used to defy authority during modern fiction writing.
  • Aesthetics as presented by postmodern fiction.
  • The theme of loss as portrayed by African authors .
  • Use of language throughout history.
  • Identity and belonging representation in contemporary young adult fiction.
  • The intersection between art and literature in modern poetry.
  • Themes of authority, rebellion, and revolution in medieval epic poetry.
  • Role of fantasy in horror fiction.
  • Gender, race, and class representations within British romanticism.
  • American literary realism and naturalism.
  • Influence of symbolism on French modernist poetry.
  • Construction of memory within African American autobiographies.
  • Representation of narrative time in Latin American fiction.
  • Social injustice theme during early 20th-century American drama.
  • The relationship between social identity and language during postcolonial fiction.
  • Values and beliefs representations as presented by ancient Greek mythology.
  • Racism as presented during early 20th-century works.
  • Social criticism within contemporary dystopian young adult fiction.
  • Folklore's impact on contemporary poetry.
  • Representation of nature in modern literature.
  • Spirituality as portrayed by reformist literature.
  • Social class representation within postmodern novels.
  • The theme of environment in romantic works.
  • Colonialism representation during postcolonial works.
  • Effects of pop culture on modern fiction.
  • Mental illness representation during 19th-century poetry.
  • The role of music and art in early 20th-century literary texts.
  • Literature's influence on identity building in minority cultures.
  • Family dynamics in postmodern poetry.
  • Family and community representations during gothic fiction.
  • Literature as a tool for social change.
  • Identity construction during postmodern poetry.
  • Alienation themes within modern fiction.
  • Gender role representations in Shakespearean tragedies.
  • The relationship between narrative and memory within Holocaust literature.
  • Nature's role in contemporary American fiction.
  • Authority and subversion themes during the early 20th-century drama.
  • Race, class, and gender representation within African American autobiographies.
  • Social media influence the literary language.
  • The relationship between social identity and language in postcolonial fiction.
  • Values as presented by ancient Greek mythology .
  • Psychological distress during 20th-century war narratives.
  • Attitudes towards mental illness as portrayed by gothic texts.
  • The relationship between science and literary imagination.
  • Social hierarchy within Victorian novels.
  • Religion's role in southern American literature.
  • Impact of colonialism on native literary traditions.
  • Gender representation within French literature.
  • Religion's role within literary works from Latin America.
  • Symbolism in English poetry from the 19th century.
  • Themes of nationalism within modern Russian fiction.
  • Power and politics in Spanish plays.
  • Conflict as portrayed by African literature.
  • The role of folklore within Chinese fiction.
  • Themes of cultural identity in Japanese drama.
  • Family ties in Italian poetry.
  • Symbolism in Arabic literature.
  • Social class representation in Indian novels.
  • Impact of globalization on middle eastern fiction.
  • Human rights themes by contemporary Australian poets.
  • Western representations of other cultures in modern literature.
  • Attitudes towards race in early American novels.
  • Colonialism during 19th-century poetry.
  • Freedom and rebellion themes within revolutionary literature.
  • The emergence of gothic horror in American fiction.
  • Impact of transcendentalism on American writing.
  • Gender representation during pre-civil war literature .
  • Themes of morality in post-World War II American fiction.
  • Role of religion during 19th-century American novels.
  • Slavery and its abolition by American poets.
  • Social class representation during early American drama.
  • Themes of identity in postmodern American fiction.
  • Industrialization of 20th-century literature.
  • War and conflict representation by contemporary American playwrights.
  • Racism in 20th-century American novels.
  • Assimilation and immigration themes in post-World War II American literature.
  • Gender representation during medieval English literature.
  • Colonialism's effects on British literary works during the 18th century.
  • Influence of British writers on modern literature.
  • The role of nature in 18th-century British novels.
  • Interpretations of classic British literary works.
  • Social class representations during 19th-century British fiction.
  • Themes of love and romance within Victorian literature.
  • Industrialization's impact on 20th-century British novels.
  • Patriotism and nationalism during post-World War II literary work.
  • Multiculturalism representations in postmodern British fiction.
  • Effects of censorship on British authors during the 20th century.
  • Mental health representation in modern British poetry.
  • Representation of historical events in British works throughout time.
  • Technological representations in 21st-century British Novels.
  • Intersectionality by contemporary British playwrights.
  • Representations of the European monarchy in classic novels.
  • Censorship effects on European authors during the 20th century.
  • Impact of World War II on European authors.
  • Gender representations within Victorian poetry.
  • Literary works from different countries and cultures in Europe.
  • Use of language, symbolism, and imagery to explore themes in European texts.
  • Themes of nature and environment within German short stories.
  • Technology representations in late Victorian poetry.
  • Popular culture's influence on European literary movements from the 20th century to modern times.
  • Impact of European literary works on people's perceptions of other cultures.
  • Use of supernatural elements within European gothic writings from the 18th to 19th centuries.
  • Identity representations in French social realism texts.
  • Technology's impact on contemporary European literary works.
  • Family and community representations during post-war theater.
  • Themes of justice and injustice within European dystopian texts.
  • Gender representations in epic poetry.
  • Role of mythology and religion in ancient texts.
  • Influence of philosophy on ancient literature.
  • Power representations in Greek tragedy.
  • Heroism by early epic authors.
  • Love and marriage in ancient texts.
  • Ancient narratives of war and conflict.
  • Slavery representations in Roman poetry.
  • The role of music and art in classical literature.
  • Nature representations in ancient texts.
  • Politics' influence on Greek comedy.
  • Family and community representations in roman narratives.
  • Characters' representation in epic poetry.
  • The role of technology in early literary works.
  • Representations of the divine in ancient texts.
  • Representations of medieval chivalry in literary works.
  • Religion's influence on medieval works.
  • Gender representation in medieval texts.
  • The role of magic in medieval narratives.
  • The impact of feudalism on medieval texts.
  • Honor and loyalty representations by chivalric texts.
  • The role of courtly love in medieval works.
  • Knights and warriors' representations in literary works.
  • Warfare representations in medieval texts.
  • The role of education and learning in medieval literature.
  • Love and romance representations in Renaissance texts.
  • Science and technology in 16th-century literature.
  • Class and social status representations in Renaissance literary works.
  • Classical mythology in Renaissance poetry.
  • Representations of family and community in Renaissance narratives.
  • Effects of humanism on Renaissance literature in Europe.
  • Imagery role by William Shakespeare .
  • Representations of art, music, and theater in Renaissance texts.
  • Politics' role in 16th-century literary texts.
  • Nature representation by John Milton or Torquato Tasso.
  • Exploration influence on Renaissance narratives.
  • Influence of Renaissance literature on modern writing.
  • Women's representation in literary texts by Anne Bradstreet or Aphra Behn.
  • Magic and supernatural representations in literary works of Renaissance.
  • Humanism and individualism themes within Renaissance literature.
  • Nature representations in Romantic texts.
  • The role of emotion as depicted in 19th-century literature.
  • Influence of Romantic authors on modern literature and culture.
  • Women's representation in Romantic narratives.
  • Industrialization impact on 19th-century texts.
  • Influence of religion and superstition in early Romantic texts.
  • Use of technology to discuss themes in Romantic texts from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
  • The role of education as portrayed by Romantic narratives.
  • Character analysis and plot structure in gothic fiction.
  • Nationalism and patriotism as represented by post-Napoleonic war poems.
  • Nature representations by modern texts.
  • Social inequality in 21st-century novels.
  • Modernism's influence on current literature and culture.
  • Climate change within contemporary fiction.
  • Impact of social injustice on 20th-century literary works.
  • Urbanization representations by modern literary texts.
  • Education's influence on modernist narratives.
  • Wealth and power in early modernist texts.
  • Themes of urban life by Ezra Pound or Wallace Stevens.
  • Modernism's impact on classical literature.
  • Globalization themes within postmodern poetry.
  • Multiculturalism themes in contemporary literary works.
  • Mental health representations in modern British novels.
  • Global conflict representation in modern fiction.
  • The influence of psychoanalysis on modernist literature.
  • Technological impact on literary works in the 21st century.
  • Art, music, and theater in modern texts.
  • Impact of conflict on recent literary works.
  • Social injustice in 21st-century narratives.
  • Racism, ethnicity, and slavery in contemporary texts.
  • Wealth and power in recent literary works.
  • Globalization themes in postmodern poetry.
  • Urbanization in modern writings.
  • Immigration within postmodern British novels.
Read more: History Research Topics for Students 
  • Write my thesis
  • Thesis writers
  • Buy thesis papers
  • Bachelor thesis
  • Master's thesis
  • Thesis editing services
  • Thesis proofreading services
  • Buy a thesis online
  • Write my dissertation
  • Dissertation proposal help
  • Pay for dissertation
  • Custom dissertation
  • Dissertation help online
  • Buy dissertation online
  • Cheap dissertation
  • Dissertation editing services
  • Write my research paper
  • Buy research paper online
  • Pay for research paper
  • Research paper help
  • Order research paper
  • Custom research paper
  • Cheap research paper
  • Research papers for sale
  • Thesis subjects
  • How It Works

100 Best Literature Research Paper Topics For Students

literary research paper topics

Literary research paper topics are among the most interesting to write about. Books are the best teachers for most learners. And, students love reading interesting literature books. But, when asked to write research papers, most students have difficulties choosing their topics. That’s because many issues can be investigated and written about.

For instance, literary topics can be about characters’ personalities in certain works. They can also be about particular characteristics of specific literary genres. Learners can also choose literary analysis topics that focus on the life story of famous writers or poets. But, regardless of what a learner opts to write about, they should choose interesting topics.

What are Interesting Literary Research Paper Topics?

Several factors make a topic interesting to write about. A topic for a research paper or a graduate thesis should generally be definite, specific, and innovative. Also, it should be interesting to research and write about. Here’s how to select interesting literature topics:

Think about something. Explore the idea to select a topic for which you can find sufficient research data from credible sources. Narrow down your subject if you find it too broad.

English literature topics can be classified into different categories. Here some of these categories and topics can be considered in each category.

Great World Literature Research Topics

Perhaps, you’ve been asked to write a literature research paper with a global perspective. Here are some of the literary analysis research paper topics that you can consider.

  • Explain how the supernatural and spirituality help in furthering the development of the plot in the Latin American literature of the early 20th century.
  • What themes are common in the Japanese poems of the early 20th century? How do they differ from those of the early 19th century?
  • Compare the early Chinese literary works and European literary works of the middle ages. How different or alike are they?
  • How were European literary works in the early 20th century shaped by the revolutionary works of Engels and Marx? What examples can demonstrate this influence?
  • Explain how the Muslim philosophers’ work of the 15th century led to new ideas and inventions across the globe.
  • Compare and contrast different anti-British works that originated in India in the 19th century with pro-colonialist works that came from England at the same time.
  • How did the nightmarish utopian future ideas of Aldous Huxley influence modern-day science fiction writers across the world?
  • Explain how the Antigone play by Sophocles deals with the conflict between the central characters while relating to the state laws and individual conscience.
  • How are the sentiments of the authors reflected in Animal Farm by George Orwell and concerns about the October Revolution?
  • Explain some of the examples of literary fiction pieces that have shaped cultures in the world. Have historic, societal, and cultural factors played some roles in shaping these literature pieces?
  • Being a prolific writer in the early and mid-19th century, Charles Dickens’s works were published in serialized forms. How and why has this approach become less fashionable?
  • Compare and contrast the early Japanese literature works and the early Chinese literature works. How do they differ in terms of values and culture?
  • Explain how comedy differs in literature across cultures. What comedy appeared in the early theatrical performances and it’s still present in modern literature?
  • Analyze chivalry and honor critically in the Green Knight and Sir Gawain. What are the qualities of these works from a similar period?
  • Compare and contrast the Odyssey and Iliad by Homer the Ancient Greek. Explain how cultures across the world have adapted the themes presented in the poem.

Top Literary topics for Research Paper

Some topics for literary analysis stand out among students. These are topics that educators recommend for students across the study levels.

  • How is literature an aspect of modern culture?
  • Explain how feminism has influenced modern literature
  • How is psychology utilized in literature?
  • Explain the major social issues that have been exposed by literary works
  • Explain the philosophical tradition of Daoism in the Chinese literature
  • Explain the roles played by death and honor in Japanese literature in the 20th century
  • Explain how the European culture influences the Mid-West literature
  • How has European culture affected modern literature?
  • Analyze the personality of Don Quixote
  • Explain how literature differs between countries.
  • Discuss poetry in the innovative ear of the 21st century
  • Examine racism in the novels of the 1960s and 1970s
  • Explain the exile’s perception in literature
  • Literature and culture? Which one affects the other?
  • How has literature addressed homosexuality?

These can also be great literary debate topics. That’s because learners can have varying opinions about them.

British Literature Research Paper Topics

Students have many topics to choose from when it comes to British literature essay topics. Here are some of the best literature topics from the works of British authors.

  • Discuss Victorian England’s picture with the works of Charles Dickens in mind
  • Discuss the theme of Orphans with the Oliver Twist character in mind
  • Explain how British Literature has influenced different cultures
  • Explain how British literature has addressed gender issues
  • Explain how King Lear highlights the differences between anti-heroes and villains
  • Explain William Shakespeare’s personality- Highlight facts and myths
  • Choose two famous British novels and then compare the characters in them
  • Explain the viewpoint of different writers about the Utopian civilization idea
  • With Harry Potter books in mind, explain why some literature books are considered classics
  • Explain how love and romantic love are presented in Charlotte Bronte’s works
  • Explain how modern literary works have been affected by the Victorian period works
  • Discuss the adultery theme in Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Who are the main characters in Lake Poets’ works?
  • Explain how violent imagery was used in World War I poetry
  • Explain talent as a theme in Milton’s on His Blindness
  • Explain innocence loss in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies
  • Explain the theme of individualism versus collectivism in Oliver Twist
  • Explain why the popularity of detective novels increased in the XIX century
  • What role did the supernatural play in Macbeth: a case study of three witches
  • Class demarcation in XVII century- The vengeance theme

American Literature Topics

Some teachers ask students to choose American literature research topics for certain reasons. If asked to write on such topics, here are some of the American literature research paper topics to consider.

  • Analyze key aspects of American ideology, particularly in the literature written before the 20th century.
  • Determine thematic concerns and literary styles of the major historical period of American literature between the colonial period and post-modernism.
  • Show the American identity uniqueness of texts
  • Propose connections between the American literature concerns and themes in the larger historical development and social issues that face the present world
  • Examine major concerns and themes that reappear across the American literature
  • Highlight the major themes in Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner
  • Explain the African American Experience with female authors like Alice Walker, Zora Neal Hurston, and Toni Morrison
  • Explain the predominant theme in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
  • Explain how Jonathan Edwards epitomizes Puritan definitions in his sermons
  • Explain the use of historical personalities and events by Washington Irving as the background for his works
  • The Crucible demonstrates how a community can be torn apart by hysteria. Explain
  • Explain how Sylvia Plath demonstrates the social pressure faced by women in the 1960s in the Bell Jar.
  • Explain how John Knowles demonstrates the impact of war on everyone
  • Explain the strong belief in the education power by Maya Angelou as depicted in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
  • Explain how Thornton Wilder conveys life as a gift in Our Town
  • Discuss the themes of anger and pity in the Grapes of Wrath
  • Explain how Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck portrays the Great Depression struggles
  • Discuss the portrayal of the unconquerable spirit in Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
  • Plays by Eugene O’Neil are tragically realistic. Explain
  • God is humanized in The Creation poem by James Weldon Johnson. Explain

Some of the ideas here are great poetry topics. Nevertheless, they require careful research and analysis to write about.

High School Literary Essay Topics

Some topics in literature are ideal for high school essays. Here are examples of literary analysis paper topics for high school students.

  • Compare and contrast the major characters in your preferred book
  • Choose your favorite character in a book and explain your reasons for liking it
  • Please explain why the quality of a literature book is not determined by its length
  • Highlight the similarities of your favorite books
  • Discuss the top 4 authors in horror books
  • Explain why reading some books is more difficult than reading others
  • Explain what it takes to write a high-quality poem
  • Who is your favorite poet and why?
  • Explain what makes your favorite book interesting
  • Who is your favorite character in literary works and why?
  • What makes some literature books difficult to read?
  • Who are your favorite top 5 authors and why?
  • Should the age of readers be restricted to some books?
  • What is your favorite literary genre?
  • Explain why the author determines the quality of a book more than the story
  • Discuss the literary works of your favorite authors
  • Why is it important to captivate readers with the introductory chapter of a book?
  • Which book genre makes great movies?
  • Why is the work of Harry Potter so popular?
  • Explain why your favorite horror book is scary

Unique Research Topics in English Literature

Some literature research topics are unique and can be written about by learners at different study levels. Here are examples of such topics.

  • Analyze the use of literary devices in novels
  • Discuss the author’s autobiography
  • Analyze literary genres and the role played by an artist in them
  • Compare the works of a similar genre
  • Highlight the gender roles of characters in literary works
  • Social stratification and Harry Potter- Discuss
  • With Charles Dickens’ work in mind, explain the peculiarity of the bildungsroman genre.
  • Explain how The Lord of the Rings uses artificial language
  • Explain how the Sherlock Holmes image influences the world of detective fiction
  • Explain the war theme in the world literature

These are also great literary journalism topics. Nevertheless, they require extensive research to write about.

In a nutshell, students have many literary argument topics to consider. The most important thing is to choose an interesting topic that you can find sufficient data to write about. Also, don’t hesitate to check our history topics .

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

American History Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023

Published 16 October, 2023

american literature history research paper topics

Fresh research paper topics on American History from My Research Topics perfectionist are written here below for graduates. There are college students who fail to manage optimum time for every research paper assignment and thus need help with research paper topics.

Under such circumstances, the given list of topics is going to be the best solution for students assigned a research paper and essay on American history. When you have these topics from the scholars of My Research Topics it becomes easier to start writing a research paper introduction after drafting a good research paper outline .

Research Paper Topics Ideas on the American Dream

College students who are writing their research papers on the American dream assigned by the professors can write it easily on the innovative topic given here. When you will be writing your research proposal on fresh topics no one is going to reject your idea at any cost.

  • Why did British people set an American dream and laid the discovery of America?
  • What were the main pillars upon which the American dream was based and examples that reveal its failure?
  • What are the major examples that prove the failure of the American dream completely?
  • Can we say that flourishing of the weapon industry in America is a big slap on the existentialism of the American dream?
  • How the contemporary British and other English literature depict the American dream in poetry, prose, and other forms like painting?

Best Research Topics for Graduates on American History of Slavery

Go through these topics on the American history of slavery and write your research paper before the deadline approach you. A good topic like given in the list always inspires college students to write the best research paper outline and rest of the paper.

  • Why the slaves of America were not happy with the abolishment of slavery?
  • How slavery came into existence in America and how they were treated by the masters?
  • Different major texts of American literature show the plight of slaves who used to be imported and exported usually.
  • What were the major movements that lead to the abolishment of slavery in America?
  • Can we trace the roots of black Americans to the descent of slave ancestors?

Topics for Research on the History of American literature

My Research Topics professionals have prepared a new list of research topics on the history of American literature for graduates here. Do not take this list casually and give supreme importance to sift out a topic form below to write a research paper.

  • How the history of American art is reflected through literature?
  • What are the major sculptures of America that show the rapid growth of the country in a short period of time?
  • How is the American Civil war is depicted in the literature by different writers?
  • Major traditions of America exist only in literary books and not in the present time.
  • What were the major causes behind the coming of Women’s suffrage in America and its reflection in literature?
Also Have a Look: World History Research Paper Ideas for Free

Unique research paper topics on History of American Diaspora

If you want to start your research paper on the History of American Diaspora in a professional way the first thing is to ensure the best topic for it. Once you have a unique topic idea for your paper it becomes easier to write it from introduction to the research paper conclusion successfully.

  • Why America has the largest number of Diaspora when compared to other countries of the world?
  • What were the difficulties confronted by the Diaspora people in America?
  • Effect of slavery on the Diaspora of America and how they were treated like an alien by the native white Americans?
  • Do American Diasporas get similar rights to that of American Civilian in the History of America?
  • Is it true that Americans allowed the freedom of religion to worship any God apart from Christ?

Research paper writing service is given by My Research Topics experts to those college students who fail to complete it on their own. If you are unable to write a research paper on American history owing to a lot of pending work then this help is going to be very useful for you. Just ask the experienced writers to write my research paper on American history and take the benefit of good scores from professors.

Argumentative research papers, persuasive research papers on American history, and all other types of research papers are written by the research paper writers. The research paper citation help can also be possible from the website of My Research Topics. So never miss the chance to set a new record in research paper score by taking the best services from scholars.

Stuck During Your Dissertation

Our top dissertation writing experts are waiting 24/7 to assist you with your university project,from critical literature reviews to a complete PhD dissertation.

american literature history research paper topics

Other Related Topics

  • Sociological Research Paper Topics & Ideas For Students 2023
  • Nurses Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023
  • Nursing Capstone Project Research Topics & Ideas 2023
  • Unique Research Paper Topics & Ideas For Students 2023
  • Teaching Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023
  • Literary Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023
  • Nursing Ethics Research Topics & Ideas 2023
  • International Relations Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023
  • Legal Research Paper Topics & Ideas For Law Students 2023
  • Philosophy Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023 for USA Students

american literature history research paper topics

Recent Research Topic Idea for 2023

american literature history research paper topics

World History Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023

american literature history research paper topics

History Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023

Get 15% off your first order with my research topics.

Connect with a professional writer within minutes by placing your first order. No matter the subject, difficulty, academic level or document type, our writers have the skills to complete it.

american literature history research paper topics

My Research Topics is provides assistance since 2004 to Research Students Globally. We help PhD, Psyd, MD, Mphil, Undergrad, High school, College, Masters students to compete their research paper & Dissertations. Our Step by step mentorship helps students to understand the research paper making process.

Research Topics & Ideas

Research guide.

  • Research Project Questions
  • Types of Validity in Research – Explained With Examples
  • Schizophrenia Sample Research Paper
  • Quantitative Research Methods – Definitive Guide
  • Research Paper On Homelessness For College Students
  • How to Study for Biology Final Examination
  • Textual Analysis in Research / Methods of Analyzing Text

Disclaimer: The Reference papers provided by the Myresearchtopics.com serve as model and sample papers for students and are not to be submitted as it is. These papers are intended to be used for reference and research purposes only.

Banner

  • ETHN 116 - Home
  • Topic Ideas
  • GVRL eBooks
  • EBSCO eBooks
  • Salem eBooks
  • EBSCO host Articles
  • Facts on File Articles

Course Content for ETHN 116

ETHN 116 COURSE CONTENT

Order and emphasis of core topics may vary from instructor to instructor.

I. Introduction to Chicano Studies

A. Chicano/a Studies as a field of scholarly inquiry

B. History and culture as a dynamic processes

C. Main historical periods in Chicano History

1. Pre-Columbian era, pre- 1519

2. Spanish colonial era, 1521-1821

3. Mexican independence and nationalism, 1821-1846

4. Anglo period, 1846-1960s

5. Diversity and modern Chicano issues

II. Historical roots of Chicano culture and society

A. Pre-Columbian period

1. Human evolution in Mesoamerica

a. Ecological adaptation

b. Agricultural adaptation

c. Sociocultural life

2. Mesoamerican civilization and societies

b. Huastecas

d. Teotihuacanos

e. Zapotecos

3. Aztec civilization, society and social order

a. History – Chichimecas to Tenochtitlan

b. Social hierarchy

c. Land system and the calpulli

d. Artisan production

e. Alliances and trade

f. Mythology

g. Culture, religious practices and education

4. Spanish conquest

a. Spanish society and culture – Reconquest – 16th century

b. Background to exploration and discovery

c. Hernan Cortes versus Moctezuma and the legend of Quetzalcoatl

d. The fall of Mexico-Tenochtitlan

e. The legacy of conquest in the Chicano worldview

B. Spanish colonialism in Mexico – 1521 – 1810

1. Cross-fertilization of Spanish and Aztec societies

a. The Columbian exchange

b. Religious syncretism – Virgin of Guadalupe

c. Mestizaje

d. The forging of the “cosmic race”

2. Economy and Social order

a. Gold, encomienda and repartimiento

b. Hacienda system and debt peonage

c. Social role of hacendados

d. Life of debt peons

e. Castas, mestizaje and the social hierarchy

3. Culture

a. Daily changes in indigenous ways of life

b. Introduction of Catholicism

1. Cultural aspects of mestizaje

c. Indigenous resistance to Spanish culture

d. Women and family life 

4. Color and racism

a. Spanish ethnocentrism

b. Race and social class

c. Effects of racism

d. The flexibility of mestizaje

C.The making of Mexican nationalism – 1810-1840s

1. Politics and the break up of the colonial social order

a. Influence o indigenous elites – caciques

b. Influence of the age of Enlightenment

c. Bourbon reforms and imperial crisis

d. Liberals versus conservatives

e. El grito de Dolores and the war for independence

f. Rise of caudillo

g. Post-war instability in Mexico

2. Class – Mexican society under criollo rule

a. Conservatives versus liberals

b. Social groups and economic enterprises in the north

c. Break up of California missions

d. Hispanics and indigenous in New Mexico 

e. Cattle ranching in California and the Californios

3. Culture – rise of a Mexican identity

a. The decline of cultural imperialism

b. Mexican influence in California and New Mexico

c. Increasing mestizaje and its challenge to racism

4.The break-up of Mexico and a new system for Mexican-Americans

a. Anglo-American expansion – Manifest Destiny

b. Annexation of Texas

c. Mexican American War

d. Mexican resistance and social banditry

e. Treaty of 1848

f. Anglo expropriation of Mexicans’ lands

g. New cultural blending in US Southwest and California

h. Economic growth and Mexican labor 

D. Anglo-American period – 1846-1960s

1. Social order and social classes in the United States

a. Industrialization and economic expansion

b. Chicano role in the economy

c. Mexican Revolution and immigration

d. Chicano discrimination in the workplace

e. Chicanos in trade unionism

f. Chicanos on the margin of political process

2. Culture – assimilation versus nativist acculturation

a. American versus Mexican culture

b. Strategies and problems of Mexican adaptation to American culture

c. Syncretism – pachucos

d. Separatism

e. American work ethic versus Mexican celebration

f. Cultural imperialism and educational practices

3. Race and racism

a. Roots of prejudice and discrimination

b. Tejano versus Anglo culture

c. Anglo violence toward Tejanos

d. White supremacists in California

e. Institutional racism and public barriers

f. Chicano reactions to mistreatment – reverse racism

g. The continuation of mestizaje

E. The Chicano movement of the 1960s-70s

1. Roots of Chicano resistance and organization

2. Precursors of change

a. Black Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s 

b. Johnson’s War on Poverty 

c. The Vietnam War.

3. Chicano political organizations, groups and actions

a. The Brown Berets

b. United Mexican American Students

c. Los Angeles high school walk outs

d. La Raza Unida Partido

e. Chicano moratoriums of the 1970s

f. Association of Mexican-American Educators

g. Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanos de Aztlan – MECha

h. August 29 Moratorium

i. Diversity within the movement

4. Chicano cultural expression

a. Chicanozaje/Chicanismo

b. Mestizaje to Chicanismo

c. Chicano arts

d. Educational transformations

III. Selected contemporary social, economic and/or cultural issues related to Mexican Americans

A. Economic principles of Mexican immigration

1. Reasons for immigration

2. History of Mexican immigration to US

a. The Mexican Revolution and economic expansion in the US, 1910 – 1929

b. The Depression and the Bracero program, 1930 – 1964

c. Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and increased Mexican immigration

d. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Amnesty and increased restrictions

e. Immigration Act of 1990 and limits on family-sponsored immigration

3. Racism and increased risks for undocumented immigrants crossing the border

4. Selected personal accounts/case studies

B. Mexican immigrants in the US today – social and economic issues

1. Economic and demographic profiles

2. Income and poverty

3. Settlement patterns

4. Wage assimilation

5. Economic impacts of immigration

6. Undocumented immigrants

7. Naturalization

8. Selected personal accounts/case studies

C. Mexican immigrants and cultural development in US urban centers

1. Becoming Mexican-American/Chicano/a

2. Settlement patterns

3. Divided loyalties

4. New nationalism, Mexican style

5. Religious adaptations

6. Music and growth of mass culture

7. The rise of communities

8. Ambivalent Americanism

D. The education of Mexican Americans

1. Educational profiles

2. Secondary education

3. Bilingual education

4. College education

5. California Community Colleges and Chicanos Studies

6. Education, language and empowerment

7. Economic incentives to invest in education

8. Social and cultural factors affecting the decision to invest in education

9. Selected personal accounts/case studies

E. Mexican Americans in the labor market

1. Employment patterns

2. Occupational patterns

3. Annual income

4. Wages, human capital and discrimination

5. Selected personal accounts/case studies

F. Mexican Americans toward the middle class

1. Income distribution

2. Factors affecting poverty rates

3. Public assistance

4. Mexican americans as an exception to the underclass model of poverty

5. Wealth and asset accumulation

6. Mexican American home ownership

7. Selected personal accounts/ case studies

  • << Previous: ETHN 116 - Home
  • Next: Print >>

Powered by Springshare │ LibApps Login

By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies and similar tracking technologies described in our privacy policy .

Voice of the Discipline

News and publications.

Access AHA news and publications supporting the work of historians.

Stay up-to-date with the AHA

Many small yellow circles splashed across a blue and black background

June 25, 2024

AHA Members Co-author Article on SCOTUS and Gun Control

AHA members Holly Brewer (Univ. of Maryland) and Laura F. Edwards (Princeton Univ.) have co-authored an article for Washington Monthly…

Pens of various colors arranged in a partial circle. Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash.

June 24, 2024

Action Alert Opposing Ohio SB 83

american literature history research paper topics

June 21, 2024

AHA Signs On to CIE Letter Urging HEA-Title VI Funding for FY 2025

american literature history research paper topics

June 18, 2024

Welcome to the AHA’s New Website

The American Historical Review is the flagship journal of the AHA and the journal of record for the historical discipline in the United States, bringing together scholarship from every major field of historical study.

Perspectives on History is the newsmagazine of the AHA and is the principal source for news and information about the discipline of history. Since 1962, Perspectives has promoted our work by publishing articles and commentary on all aspects of the historical discipline.

History in Focus Podcast

american literature history research paper topics

Environmental Crisis and Recovery

Collaborative history + revisiting marion thompson wright, teaching historiography + chilling affects, aha booklets.

The AHA publishes booklets that address a diversity of topics to serve the needs of history students and historians in all professions. Our publications include career advice for history graduates, overviews and syntheses of current historical topics and fields, and guides to teaching and learning in history.

For the Press

The AHA is pleased to provide resources for journalists and press. If you are a member of the media and would like to submit a request for a referral or interview, please email [email protected] . Please provide any pertinent deadlines and we will do our best to accommodate your request. The AHA can find you a historian for any topic, and assists with dozens of inquiries each year.

The AHA encourages the reading of history with periodic reading challenges.

Permission to Use AHA Copyrighted Material

All material published by the American Historical Association in any medium is protected by copyright.

Join the AHA

The AHA brings together historians from all specializations and all work contexts, embracing the breadth and variety of activity in history today.

share this!

June 24, 2024 report

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

Analysis of data suggests homosexual behavior in other animals is far more common than previously thought

by Bob Yirka , Phys.org

Meta-analysis of prior research data suggests homosexual behavior in other animals far more common than thought

A team of anthropologists and biologists from Canada, Poland, and the U.S., working with researchers at the American Museum of Natural History, in New York, has found via meta-analysis of data from prior research efforts that homosexual behavior is far more common in other animals than previously thought. The paper is published in PLOS ONE .

For many years, the biology community has accepted the notion that homosexuality is less common in animals than in humans, despite a lack of research on the topic. In this new effort, the researchers sought to find out if such assumptions are true.

The work involved study of 65 studies into the behavior of multiple species of animals, mostly mammals, such as elephants, squirrels, monkeys, rats and racoons.

The researchers found that 76% of the studies mentioned observations of homosexual behavior, though they also noted that only 46% had collected data surrounding such behavior—and only 18.5% of those who had mentioned such behavior in their papers had focused their efforts on it to the extent of publishing work with homosexuality as it core topic.

They noted that homosexual behavior observed in other species included mounting, intromission and oral contact—and that researchers who identified as LGBTQ+ were no more or less likely to study the topic than other researchers.

The researchers point to a hesitancy in the biological community to study homosexuality in other species , and thus, little research has been conducted. They further suggest that some of the reluctance has been due to the belief that such behavior is too rare to warrant further study.

The research team suggests that homosexuality is far more common in the animal kingdom than has been reported—they further suggest more work is required regarding homosexual behaviors in other animals to dispel the myth of rarity.

Journal information: PLoS ONE

© 2024 Science X Network

Explore further

Feedback to editors

american literature history research paper topics

National park wild boar contain five-times more toxic PFAS than humans allowed to eat, study finds

21 minutes ago

american literature history research paper topics

New warm sub-Neptune exoplanet discovered with TESS

american literature history research paper topics

Iceland's volcano eruptions may last decades, researchers find

4 hours ago

american literature history research paper topics

The plants bees need to maintain a healthy diet have been revealed

7 hours ago

american literature history research paper topics

Researchers develop high-performance anion exchange membranes for sustainability applications

14 hours ago

american literature history research paper topics

Half of world's lakes are less resilient to disturbance than they used to be

american literature history research paper topics

Modeling software reveals patterns in continuous seismic waveforms during series of stick-slip, magnitude-5 earthquakes

american literature history research paper topics

Discovery of vast sex differences in cellular activity has major implications for disease treatment

15 hours ago

american literature history research paper topics

Researchers discover new flat electronic bands, paving way for advanced quantum materials

american literature history research paper topics

Not all calcite crystals perfect; synthesis methods can alter internal structure, affect chemical reactivity

Relevant physicsforums posts, who chooses official designations for individual dolphins, such as fb15, f153, f286.

2 hours ago

Color Recognition: What we see vs animals with a larger color range

21 hours ago

Innovative ideas and technologies to help folks with disabilities

Jun 24, 2024

Is meat broth really nutritious?

Covid virus lives longer with higher co2 in the air.

Jun 22, 2024

Periodical Cicada Life Cycle

Jun 21, 2024

More from Biology and Medical

Related Stories

american literature history research paper topics

How, and why, did homosexual behavior evolve in humans and other animals?

Oct 12, 2023

american literature history research paper topics

Male rhesus macaques often have sex with each other, a trait they have inherited in part from their parents

Jul 15, 2023

american literature history research paper topics

Same-gender sexual behavior found to be widespread across mammal species and to have multiple origins

Oct 4, 2023

american literature history research paper topics

Stop calling it a choice: Biological factors drive homosexuality

Sep 4, 2019

Clinicians' personal religious beliefs may impact treatment provided to patients who are homosexual

Oct 23, 2017

american literature history research paper topics

Study shows same-sex sexual behavior is widespread and heritable in macaque monkeys

Jul 10, 2023

Recommended for you

american literature history research paper topics

In a world-first, researchers map a 4,200 km transatlantic flight of the painted lady butterfly

23 hours ago

american literature history research paper topics

Bats use four key tactics for accurate target tracking

20 hours ago

american literature history research paper topics

Bacteria found to produce proteins that act like antifreeze, helping marine worms survive in polar waters

american literature history research paper topics

Hidden mechanisms behind hermaphroditic plant self-incompatibility revealed

american literature history research paper topics

Australia's giant lizards help save sheep from being eaten alive

Jun 25, 2024

Let us know if there is a problem with our content

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

Literature Thesis Topics

Academic Writing Service

This page provides a comprehensive list of literature thesis topics , offering a valuable resource for students tasked with writing a thesis in the field of literature. Designed to cater to a wide array of literary interests and academic inquiries, the topics are organized into 25 diverse categories, ranging from African American Literature to Young Adult Literature. Each category includes 40 distinct topics, making a total of 1000 topics. This structure not only facilitates easy navigation but also aids in the identification of precise research areas that resonate with students’ interests and academic goals. The purpose of this page is to inspire students by presenting a breadth of possibilities, helping them to formulate a thesis that is both original and aligned with current literary discussions.

1000 Literature Thesis Topics and Ideas

Literature Thesis Topics

Academic Writing, Editing, Proofreading, And Problem Solving Services

Get 10% off with 24start discount code, browse literature thesis topics, african american literature thesis topics, american literature thesis topics, children’s literature thesis topics, comparative literature thesis topics, contemporary literature thesis topics, diaspora literature thesis topics, english literature thesis topics, feminist literature thesis topics, gothic literature thesis topics, indigenous literature thesis topics, literary theory thesis topics, literature and film studies thesis topics, literature and history thesis topics, literature and philosophy thesis topics, literature and psychology thesis topics, medieval literature thesis topics, modernist literature thesis topics, postcolonial literature thesis topics, postmodern literature thesis topics, renaissance literature thesis topics, romantic literature thesis topics, science fiction and fantasy literature thesis topics, victorian literature thesis topics, world literature thesis topics, young adult literature thesis topics.

  • The evolution of African American narrative forms from slave narratives to contemporary fiction.
  • An analysis of the Harlem Renaissance: Artistic explosion and its impact on African American identity.
  • The role of music and oral tradition in African American literature.
  • A study of code-switching in African American literature and its effects on cultural and linguistic identity.
  • Gender and sexuality in African American women’s literature.
  • The portrayal of race and racism in the works of Toni Morrison.
  • The influence of African spirituality and religion in African American literature.
  • Exploring Afrofuturism through the works of Octavia Butler and N.K. Jemisin.
  • The representation of the family in African American literature post-1960s.
  • The use of southern settings in African American literature: A study of place and identity.
  • Intersectionality in the writings of Audre Lorde and Angela Davis.
  • The depiction of African American men in literature and media: Stereotypes vs. reality.
  • The impact of the Black Arts Movement on contemporary African American culture.
  • Literary responses to the Civil Rights Movement in African American literature.
  • The role of education in African American autobiographical writing.
  • The portrayal of historical trauma and memory in African American literature.
  • Analyzing black masculinity through the works of Richard Wright and James Baldwin.
  • The treatment of racial ambiguity and colorism in African American fiction.
  • The influence of hip-hop and rap on contemporary African American poetry.
  • The narrative strategies used in African American science fiction.
  • Postcolonial readings of African American literature: Transnational perspectives.
  • The evolution of black feminism reflected in literature.
  • The significance of folk motifs in the works of Zora Neale Hurston.
  • The impact of the Great Migration on literary depictions of African American life.
  • Urbanism and its influence on African American literary forms.
  • The legacy of Langston Hughes and his influence on modern African American poetry.
  • Comparing the racial politics in African American literature from the 20th to the 21st century.
  • The role of African American literature in shaping public opinion on social justice issues.
  • Mental health and trauma in African American literature.
  • The literary critique of the American Dream in African American literature.
  • Environmental racism and its representation in African American literature.
  • The adaptation of African American literary works into films and its cultural implications.
  • Analyzing class struggle through African American literary works.
  • The portrayal of African Americans in graphic novels and comics.
  • Exploring the African diaspora through literature: Connections and divergences.
  • The influence of Barack Obama’s presidency on African American literature.
  • Representation of African American LGBTQ+ voices in modern literature.
  • The use of speculative elements to explore social issues in African American literature.
  • The role of the church and religion in African American literary narratives.
  • Literary examinations of police brutality and racial profiling in African American communities.
  • The evolution of the American Dream in 20th-century American literature.
  • An analysis of naturalism and realism in the works of Mark Twain and Henry James.
  • The depiction of the frontier in American literature and its impact on national identity.
  • Exploring postmodern techniques in the novels of Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo.
  • The influence of immigration on American narrative forms and themes.
  • The role of the Beat Generation in shaping American counter-culture literature.
  • Feminist themes in the novels of Sylvia Plath and Toni Morrison.
  • Ecocriticism and the portrayal of nature in American literature from Thoreau to contemporary authors.
  • The depiction of war and its aftermath in American literature: From the Civil War to the Iraq War.
  • The treatment of race and ethnicity in the novels of John Steinbeck.
  • The role of technology and media in contemporary American fiction.
  • The impact of the Great Depression on American literary works.
  • An examination of gothic elements in early American literature.
  • The influence of transcendentalism in the works of Emerson and Whitman.
  • Modernist expressions in the poetry of Wallace Stevens and Ezra Pound.
  • The depiction of suburban life in mid-20th-century American literature.
  • The cultural significance of the Harlem Renaissance in the development of American literature.
  • Identity and self-exploration in the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
  • Analyzing the concept of alienation in the works of Edward Albee and Arthur Miller.
  • The role of political activism in the plays of August Wilson.
  • The portrayal of children and adolescence in American literature.
  • The use of satire and humor in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut.
  • Exploring the American South through the literature of Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner.
  • The representation of LGBTQ+ characters in American novels from the 1960s to present.
  • Consumer culture and its critique in American post-war fiction.
  • The legacy of slavery in American literature and its contemporary implications.
  • The motif of the journey in American literature as a metaphor for personal and collective discovery.
  • The role of the wilderness in shaping American environmental literature.
  • An analysis of dystopian themes in American science fiction from Philip K. Dick to Octavia Butler.
  • The representation of Native American culture and history in American literature.
  • The treatment of mental health in the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe.
  • American expatriate writers in Paris during the 1920s: Lost Generation narratives.
  • The influence of jazz music on the narrative structure of American literature.
  • The intersection of law and morality in the novels of Herman Melville.
  • Post-9/11 themes in contemporary American literature.
  • The evolution of feminist literature in America from the 19th century to modern times.
  • Examining consumerism and its discontents in the novels of Bret Easton Ellis.
  • The portrayal of American cities in 20th-century literature.
  • The impact of the civil rights movement on American literary production.
  • The use of magical realism in the works of contemporary American authors.
  • The role of fairy tales in the development of child psychology.
  • Representation of family structures in modern children’s literature.
  • Gender roles in classic vs. contemporary children’s books.
  • The evolution of the hero’s journey in children’s literature.
  • Moral lessons and their conveyance through children’s stories.
  • The impact of fantasy literature on children’s imaginative development.
  • Depictions of cultural diversity in children’s books.
  • The use of animals as characters and their symbolic meanings in children’s stories.
  • The portrayal of disability in children’s literature and its impact on inclusivity.
  • The influence of children’s literature on early reading skills.
  • Analysis of cross-generational appeal in children’s literature.
  • The role of illustrations in enhancing narrative in children’s books.
  • Censorship and controversial topics in children’s literature.
  • Adaptations of children’s literature into films and their impact on the stories’ reception.
  • The representation of historical events in children’s literature.
  • Exploring the educational value of non-fiction children’s books.
  • The treatment of death and loss in children’s literature.
  • The role of magic and the supernatural in shaping values through children’s books.
  • Psychological impacts of children’s horror literature.
  • The significance of award-winning children’s books in educational contexts.
  • The influence of digital media on children’s book publishing.
  • Parental figures in children’s literature: From authoritarian to nurturing roles.
  • Narrative strategies used in children’s literature to discuss social issues.
  • Environmental themes in children’s literature and their role in fostering eco-consciousness.
  • The adaptation of classic children’s literature in the modern era.
  • The portrayal of bullying in children’s books and its implications for social learning.
  • The use of humor in children’s literature and its effects on engagement and learning.
  • Comparative analysis of children’s book series and their educational impacts.
  • Development of identity and self-concept through children’s literature.
  • The effectiveness of bilingual children’s books in language teaching.
  • The role of rhyme and rhythm in early literacy development through children’s poetry.
  • Sociopolitical themes in children’s literature and their relevance to contemporary issues.
  • The portrayal of technology and its use in children’s science fiction.
  • The representation of religious themes in children’s books.
  • The impact of children’s literature on adult readership.
  • The influence of children’s literature on children’s attitudes towards animals and nature.
  • How children’s literature can be used to support emotional intelligence and resilience.
  • The evolution of adventure themes in children’s literature.
  • Gender representation in children’s graphic novels.
  • Analyzing the narrative structure of children’s picture books.
  • Cross-cultural influences in the modernist movements of Europe and Japan.
  • The depiction of the Other in Western and Eastern literature.
  • Comparative analysis of postcolonial narratives in African and South Asian literatures.
  • The concept of the tragic hero in Greek and Shakespearean drama.
  • The treatment of love and marriage in 19th-century French and Russian novels.
  • The portrayal of nature in American transcendentalism vs. British romanticism.
  • Influence of Persian poetry on 19th-century European poets.
  • Modern reinterpretations of classical myths in Latin American and Southern European literature.
  • The role of dystopian themes in Soviet vs. American cold war literature.
  • Magic realism in Latin American and Sub-Saharan African literature.
  • Comparative study of feminist waves in American and Middle Eastern literature.
  • The depiction of urban life in 20th-century Brazilian and Indian novels.
  • The theme of exile in Jewish literature and Palestinian narratives.
  • Comparative analysis of existential themes in French and Japanese literature.
  • Themes of isolation and alienation in Scandinavian and Canadian literature.
  • The influence of colonialism on narrative structures in Irish and Indian English literature.
  • Analysis of folk tales adaptation in German and Korean children’s literature.
  • The portrayal of historical trauma in Armenian and Jewish literature.
  • The use of allegory in Medieval European and Classical Arabic literature.
  • Representation of indigenous cultures in Australian and North American novels.
  • The role of censorship in Soviet literature compared to Francoist Spain.
  • Themes of redemption in African-American and South African literature.
  • Narrative techniques in stream of consciousness: Virginia Woolf and Clarice Lispector.
  • The intersection of poetry and politics in Latin American and Middle Eastern literature.
  • The evolution of the epistolary novel in 18th-century England and France.
  • Comparative study of the Beat Generation and the Angolan writers of the 1960s.
  • The depiction of spiritual journeys in Indian and Native American literatures.
  • Cross-cultural examinations of humor and satire in British and Russian literatures.
  • Comparative analysis of modern dystopias in American and Chinese literature.
  • The impact of globalization on contemporary European and Asian novelists.
  • Postmodern identity crisis in Japanese and Italian literature.
  • Comparative study of the concept of heroism in ancient Greek and Indian epics.
  • Ecocriticism in British and Brazilian literature.
  • The influence of the French Revolution on English and French literature.
  • Representation of mental illness in 20th-century American and Norwegian plays.
  • Themes of migration in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean literatures.
  • Gender and sexuality in contemporary African and Southeast Asian short stories.
  • The literary portrayal of technological advances in German and American literature.
  • Comparative study of children’s fantasy literature in the British and Egyptian traditions.
  • The role of the supernatural in Japanese and Celtic folklore narratives.
  • The impact of digital culture on narrative forms in contemporary literature.
  • Representation of the global financial crisis in 21st-century novels.
  • Analysis of identity and self in the age of social media as depicted in contemporary literature.
  • The role of dystopian themes in reflecting contemporary societal fears.
  • Post-9/11 political and cultural narratives in American literature.
  • The influence of migration on shaping multicultural identities in contemporary novels.
  • Gender fluidity and queer identities in contemporary literary works.
  • Environmental concerns and ecocriticism in 21st-century fiction.
  • The resurgence of the epistolary novel form in the digital age.
  • The depiction of mental health in contemporary young adult literature.
  • The role of indigenous voices in contemporary world literature.
  • Neo-colonialism and its representation in contemporary African literature.
  • The intersection of film and literature in contemporary storytelling.
  • Analysis of consumerism and its critique in modern literary works.
  • The rise of autobiographical novels in contemporary literature and their impact on narrative authenticity.
  • Technological dystopias and human identity in contemporary science fiction.
  • The representation of terrorism and its impacts in contemporary literature.
  • Examination of contemporary feminist literature and the evolution of feminist theory.
  • The literary treatment of historical memory and trauma in post-Soviet literature.
  • The changing face of heroism in 21st-century literature.
  • Contemporary plays addressing the challenges of modern relationships and family dynamics.
  • The use of supernatural elements in modern literary fiction.
  • The influence of Eastern philosophies on Western contemporary literature.
  • The portrayal of aging and death in contemporary novels.
  • The dynamics of power and corruption in new political thrillers.
  • The evolution of narrative voice and perspective in contemporary literature.
  • Representation of refugees and asylum seekers in modern fiction.
  • The impact of pandemics on literary themes and settings.
  • Postmodern approaches to myth and folklore in contemporary writing.
  • The critique of nationalism and patriotism in 21st-century literature.
  • The use of satire and irony to critique contemporary political climates.
  • Emerging forms of literature, such as interactive and visual novels, in the digital era.
  • The representation of class struggle in contemporary urban narratives.
  • Changes in the portrayal of romance and intimacy in new adult fiction.
  • The challenge of ethical dilemmas in contemporary medical dramas.
  • Examination of space and place in the new landscape of contemporary poetry.
  • Contemporary reimaginings of classical literature characters in modern settings.
  • The role of privacy, surveillance, and paranoia in contemporary narratives.
  • The blending of genres in contemporary literature: The rise of hybrid forms.
  • The portrayal of artificial intelligence and its implications for humanity in contemporary works.
  • The role of memory and nostalgia in the literature of the Jewish diaspora.
  • Narratives of displacement and identity in the African diaspora.
  • The portrayal of the Indian diaspora in contemporary literature.
  • Cross-cultural conflicts and identity negotiations in Korean diaspora literature.
  • The influence of colonial legacies on Caribbean diaspora writers.
  • The concept of “home” and “belonging” in Palestinian diaspora literature.
  • Exploring the Irish diaspora through literary expressions of exile and return.
  • The impact of migration on gender roles within Middle Eastern diaspora communities.
  • Representation of the Vietnamese diaspora in American literature.
  • Transnationalism and its effects on language and narrative in Chicano/Chicana literature.
  • Dual identities and the search for authenticity in Italian-American diaspora writing.
  • The evolution of cultural identity in second-generation diaspora authors.
  • Comparative analysis of diaspora literature from former Yugoslav countries.
  • The depiction of generational conflicts in Chinese-American diaspora literature.
  • The use of folklore and mythology in reconnecting with cultural roots in Filipino diaspora literature.
  • The representation of trauma and recovery in the literature of the Armenian diaspora.
  • Intersectionality and feminism in African diaspora literature.
  • The role of culinary culture in narratives of the Indian diaspora.
  • Identity politics and the struggle for cultural preservation in diaspora literature from Latin America.
  • The portrayal of exile and diaspora in modern Jewish Russian literature.
  • The impact of globalization on diaspora identities as reflected in literature.
  • Language hybridity and innovation in Anglophone Caribbean diaspora literature.
  • Literary portrayals of the challenges faced by refugees in European diaspora communities.
  • The influence of remittances and transnational ties on Filipino diaspora literature.
  • The use of magical realism to express diasporic experiences in Latin American literature.
  • The effects of assimilation and cultural retention in Greek diaspora literature.
  • The role of digital media in shaping the narratives of contemporary diasporas.
  • The depiction of the African American return diaspora in literature.
  • Challenges of integration and discrimination in Muslim diaspora literature in Western countries.
  • The portrayal of Soviet diaspora communities in post-Cold War literature.
  • The narratives of return and reintegration in post-colonial diaspora literatures.
  • The influence of historical events on the literature of the Korean War diaspora.
  • The role of diaspora literature in shaping national policies on immigration.
  • Identity crisis and cultural negotiation in French-Algerian diaspora literature.
  • The impact of diaspora on the evolution of national literatures.
  • Literary exploration of transracial adoption in American diaspora literature.
  • The exploration of queer identities in global diaspora communities.
  • The influence of the digital age on the literary expression of diaspora experiences.
  • Themes of loss and alienation in Canadian diaspora literature.
  • The role of literature in documenting the experiences of the Syrian diaspora.
  • The role of the supernatural in the works of Shakespeare.
  • The portrayal of women in Victorian novels.
  • The influence of the Romantic poets on modern environmental literature.
  • The depiction of poverty and social class in Charles Dickens’ novels.
  • The evolution of the narrative form in British novels from the 18th to the 20th century.
  • Themes of war and peace in post-World War II British poetry.
  • The impact of colonialism on British literature during the Empire.
  • The role of the Byronic hero in Lord Byron’s works and its influence on subsequent literature.
  • The critique of human rights in the plays of Harold Pinter.
  • The representation of race and ethnicity in post-colonial British literature.
  • The influence of Gothic elements in the novels of the Brontë sisters.
  • Modernism and its discontents in the works of Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot.
  • The treatment of love and marriage in Jane Austen’s novels.
  • The use of irony and satire in Jonathan Swift’s writings.
  • The evolution of the tragic hero from Shakespeare to modern plays.
  • Literary depictions of the British countryside in poetry and prose.
  • The rise of feminist literature in England from Mary Wollstonecraft to the present.
  • The portrayal of children and childhood in Lewis Carroll’s works.
  • Analyzing the quest motif in British Arthurian literature.
  • The influence of the Industrial Revolution on English literature.
  • Themes of alienation and isolation in the novels of D.H. Lawrence.
  • The representation of religious doubt and faith in the poetry of John Donne and George Herbert.
  • The role of espionage and national identity in British spy novels.
  • Literary responses to the Irish Troubles in 20th-century British literature.
  • The evolution of comic and satirical plays in British theatre from Ben Jonson to Tom Stoppard.
  • The treatment of death and mourning in the works of Emily Dickinson and Christina Rossetti.
  • Comparative study of myth and mythology in the works of William Blake and Ted Hughes.
  • The depiction of the British Empire and its legacies in contemporary British literature.
  • The role of landscape and environment in shaping the novels of Thomas Hardy.
  • The influence of music and poetry on the lyrical ballads of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
  • The impact of technology on society as depicted in the novels of Aldous Huxley.
  • The critique of societal norms and manners in Oscar Wilde’s plays.
  • Literary explorations of mental illness in the early 20th century.
  • The intersection of literature and science in the works of H.G. Wells.
  • The role of the sea in British literature: From Shakespeare’s tempests to Joseph Conrad’s voyages.
  • The impact of Brexit on contemporary British literature.
  • Themes of exile and displacement in the poetry of W.H. Auden.
  • The influence of American culture on post-war British literature.
  • The role of the detective novel in British literature, from Sherlock Holmes to contemporary works.
  • The portrayal of the “New Woman” in late 19th-century English literature.
  • The evolution of feminist thought in literature from the 19th century to the present.
  • Analysis of the portrayal of women in dystopian literature.
  • Intersectionality and its representation in contemporary feminist texts.
  • The role of women in shaping modernist literature.
  • Feminist critique of traditional gender roles in fairy tales and folklore.
  • The portrayal of female agency in graphic novels and comics.
  • The influence of second-wave feminism on literature of the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Postcolonial feminism in the works of authors from Africa and the Caribbean.
  • The depiction of motherhood in feminist literature across cultures.
  • The impact of feminist theory on the analysis of classical literature.
  • Ecofeminism: exploring the link between ecology and gender in literature.
  • Feminist perspectives on sexuality and desire in literature.
  • The intersection of feminism and disability in literary texts.
  • The role of the female gothic in understanding women’s oppression and empowerment.
  • Representation of transgender and non-binary characters in feminist literature.
  • Feminism and the critique of capitalism in literary works.
  • The representation of women in science fiction and fantasy genres.
  • Analysis of domesticity and the private sphere in 19th-century literature.
  • Feminist reinterpretations of mythological figures and stories.
  • The role of women in revolutionary narratives and political literature.
  • Feminist analysis of the body and corporeality in literature.
  • The portrayal of female friendships and solidarity in novels.
  • The influence of feminist literature on contemporary pop culture.
  • Gender and power dynamics in the works of Shakespeare from a feminist perspective.
  • The impact of digital media on feminist literary criticism.
  • Feminist literary responses to global crises and conflicts.
  • Queer feminism and literature: Exploring texts that intersect gender, sexuality, and feminist theory.
  • The portrayal of women in wartime literature from a feminist viewpoint.
  • Feminist poetry movements and their contribution to literary history.
  • The influence of feminist literary theory on teaching literature in academic settings.
  • Feminist analysis of women’s voices in oral narratives and storytelling traditions.
  • Representation of women in the detective and mystery genres.
  • The use of satire and humor in feminist literature to challenge societal norms.
  • Feminist perspectives on religious texts and their interpretations.
  • The critique of marriage and relationships in feminist novels.
  • Women’s narratives in the digital age: Blogs, social media, and literature.
  • Feminist literature as a tool for social change and activism.
  • The influence of feminist literature on legal and social policy reforms.
  • Gender roles in children’s literature: A feminist critique.
  • The role of feminist literature in redefining beauty standards and body image.
  • The evolution of the Gothic novel from the 18th century to contemporary Gothic fiction.
  • The representation of the sublime and the terrifying in Gothic literature.
  • The role of haunted landscapes in Gothic narratives.
  • Psychological horror vs. supernatural horror in Gothic literature.
  • The portrayal of madness in classic Gothic novels.
  • The influence of Gothic literature on modern horror films.
  • Themes of isolation and alienation in Gothic fiction.
  • The use of architecture as a symbol of psychological state in Gothic literature.
  • Gender roles and the portrayal of women in Victorian Gothic novels.
  • The revival of Gothic elements in 21st-century young adult literature.
  • The depiction of villains and anti-heroes in Gothic stories.
  • Comparative analysis of European and American Gothic literature.
  • The intersection of Gothic literature and romanticism.
  • The influence of religious symbolism and themes in Gothic narratives.
  • Gothic elements in the works of contemporary authors like Stephen King and Anne Rice.
  • The role of curses and prophecies in Gothic storytelling.
  • Gothic literature as social and cultural critique.
  • The representation of death and the afterlife in Gothic novels.
  • The use of dual personalities in Gothic literature.
  • The impact of Gothic literature on fashion and visual arts.
  • The role of secrecy and suspense in creating the Gothic atmosphere.
  • The depiction of the monstrous and the grotesque in Gothic texts.
  • Exploring the Gothic in graphic novels and comics.
  • The motif of the journey in Gothic literature.
  • The portrayal of science and experimentation in Gothic stories.
  • Gothic elements in children’s literature.
  • The role of nature and the natural world in Gothic narratives.
  • Themes of inheritance and the burden of the past in Gothic novels.
  • The influence of Gothic literature on the development of detective and mystery genres.
  • The portrayal of patriarchal society and its discontents in Gothic fiction.
  • The Gothic and its relation to postcolonial literature.
  • The use of folklore and myth in Gothic narratives.
  • The narrative structure and techniques in Gothic literature.
  • The role of the supernatural in defining the Gothic genre.
  • Gothic literature as a reflection of societal anxieties during different historical periods.
  • The motif of entrapment and escape in Gothic stories.
  • Comparative study of Gothic literature and dark romanticism.
  • The use of setting as a character in Gothic narratives.
  • The evolution of the ghost story within Gothic literature.
  • The function of mirrors and doubling in Gothic texts.
  • The portrayal of traditional spiritual beliefs in Indigenous literature.
  • The impact of colonization on Indigenous narratives and storytelling.
  • Analysis of language revitalization efforts through Indigenous literature.
  • Indigenous feminist perspectives in contemporary literature.
  • The role of land and environment in Indigenous storytelling.
  • Depictions of family and community in Indigenous novels.
  • The intersection of Indigenous literature and modernist themes.
  • The representation of cultural trauma and resilience in Indigenous poetry.
  • The use of oral traditions in modern Indigenous writing.
  • Indigenous perspectives on sovereignty and autonomy in literary texts.
  • The role of Indigenous literature in national reconciliation processes.
  • Contemporary Indigenous literature as a form of political activism.
  • The influence of Indigenous languages on narrative structure and poetics.
  • The depiction of urban Indigenous experiences in literature.
  • Analysis of Indigenous science fiction and speculative fiction.
  • The portrayal of intergenerational trauma and healing in Indigenous stories.
  • The role of mythology and folklore in contemporary Indigenous literature.
  • Indigenous authors and the global literary market.
  • The use of non-linear narratives in Indigenous storytelling.
  • Comparative study of Indigenous literatures from different continents.
  • The portrayal of Indigenous identities in children’s and young adult literature.
  • Representation of gender and sexuality in Indigenous literature.
  • The role of art and imagery in Indigenous narratives.
  • The influence of non-Indigenous readerships on the publication of Indigenous texts.
  • Environmental justice themes in Indigenous literature.
  • The depiction of historical events and their impacts in Indigenous novels.
  • Indigenous literature as a tool for education and cultural preservation.
  • The dynamics of translation in bringing Indigenous stories to a wider audience.
  • The treatment of non-human entities and their personification in Indigenous stories.
  • The influence of Indigenous storytelling techniques on contemporary cinema.
  • Indigenous authorship and intellectual property rights.
  • The impact of awards and recognitions on Indigenous literary careers.
  • Analysis of Indigenous autobiographies and memoirs.
  • The role of mentorship and community support in the development of Indigenous writers.
  • Comparative analysis of traditional and contemporary forms of Indigenous poetry.
  • The effect of digital media on the dissemination of Indigenous stories.
  • Indigenous resistance and survival narratives in the face of cultural assimilation.
  • The role of Indigenous literature in shaping cultural policies.
  • Exploring hybrid identities through Indigenous literature.
  • The representation of Indigenous spiritual practices in modern novels.
  • The application of deconstruction in contemporary literary analysis.
  • The impact of feminist theory on the interpretation of classic literature.
  • Marxism and its influence on the critique of 21st-century novels.
  • The role of psychoanalytic theory in understanding character motivations and narrative structures.
  • Postcolonial theory and its application to modern diaspora literature.
  • The relevance of structuralism in today’s literary studies.
  • The intersection of queer theory and literature.
  • The use of ecocriticism to interpret environmental themes in literature.
  • Reader-response theory and its implications for understanding audience engagement.
  • The influence of New Historicism on the interpretation of historical novels.
  • The application of critical race theory in analyzing literature by authors of color.
  • The role of biographical criticism in studying authorial intent.
  • The impact of digital humanities on literary studies.
  • The application of narrative theory in the study of non-linear storytelling.
  • The critique of capitalism using cultural materialism in contemporary literature.
  • The evolution of feminist literary criticism from the second wave to the present.
  • Hermeneutics and the philosophy of interpretation in literature.
  • The study of semiotics in graphic novels and visual literature.
  • The role of myth criticism in understanding modern reinterpretations of ancient stories.
  • Comparative literature and the challenges of cross-cultural interpretations.
  • The impact of globalization on postcolonial literary theories.
  • The application of disability studies in literary analysis.
  • Memory studies and its influence on the interpretation of narrative time.
  • The influence of phenomenology on character analysis in novels.
  • The role of orientalism in the depiction of the East in Western literature.
  • The relevance of Bakhtin’s theories on dialogism and the carnivalesque in contemporary media.
  • The implications of translation studies for interpreting multilingual texts.
  • The use of animal studies in literature to critique human-animal relationships.
  • The role of affect theory in understanding emotional responses to literature.
  • The critique of imperialism and nationalism in literature using postcolonial theories.
  • The implications of intersectionality in feminist literary criticism.
  • The application of Freudian concepts to the analysis of horror and Gothic literature.
  • The use of genre theory in classifying emerging forms of digital literature.
  • The critique of linguistic imperialism in postcolonial literature.
  • The use of performance theory in the study of drama and poetry readings.
  • The relevance of Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony in literary studies.
  • The examination of space and place in urban literature using spatial theory.
  • The impact of surveillance culture on contemporary narrative forms.
  • The application of chaos theory to the analysis of complex narrative structures.
  • The role of allegory in political and religious texts through historical and contemporary lenses.
  • Adaptation theory and the translation of literary narratives into film.
  • The role of the director as an interpreter of literary texts in cinema.
  • Comparative analysis of narrative techniques in novels and their film adaptations.
  • The impact of film adaptations on the reception of classic literature.
  • The portrayal of historical events in literature and film.
  • The influence of screenplay structure on literary narrative forms.
  • The representation of gender roles in book-to-film adaptations.
  • The intertextuality between film scripts and their source novels.
  • The use of visual symbolism in films adapted from literary works.
  • The portrayal of psychological depth in characters from literature to film.
  • The adaptation of non-fiction literature into documentary filmmaking.
  • The impact of the author’s biographical elements on film adaptations.
  • The role of music and sound in enhancing narrative elements from literature in films.
  • The evolution of the horror genre from literature to film.
  • The representation of science fiction themes in literature and their adaptation to cinema.
  • The influence of fan culture on the adaptation process.
  • The depiction of dystopian societies in books and their cinematic counterparts.
  • The challenges of translating poetry into visual narrative.
  • The portrayal of magical realism in literature and film.
  • The depiction of race and ethnicity in adaptations of multicultural literature.
  • The role of the viewer’s perspective in literature vs. film.
  • The effectiveness of dialogue adaptation from literary dialogues to film scripts.
  • The impact of setting and locale in film adaptations of regional literature.
  • The transformation of the mystery genre from page to screen.
  • The adaptation of children’s literature into family films.
  • The narrative construction of heroism in literary epics and their film adaptations.
  • The influence of graphic novels on visual storytelling in films.
  • The adaptation of classical mythology in modern cinema.
  • The ethics of adapting real-life events and biographies into film.
  • The role of cinematic techniques in depicting internal monologues from novels.
  • The comparison of thematic depth in short stories and their film adaptations.
  • The portrayal of alienation in modern literature and independent films.
  • The adaptation of stage plays into feature films.
  • The challenges of adapting experimental literature into conventional film formats.
  • The representation of time and memory in literature and film.
  • The adaptation of young adult novels into film franchises.
  • The role of directorial vision in reinterpreting a literary work for the screen.
  • The cultural impact of blockbuster adaptations of fantasy novels.
  • The influence of cinematic adaptations on contemporary novel writing.
  • The role of censorship in the adaptation of controversial literary works to film.
  • The portrayal of the American Revolution in contemporary historical novels.
  • The impact of the World Wars on European literary expression.
  • The depiction of the Victorian era in British novels.
  • Literary responses to the Great Depression in American literature.
  • The representation of the Russian Revolution in 20th-century literature.
  • The influence of the Harlem Renaissance on African American literature.
  • The role of literature in documenting the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
  • The depiction of colonialism and its aftermath in African literature.
  • The influence of historical events on the development of national literatures.
  • The role of literary works in shaping public memory of historical tragedies.
  • The portrayal of the Holocaust in European and American literature.
  • The use of allegory to critique political regimes in 20th-century literature.
  • The depiction of indigenous histories and resistances in literature.
  • The representation of the French Revolution in romantic literature.
  • Literature as a tool for national identity construction in postcolonial states.
  • The portrayal of historical figures in biographical novels.
  • The influence of the Cold War on spy novels and political thrillers.
  • The impact of migration and diaspora on historical narratives in literature.
  • The role of the ancient world in shaping modern historical novels.
  • The depiction of the Industrial Revolution and its impacts in literature.
  • The role of women in historical novels from the feminist perspective.
  • The representation of religious conflicts and their historical impacts in literature.
  • The influence of myth and folklore on historical narrative constructions.
  • The depiction of the American West in literature and its historical inaccuracies.
  • The role of literature in the preservation of endangered languages and cultures.
  • The impact of digital archives on the study of literature and history.
  • The use of literature to explore counterfactual histories.
  • The portrayal of piracy and maritime history in adventure novels.
  • Literary depictions of the fall of empires and their historical contexts.
  • The impact of archaeological discoveries on historical fiction.
  • The influence of the Spanish Civil War on global literary movements.
  • The depiction of social upheavals and their impacts on literary production.
  • The role of literature in documenting the environmental history of regions.
  • The portrayal of non-Western historical narratives in global literature.
  • The impact of historical laws and policies on the lives of characters in novels.
  • The influence of public health crises and pandemics on literature.
  • The representation of trade routes and their historical significance in literature.
  • The depiction of revolutions and uprisings in Latin American literature.
  • The role of historical texts in the reimagining of genre literature.
  • The influence of postmodernism on the interpretation of historical narratives in literature.
  • The exploration of existential themes in modern literature.
  • The representation of Platonic ideals in Renaissance literature.
  • Nietzschean perspectives in the works of postmodern authors.
  • The influence of Stoicism on characters’ development in classical literature.
  • The portrayal of ethical dilemmas in war novels.
  • The philosophical underpinnings of utopian and dystopian literature.
  • The role of absurdism in the narratives of 20th-century plays.
  • The concept of ‘the Other’ in literature, from a phenomenological viewpoint.
  • The depiction of free will and determinism in science fiction.
  • The influence of feminist philosophy on contemporary literature.
  • The exploration of Socratic dialogue within literary texts.
  • The reflection of Cartesian dualism in Gothic novels.
  • Buddhist philosophy in the works of Eastern and Western authors.
  • The impact of existentialism on the characterization in novels by Camus and Sartre.
  • The use of allegory to explore philosophical concepts in medieval literature.
  • The portrayal of hedonism and asceticism in biographical fiction.
  • The exploration of phenomenology in autobiographical narratives.
  • Literary critiques of capitalism through Marxist philosophy.
  • The relationship between language and reality in post-structuralist texts.
  • The depiction of nihilism in Russian literature.
  • The intersection of Confucian philosophy and traditional Asian narratives.
  • The exploration of human nature in literature from a Hobbesian perspective.
  • The influence of pragmatism on American literary realism.
  • The portrayal of justice and injustice in novels centered on legal dilemmas.
  • The exploration of existential risk and future ethics in speculative fiction.
  • The philosophical examination of memory and identity in memoirs and autobiographies.
  • The role of ethics in the portrayal of artificial intelligence in literature.
  • The literary interpretation of Schopenhauer’s philosophy of pessimism.
  • The reflection of Epicurean philosophy in modern travel literature.
  • The influence of Kantian ethics on the narratives of moral conflict.
  • The representation of libertarian philosophies in dystopian literature.
  • The philosophical discourse on beauty and aesthetics in literature.
  • The exploration of virtue ethics through historical biographical novels.
  • The philosophical implications of transhumanism in cyberpunk literature.
  • The use of literature to explore the philosophical concept of the sublime.
  • The narrative structures of temporality and eternity in philosophical novels.
  • The impact of neo-Platonism on the symbolism in Renaissance poetry.
  • The portrayal of existential isolation in urban contemporary novels.
  • The reflection of utilitarianism in social and political novels.
  • The exploration of ethical ambiguity in spy and thriller genres.
  • The portrayal of psychological disorders in modernist literature.
  • Exploration of trauma and its narrative representation in post-war novels.
  • The use of stream of consciousness as a method to explore cognitive processes in literature.
  • The psychological impact of isolation in dystopian literature.
  • The depiction of childhood and development in coming-of-age novels.
  • Psychological manipulation in the narrative structure of mystery and thriller novels.
  • The role of psychological resilience in characters surviving extreme conditions.
  • The influence of Freudian theory on the interpretation of dreams in literature.
  • The use of psychological archetypes in the development of mythological storytelling.
  • The portrayal of psychological therapy and its impacts in contemporary fiction.
  • Analysis of cognitive dissonance through characters’ internal conflicts in novels.
  • The exploration of the Jungian shadow in villain characters.
  • Psychological profiling of protagonists in crime fiction.
  • The impact of societal expectations on mental health in historical novels.
  • The role of psychology in understanding unreliable narrators.
  • The depiction of addiction and recovery in autobiographical works.
  • The exploration of grief and mourning in poetry.
  • Psychological theories of love as depicted in romantic literature.
  • The narrative portrayal of dissociative identity disorder in literature.
  • The use of psychological suspense in Gothic literature.
  • The representation of anxiety and depression in young adult fiction.
  • Psychological effects of war on soldiers as depicted in military fiction.
  • The role of psychoanalysis in interpreting symbolic content in fairy tales.
  • The psychological impact of technological change as seen in science fiction.
  • The exploration of existential crises in philosophical novels.
  • The depiction of social psychology principles in literature about cults and mass movements.
  • Psychological aspects of racial and gender identity in contemporary literature.
  • The representation of the subconscious in surreal and absurd literature.
  • The application of psychological resilience theories in survival literature.
  • The portrayal of parental influence on child development in family sagas.
  • Psychological theories of aging as explored in literature about the elderly.
  • The depiction of sensory processing disorders in fictional characters.
  • Psychological effects of immigration and cultural assimilation in diaspora literature.
  • The role of narrative therapy in autobiographical writing and memoirs.
  • The portrayal of obsessive-compulsive disorder in narrative fiction.
  • Psychological implications of virtual realities in cyberpunk literature.
  • The representation of psychopathy in anti-hero characters.
  • The exploration of group dynamics and leadership in epic tales.
  • Psychological interpretations of magical realism as a reflection of cultural psyche.
  • The use of literature in the therapeutic practice and understanding of mental health issues.
  • The influence of Christian theology on medieval epic poems.
  • The role of allegory in interpreting medieval morality plays.
  • The depiction of chivalry and courtly love in Arthurian legends.
  • Comparative analysis of the heroic ideals in Beowulf and the Song of Roland.
  • The impact of the Black Death on the themes of medieval poetry and prose.
  • The portrayal of women in medieval romances.
  • The use of dreams as a narrative device in medieval literature.
  • The representation of the otherworldly and supernatural in medieval texts.
  • The function of medieval bestiaries in literature and their symbolic meanings.
  • The influence of the Crusades on medieval literature across Europe.
  • The evolution of the troubadour and trouvère traditions in medieval France.
  • The depiction of feudalism and social hierarchy in medieval narratives.
  • The role of satire and humor in the Canterbury Tales.
  • The impact of monastic life on medieval literary production.
  • The use of vernacular languages in medieval literature versus Latin texts.
  • The portrayal of sin and redemption in Dante’s Divine Comedy.
  • The literary responses to the Mongol invasions in medieval Eurasian literature.
  • The development of allegorical interpretation in medieval biblical exegesis.
  • The influence of Islamic culture on medieval European literature.
  • The representation of Jewish communities in medieval Christian literature.
  • The concept of kingship and rule in Anglo-Saxon literature.
  • The use of landscape and nature in medieval Celtic stories.
  • The role of pilgrimage in shaping medieval narrative structures.
  • The depiction of witchcraft and magic in medieval texts.
  • Gender roles and their subversion in Middle English literature.
  • The literary legacy of Charlemagne in medieval European epics.
  • The portrayal of disability and disease in medieval literature.
  • The use of relics and iconography in medieval religious writings.
  • The medieval origins of modern fantasy literature tropes.
  • The use of cryptography and secret messages in medieval romance literature.
  • The influence of medieval astronomy and cosmology on literary works.
  • The role of manuscript culture in preserving medieval literary texts.
  • The depiction of Vikings in medieval English and Scandinavian literature.
  • Medieval literary depictions of Byzantine and Ottoman interactions.
  • The representation of sermons and homilies in medieval literature.
  • The literary forms and functions of medieval liturgical drama.
  • The influence of classical antiquity on medieval literary forms.
  • The use of irony and parody in medieval fabliaux.
  • The role of the troubadour poetry in the development of lyrical music traditions.
  • The impact of medieval legal texts on contemporary narrative forms.
  • The influence of urbanization on narrative form in Modernist literature.
  • Stream of consciousness technique in the works of Virginia Woolf and James Joyce.
  • The role of symbolism and imagery in T.S. Eliot’s poetry.
  • The depiction of the World War I experience in Modernist novels.
  • The impact of Freudian psychology on Modernist character development.
  • The intersection of visual arts and narrative structure in Modernist poetry.
  • The critique of imperialism and colonialism in Modernist texts.
  • The representation of gender and sexuality in Modernist literature.
  • The influence of technology and industrialization on Modernist themes.
  • The use of fragmentation and non-linear narratives in Modernist fiction.
  • The evolution of the novel form in Modernist literature.
  • The role of existential philosophy in shaping Modernist themes.
  • The critique of traditional values and societal norms in Modernist works.
  • The portrayal of alienation and isolation in the Modernist era.
  • The impact of Jazz music on the rhythm and structure of Modernist poetry.
  • The role of expatriate writers in the development of Modernist literature.
  • The influence of Russian literature on Modernist authors.
  • The exploration of time and memory in Modernist narrative techniques.
  • The depiction of urban alienation and anonymity in Modernist literature.
  • The role of patronage and literary salons in the promotion of Modernist art.
  • The impact of cinema on Modernist narrative techniques.
  • The representation of religious doubt and spiritual crisis in Modernist texts.
  • The influence of Cubism on the form and structure of Modernist poetry.
  • The use of irony and satire in the critiques of Modernist society.
  • The interplay between Modernist literature and the emerging psychoanalytic discourse.
  • The depiction of the breakdown of language and communication in Modernist works.
  • The role of the anti-hero in Modernist novels.
  • The impact of existential despair on the themes of Modernist literature.
  • The representation of the New Woman in Modernist fiction.
  • The influence of Eastern philosophies on Modernist thought and writings.
  • The critique of materialism and consumer culture in Modernist literature.
  • The role of myth and narrative reconfiguration in Modernist poetry.
  • The depiction of war trauma and its aftermath in Modernist literature.
  • The representation of racial and ethnic identities in Modernist works.
  • The impact of avant-garde movements on Modernist literary forms.
  • The influence of European intellectual movements on American Modernist writers.
  • The role of the flâneur in Modernist literature and urban exploration.
  • The exploration of linguistic innovation in the works of Gertrude Stein.
  • The critique of historical progress in Modernist narratives.
  • The impact of existentialism on the depiction of the absurd in Modernist theatre.
  • The representation of colonial impact on identity in postcolonial narratives.
  • The role of language and power in postcolonial literature.
  • The portrayal of gender and resistance in postcolonial women’s writings.
  • The depiction of hybridity and cultural syncretism in postcolonial texts.
  • The influence of native folklore and mythology in postcolonial storytelling.
  • The critique of neocolonialism and globalization in contemporary postcolonial literature.
  • The exploration of diaspora and migration in postcolonial narratives.
  • The role of the subaltern voice in postcolonial literature.
  • The impact of postcolonial theory on Western literary criticism.
  • The representation of landscapes and spaces in postcolonial works.
  • The portrayal of historical trauma and memory in postcolonial fiction.
  • The exploration of identity and belonging in postcolonial children’s literature.
  • The use of magical realism as a political tool in postcolonial literature.
  • The depiction of urbanization and its effects in postcolonial cities.
  • The role of religion in shaping postcolonial identities.
  • The impact of apartheid and its aftermath in South African literature.
  • The representation of indigenous knowledge systems in postcolonial texts.
  • The critique of patriarchy in postcolonial narratives.
  • The exploration of linguistic decolonization in postcolonial writing.
  • The portrayal of conflict and reconciliation in postcolonial societies.
  • The depiction of postcolonial resistance strategies in literature.
  • The representation of climate change and environmental issues in postcolonial contexts.
  • The role of education in postcolonial literature.
  • The impact of tourism and exoticism on postcolonial identities.
  • The exploration of economic disparities in postcolonial narratives.
  • The representation of refugees and asylum seekers in postcolonial literature.
  • The portrayal of political corruption and governance in postcolonial works.
  • The depiction of cultural preservation and loss in postcolonial societies.
  • The role of oral traditions in contemporary postcolonial literature.
  • The portrayal of transnational identities in postcolonial fiction.
  • The exploration of gender fluidity and sexuality in postcolonial texts.
  • The depiction of labor migration and its effects in postcolonial literature.
  • The role of the media in shaping postcolonial discourses.
  • The impact of Western pop culture on postcolonial societies.
  • The portrayal of intergenerational conflict in postcolonial families.
  • The depiction of mental health issues in postcolonial contexts.
  • The exploration of postcolonial futurism in African speculative fiction.
  • The representation of native resistance against colonial forces in historical novels.
  • The critique of linguistic imperialism in postcolonial education.
  • The depiction of decolonization movements in postcolonial literature.
  • The use of metafiction and narrative self-awareness in postmodern literature.
  • The role of irony and playfulness in postmodern texts.
  • The exploration of fragmented identities in postmodern novels.
  • The deconstruction of traditional narrative structures in postmodern works.
  • The representation of hyperreality and the simulation of reality in postmodern fiction.
  • The critique of consumer culture and its influence on postmodern characters.
  • The exploration of historiographic metafiction and the reinterpretation of history.
  • The role of pastiche and intertextuality in postmodern literature.
  • The depiction of paranoia and conspiracy in postmodern narratives.
  • The portrayal of cultural relativism and the challenge to universal truths.
  • The use of multimedia and digital influences in postmodern writing.
  • The exploration of existential uncertainty in postmodern philosophy and literature.
  • The role of gender and identity politics in postmodern texts.
  • The depiction of postmodern urban landscapes and architecture in literature.
  • The representation of globalization and its effects in postmodern novels.
  • The portrayal of ecological crises and environmental concerns in postmodern fiction.
  • The critique of scientific rationalism and technology in postmodern literature.
  • The exploration of linguistic experimentation and its impact on narrative.
  • The role of the anti-hero and flawed protagonists in postmodern stories.
  • The depiction of social fragmentation and alienation in postmodern works.
  • The representation of non-linear time and its effect on narrative perspective.
  • The portrayal of the dissolution of boundaries between high and low culture.
  • The use of parody and satire to critique political and social norms.
  • The exploration of subjectivity and the breakdown of the authorial voice.
  • The role of performance and spectacle in postmodern drama.
  • The depiction of marginalization and minority voices in postmodern literature.
  • The representation of the interplay between virtual and physical realities.
  • The portrayal of ephemeral and transient experiences in postmodern texts.
  • The critique of capitalism and neoliberal economics in postmodern narratives.
  • The exploration of human relationships in the context of media saturation.
  • The depiction of dystopian societies and their critiques of contemporary issues.
  • The role of surreal and absurd elements in postmodern storytelling.
  • The portrayal of cultural pastiches and their implications for identity formation.
  • The exploration of narrative unreliability and ambiguous truths.
  • The depiction of multiple realities and parallel universes in postmodern fiction.
  • The representation of anarchism and resistance in postmodern literature.
  • The critique of colonial narratives and their postmodern reevaluations.
  • The exploration of therapeutic narratives in postmodern psychology and literature.
  • The role of chance and randomness in the structure of postmodern plots.
  • The portrayal of artistic and cultural decadence in postmodern settings.
  • The impact of humanism on the themes and forms of Renaissance poetry.
  • The influence of Renaissance art on the literature of the period.
  • The role of court patronage in the development of literary forms during the Renaissance.
  • The depiction of love and courtship in Shakespeare’s comedies.
  • The use of classical myths in Renaissance drama.
  • The portrayal of political power in the plays of Christopher Marlowe.
  • The evolution of the sonnet form from Petrarch to Shakespeare.
  • The representation of women in Renaissance literature and the role of gender.
  • The impact of the Reformation on English literature during the Renaissance.
  • The development of narrative prose during the Renaissance.
  • The influence of Italian literature on English Renaissance writers.
  • The role of allegory in Spenser’s The Faerie Queene .
  • The depiction of the supernatural in Renaissance drama.
  • The exploration of identity and self in Renaissance autobiographical writings.
  • The rise of satire and its development during the English Renaissance.
  • The concept of the tragic hero in Renaissance tragedy.
  • The role of travel and exploration narratives in shaping Renaissance literature.
  • The influence of Machiavellian philosophy on Renaissance literary characters.
  • The representation of religious conflicts and sectarianism in Renaissance texts.
  • The depiction of colonialism and its early impacts in Renaissance literature.
  • The portrayal of the city and urban life in Renaissance literature.
  • The use of rhetoric and persuasion in the sermons and speeches of the Renaissance.
  • The depiction of friendship and societal bonds in Renaissance literature.
  • The influence of Renaissance music on the poetic forms of the time.
  • The role of magic and science in the literature of the Renaissance.
  • The treatment of classical philosophy in Renaissance humanist literature.
  • The representation of nature and the environment in pastoral literature.
  • The depiction of courtly and peasant life in Renaissance drama.
  • The influence of Renaissance literature on later literary movements.
  • The portrayal of villains and their motivations in Renaissance plays.
  • The development of printing technology and its impact on Renaissance literature.
  • The role of language and dialect in the literature of the English Renaissance.
  • The depiction of the New World in Renaissance travel literature.
  • The exploration of moral and ethical issues in Renaissance philosophical writings.
  • The impact of Spanish literature on the Renaissance literary scene.
  • The role of soliloquies in deepening character development in Renaissance drama.
  • The treatment of death and mortality in Renaissance poetry.
  • The representation of court politics and intrigue in Renaissance historical plays.
  • The development of comedic elements in Renaissance literature.
  • The exploration of Renaissance literary criticism and its approaches to interpretation.
  • The exploration of nature and the sublime in Romantic poetry.
  • The role of the individual and personal emotion in Romantic literature.
  • The impact of the French Revolution on Romantic literary themes.
  • The representation of the Byronic hero in Romantic novels.
  • The influence of Gothic elements on Romantic literature.
  • The depiction of women and femininity in the works of Romantic poets.
  • The role of imagination and creativity in Romantic theories of art and literature.
  • The portrayal of childhood and innocence in Romantic literature.
  • The influence of Eastern cultures on Romantic poetry and prose.
  • The interplay between science and religion in Romantic texts.
  • The Romantic fascination with death and the macabre.
  • The depiction of landscapes and rural life in Romantic poetry.
  • The role of folklore and mythology in shaping Romantic narratives.
  • The impact of Romanticism on national identities across Europe.
  • The exploration of exile and alienation in Romantic literature.
  • The critique of industrialization and its social impacts in Romantic writing.
  • The development of the historical novel in Romantic literature.
  • The role of letters and correspondence in Romantic literary culture.
  • The representation of revolutionary ideals and their disillusionment in Romantic texts.
  • The exploration of human rights and liberty in Romantic works.
  • The portrayal of artistic genius and its torments in Romantic literature.
  • The depiction of friendship and romantic love in Romantic poetry.
  • The influence of Romantic literature on the development of modern environmentalism.
  • The role of music and its inspiration on Romantic poetry.
  • The exploration of time and memory in Romantic literary works.
  • The depiction of urban versus rural dichotomies in Romantic texts.
  • The impact of Romanticism on later literary movements such as Symbolism and Decadence.
  • The role of melancholy and introspection in Romantic poetry.
  • The representation of dreams and visions in Romantic literature.
  • The depiction of storms and natural disasters as metaphors in Romantic writing.
  • The exploration of political reform and radicalism in Romantic works.
  • The portrayal of the supernatural and its role in Romantic narratives.
  • The influence of Romantic literature on the visual arts.
  • The depiction of heroism and adventure in Romantic epics.
  • The role of solitude and contemplation in Romantic poetry.
  • The exploration of national folklore in the Romantic movement across different cultures.
  • The critique of reason and rationality in favor of emotional intuition.
  • The depiction of the quest for immortality and eternal youth in Romantic literature.
  • The role of the pastoral and the picturesque in Romantic aesthetics.
  • The exploration of spiritual and transcendental experiences in Romantic texts.
  • The role of dystopian worlds in critiquing contemporary social issues.
  • The portrayal of artificial intelligence and its ethical implications in science fiction.
  • The evolution of space opera within science fiction literature.
  • The depiction of alternate histories in fantasy literature and their cultural significance.
  • The use of magic systems in fantasy novels as metaphors for real-world power dynamics.
  • The representation of gender and sexuality in speculative fiction.
  • The influence of scientific advancements on the development of science fiction themes.
  • Environmentalism and ecocriticism in science fiction and fantasy narratives.
  • The role of the hero’s journey in modern fantasy literature.
  • The portrayal of utopias and their transformation into dystopias.
  • The impact of post-apocalyptic settings on character development and moral choices.
  • The exploration of virtual reality in science fiction and its implications for the future of society.
  • The representation of alien cultures in science fiction and the critique of human ethnocentrism.
  • The use of mythology and folklore in building fantasy worlds.
  • The influence of cyberpunk culture on contemporary science fiction.
  • The depiction of time travel and its impact on narrative structure and theme.
  • The role of military science fiction in exploring warfare and peace.
  • The portrayal of religious themes in science fiction and fantasy.
  • The impact of fan fiction and its contributions to the science fiction and fantasy genres.
  • The exploration of psychological themes through science fiction and fantasy narratives.
  • The role of colonization in science fiction narratives.
  • The impact of science fiction and fantasy literature on technological innovation.
  • The depiction of societal collapse and reconstruction in speculative fiction.
  • The role of language and linguistics in science fiction, such as in creating alien languages.
  • The portrayal of non-human characters in fantasy literature and what they reveal about human nature.
  • The use of science fiction in exploring philosophical concepts such as identity and consciousness.
  • The representation of disabled characters in science fiction and fantasy.
  • The influence of historical events on the development of fantasy literature.
  • The critique of capitalism and corporate governance in dystopian science fiction.
  • The role of political allegory in science fiction during the Cold War.
  • The representation of indigenous peoples in fantasy settings.
  • The impact of climate change on the settings and themes of speculative fiction.
  • The exploration of bioethics and genetic modification in science fiction.
  • The impact of globalization as seen through science fiction narratives.
  • The role of women authors in shaping modern science fiction and fantasy.
  • The exploration of sentient machines and the definition of life in science fiction.
  • The use of archetypes in fantasy literature and their psychological implications.
  • The narrative strategies used to build suspense and mystery in fantasy series.
  • The influence of Eastern philosophies on Western science fiction.
  • The portrayal of family and community in post-apocalyptic environments.
  • The representation of the British Empire and colonialism in Victorian novels.
  • The impact of the Industrial Revolution on the social landscape in Victorian literature.
  • The depiction of gender roles and the domestic sphere in Victorian novels.
  • The influence of Darwinian thought on Victorian characters and themes.
  • The role of the Gothic tradition in Victorian literature.
  • The portrayal of morality and ethics in the works of Charles Dickens.
  • The exploration of class disparity and social mobility in Victorian fiction.
  • The depiction of urban life and its challenges in Victorian literature.
  • The role of realism in Victorian novels and its impact on literary form.
  • The representation of mental illness and psychology in Victorian fiction.
  • The critique of materialism and consumer culture in Victorian literature.
  • The portrayal of children and childhood in Victorian narratives.
  • The exploration of romanticism versus realism in Victorian poetry.
  • The depiction of religious doubt and spiritual crises in Victorian texts.
  • The role of women writers in the Victorian literary scene.
  • The portrayal of the “New Woman” in late Victorian literature.
  • The exploration of scientific progress and its ethical implications in Victorian works.
  • The depiction of crime and punishment in Victorian detective fiction.
  • The influence of aestheticism and decadence in late Victorian literature.
  • The representation of imperial anxieties and racial theories in Victorian novels.
  • The role of sensation novels in shaping Victorian popular culture.
  • The portrayal of marriage and its discontents in Victorian literature.
  • The depiction of rural life versus urbanization in Victorian narratives.
  • The exploration of philanthropy and social reform in Victorian texts.
  • The role of the supernatural and the occult in Victorian fiction.
  • The portrayal of art and artists in Victorian literature.
  • The representation of travel and exploration in Victorian novels.
  • The depiction of the aristocracy and their decline in Victorian literature.
  • The influence of newspapers and media on Victorian literary culture.
  • The role of patriotism and national identity in Victorian writings.
  • The exploration of the Victorian underworld in literature.
  • The depiction of legal and judicial systems in Victorian fiction.
  • The portrayal of addiction and vice in Victorian texts.
  • The role of foreign settings in Victorian novels.
  • The depiction of technological advancements in transportation in Victorian literature.
  • The influence of French and Russian literary movements on Victorian authors.
  • The role of epistolary form in Victorian novels.
  • The portrayal of altruism and self-sacrifice in Victorian narratives.
  • The depiction of servants and their roles in Victorian households.
  • The exploration of colonial and postcolonial readings of Victorian texts.
  • The role of translation in shaping the global reception of classic literary works.
  • The impact of globalization on the development of contemporary world literature.
  • Comparative analysis of national myths in literature across different cultures.
  • The influence of postcolonial theory on the interpretation of world literature.
  • The depiction of cross-cultural encounters and their implications in world novels.
  • The role of exile and migration in shaping the themes of world literature.
  • The representation of indigenous narratives in the global literary marketplace.
  • The portrayal of urbanization in world literature and its impact on societal norms.
  • The exploration of feminist themes across different cultural contexts in literature.
  • The depiction of historical trauma and memory in literature from post-conflict societies.
  • The role of magical realism in expressing political and social realities in Latin American literature.
  • The exploration of identity and hybridity in diaspora literature from around the world.
  • The impact of censorship and political repression on literary production in authoritarian regimes.
  • Comparative study of the Gothic tradition in European and Latin American literature.
  • The influence of religious texts on narrative structures and themes in world literature.
  • The role of nature and the environment in shaping narrative forms in world literature.
  • The exploration of time and memory in post-Soviet literature.
  • The portrayal of love and marriage across different cultural contexts in world novels.
  • The impact of technological changes on narrative forms and themes in world literature.
  • The exploration of human rights issues through world literature.
  • The depiction of war and peace in Middle Eastern literature.
  • Comparative analysis of the tragic hero in Greek tragedy and Japanese Noh theater.
  • The role of traditional folk stories in contemporary world literature.
  • The influence of African oral traditions on modern African literature.
  • The exploration of social justice and activism in world literature.
  • The portrayal of children and childhood in world literature.
  • The depiction of the supernatural and the uncanny in world literary traditions.
  • The impact of colonial histories on contemporary literature in former colonies.
  • The exploration of gender and sexuality in Scandinavian literature.
  • The portrayal of disability and mental health in world literature.
  • The role of food and cuisine in cultural identity as depicted in world literature.
  • Comparative study of poetry from the Middle Eastern and Western traditions.
  • The exploration of death and the afterlife in world religious texts and their literary influences.
  • The portrayal of the artist and the creative process in world literature.
  • The impact of economic crises on characters and plot development in world novels.
  • The exploration of architectural spaces and their symbolism in world literature.
  • The role of multilingualism and code-switching in narrative development in world literature.
  • The depiction of aging and intergenerational relationships in world novels.
  • The influence of classical Chinese literature on East Asian modern narratives.
  • The role of the sea and maritime culture in world literary traditions.
  • The portrayal of identity and self-discovery in YA literature.
  • The representation of mental health issues in YA novels.
  • The evolution of the coming-of-age narrative in modern YA fiction.
  • The role of dystopian settings in YA literature as metaphors for adolescent struggles.
  • The depiction of family dynamics and their impact on young protagonists.
  • The treatment of romance and relationships in YA fiction.
  • The exploration of LGBTQ+ themes and characters in YA literature.
  • The impact of social media and technology on character development in YA novels.
  • The portrayal of bullying and social exclusion in YA fiction.
  • The representation of racial and cultural diversity in YA literature.
  • The use of fantasy and supernatural elements to explore real-world issues in YA fiction.
  • The role of friendship in character development and plot progression in YA novels.
  • The depiction of resilience and personal growth in YA protagonists.
  • The influence of YA literature on young readers’ attitudes towards social issues.
  • The portrayal of disability and inclusivity in YA narratives.
  • The role of sports and extracurricular activities in shaping YA characters.
  • The exploration of historical events through YA historical fiction.
  • The impact of war and conflict on young characters in YA literature.
  • The depiction of academic pressure and its consequences in YA novels.
  • The portrayal of artistic expression as a form of coping and identity in YA literature.
  • The use of alternate realities and time travel in YA fiction to explore complex themes.
  • The role of villainy and moral ambiguity in YA narratives.
  • The exploration of environmental and ecological issues in YA literature.
  • The portrayal of heroism and leadership in YA novels.
  • The impact of grief and loss on YA characters and their journey.
  • The depiction of addiction and recovery narratives in YA literature.
  • The portrayal of economic disparities and their effects on young characters.
  • The representation of non-traditional family structures in YA novels.
  • The exploration of self-empowerment and activism in YA literature.
  • The depiction of crime and justice in YA mystery and thriller genres.
  • The role of mythology and folklore in crafting YA fantasy narratives.
  • The portrayal of exile and migration in YA fiction.
  • The impact of YA literature in promoting literacy and reading habits among teens.
  • The exploration of gender roles and expectations in YA novels.
  • The depiction of peer pressure and its influence on YA characters.
  • The portrayal of escapism and adventure in YA fiction.
  • The role of magical realism in conveying psychological and emotional truths in YA literature.
  • The exploration of ethical dilemmas and moral choices in YA narratives.
  • The depiction of the future and speculative technology in YA science fiction.
  • The portrayal of societal norms and rebellion in YA dystopian novels.

We hope this comprehensive list of literature thesis topics empowers you to narrow down your choices and sparks your curiosity in a specific area of literary studies. With 1000 unique topics spread across 25 categories, from traditional to emerging fields, there is something here for every literary scholar. The diversity of topics not only reflects the dynamic nature of literature but also encompasses a range of perspectives and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that every student can find a topic that resonates deeply with their scholarly interests and personal passions. Utilize this resource to embark on a thought-provoking and intellectually rewarding thesis writing journey.

Literature and Thesis Topic Potential

Literature encompasses a vast and vibrant spectrum of themes and narrative techniques that mirror, critique, and reshape the complex world we live in. For students embarking on the challenging yet rewarding journey of thesis writing, delving into the multitude of literature thesis topics can unlock profound insights and present significant scholarly opportunities. This exploration is not merely an academic exercise; it is a deep dive into the human experience, offering a unique lens through which to view history, culture, and society. Engaging with literature in this way not only enhances one’s understanding of various literary genres and historical periods but also sharpens analytical, critical, and creative thinking skills.

Current Issues in Literature

One prevailing issue in contemporary literary studies is the exploration of identity and representation within literature. This includes examining how narratives portray race, gender, sexuality, and disability. The rise of identity politics has encouraged a reevaluation of canonical texts and a push to broaden the literary canon to include more diverse voices. Such studies challenge traditional narratives and open up discussions on power dynamics within literature.

Another significant issue is the impact of digital technology on literature. The digital age has introduced new forms of literature, such as hypertext fiction and digital poetry, which utilize the interactive capabilities of digital devices to create multifaceted narratives. This shift has led to new interpretations of authorship and readership, as the boundaries between the two blur in interactive media. Thesis topics might explore how these technological innovations have transformed narrative structures and themes or how they affect the psychological engagement of the reader.

Environmental literature has also emerged as a poignant area of study, especially in the context of growing global concerns about climate change and sustainability. This trend in literature reflects an urgent need to address the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Theses in this area could examine narratives that focus on ecological disasters, the anthropocene, or the role of non-human actors in literature, providing new insights into environmental ethics and awareness.

Recent Trends in Literature

The recent trend towards blending genres within literature has led to innovative narrative forms that defy conventional genre classifications. Works that fuse elements of science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction challenge readers to engage with literature in new and complex ways. These hybrid genres often address contemporary issues through the lens of speculative or fantastical settings, offering fresh perspectives on familiar problems. Thesis topics in this area could explore how these blended genres comment on societal issues or how they represent historical narratives through a fantastical lens.

Another noteworthy trend is the increasing prominence of autobiographical and memoir writing, which highlights personal narratives and individual experiences. This shift towards personal storytelling reflects a broader societal interest in authentic and individualized narratives, often exploring themes of identity, trauma, and resilience. Students could develop thesis topics that analyze how these works serve as both personal catharsis and a social commentary, or how they use narrative techniques to blur the lines between fiction and non-fiction.

Global literature, written in or translated into English, has expanded the geographical boundaries of literary analysis and introduced a plethora of voices and stories from around the world. This trend not only diversifies the range of literary works available but also introduces new themes and narrative strategies influenced by different cultural backgrounds. Thesis research could investigate how global literature addresses universal themes through culturally specific contexts, or how it challenges Western literary paradigms.

Future Directions in Literature

As literature continues to evolve, one of the exciting future directions is the potential integration of literary studies with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies could lead to new forms of literary creation and analysis, where AI-generated literature becomes a field of study, or where machine learning is used to uncover patterns in large volumes of text. Thesis topics might explore the ethical implications of AI in literature, the authenticity of AI-authored texts, or how AI can be used to interpret complex literary theories.

Another future direction is the increasing intersection between literature and other disciplines such as neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology. This interdisciplinary approach can deepen understanding of how literature affects the human brain, influences behavior, or reflects cultural evolution. Students could develop theses that examine the neurocognitive impacts of reading fiction, or how literary studies can contribute to our understanding of human culture and societal development.

Finally, the role of literature in addressing and influencing social and political issues is likely to increase. As global challenges like migration, inequality, and climate change persist, literature that addresses these issues not only provides commentary but also raises awareness and fosters empathy. Future thesis topics could focus on how literature serves as a tool for social justice, how it influences public policy, or how it helps shape collective memory and identity in times of crisis.

The exploration of literature thesis topics offers students a panorama of possibilities for deep academic inquiry and personal growth. By engaging deeply with literature, students not only fulfill their academic objectives but also gain insights that transcend scholarly pursuits. This exploration enriches personal perspectives and fosters a profound appreciation for the power of words and stories. The pursuit of literature thesis topics is thus not merely academic—it is a journey into the heart of human experience, offering endless opportunities for discovery and impact.

iResearchNet’s Thesis Writing Services

iResearchNet stands at the forefront of academic support, offering a bespoke thesis writing service tailored to meet the unique needs of students across various disciplines, including literature. Our dedicated team understands the challenges and pressures that come with thesis writing. Therefore, we are committed to providing customized, in-depth support to help students achieve academic excellence and intellectual growth.

  • Expert Degree-Holding Writers: Our team is composed exclusively of professionals who hold advanced degrees in their respective fields. With a deep understanding of academic requirements and a wealth of experience, our writers are well-equipped to handle the most complex topics in literature and beyond.
  • Custom Written Works: Every thesis we produce is crafted from scratch, tailored to the specific requirements and academic standards of the student’s institution. This bespoke approach ensures that each piece is original, thoughtful, and perfectly aligned with the student’s objectives.
  • In-Depth Research: At iResearchNet, we pride ourselves on rigorous and comprehensive research methodologies. Our writers utilize a wide array of sources, including academic journals, books, and credible online resources, to underpin each thesis with a robust theoretical foundation.
  • Custom Formatting: Understanding the importance of proper formatting, we adhere strictly to academic guidelines, whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, or Harvard styles. Correct formatting enhances the clarity and professionalism of the thesis, ensuring it meets all scholarly criteria.
  • Top Quality: Quality is non-negotiable at iResearchNet. Each thesis undergoes a stringent quality check, which includes proofreading, editing, and plagiarism checks to ensure the work is of the highest academic standard.
  • Customized Solutions: Recognizing that each student’s needs are unique, we offer flexible solutions tailored to individual requirements. Whether it’s a specific chapter, a comprehensive thesis, or professional editing services, we adapt our offerings to best support each student.
  • Flexible Pricing: We provide a range of pricing options designed to accommodate students’ budgets without compromising on quality. Our transparent pricing model ensures that students know exactly what they are paying for.
  • Short Deadlines: We understand that students often face tight deadlines. Our team is equipped to handle urgent requests, with the ability to deliver high-quality work within as little as 3 hours.
  • Timely Delivery: Meeting deadlines is a critical part of our service commitment. We ensure timely delivery of all our projects, allowing students to submit their theses with confidence and peace of mind.
  • 24/7 Support: Our support team is available around the clock to assist with any questions or concerns that may arise. This constant availability guarantees that students feel supported at every stage of their thesis writing process.
  • Absolute Privacy: We guarantee complete confidentiality in all communications and ensure that personal and project details remain secure. This commitment to privacy is fundamental to our service.
  • Easy Order Tracking: Our online platform enables students to track the progress of their thesis easily. This feature ensures transparency and allows students to provide real-time feedback to writers.
  • Money-Back Guarantee: We stand behind the quality of our work with a money-back guarantee. If a student is not satisfied with the final product, despite revisions, we offer a refund, ensuring that our services are risk-free.

At iResearchNet, we are dedicated to empowering students by providing top-tier academic support tailored to their specific needs. Our comprehensive suite of writing services is designed to alleviate the stress of thesis writing and ensure academic success. Whether you are just starting your thesis or need assistance polishing your final draft, iResearchNet is here to help you every step of the way. With our expert writers, customized support, and commitment to quality, we are your trusted partner in academic achievement.

Order Your Custom Thesis Paper Today!

Embarking on your thesis journey can be daunting, but you don’t have to tackle it alone. At iResearchNet, we are committed to supporting you through every stage of your academic endeavor with expert guidance and bespoke writing services. Whether you are grappling with complex literature thesis topics or navigating the intricacies of formatting and research, our team is here to ensure your success.

Don’t let the pressure of thesis writing overwhelm you. Take control of your academic future today by choosing iResearchNet as your trusted partner. Our team of seasoned writers is ready to help you craft a thesis that not only meets but exceeds academic standards. With our comprehensive support, flexible pricing, and guarantee of quality, you have everything you need to excel.

Act now to secure your academic success! Visit our website to learn more about our services, or contact us directly to discuss how we can tailor our offerings to your needs. Remember, when you order your custom thesis paper from iResearchNet, you’re not just buying a service—you’re investing in your future.

Order your custom thesis paper today! Let iResearchNet empower your academic journey with expert support, customized solutions, and a commitment to excellence. Your success is our priority, and we are here to help you achieve it with confidence and peace of mind.

ORDER HIGH QUALITY CUSTOM PAPER

american literature history research paper topics

IMAGES

  1. American History Research Paper

    american literature history research paper topics

  2. 🌱 American history research topics. 45 American History Research Paper

    american literature history research paper topics

  3. 😱 Us history research paper. American History Research Paper Topics

    american literature history research paper topics

  4. 🌷 Easy us history research paper topics. Top 150 Easy Research Paper

    american literature history research paper topics

  5. United States History Research Paper Topics

    american literature history research paper topics

  6. 🌱 American history research topics. 45 American History Research Paper

    american literature history research paper topics

VIDEO

  1. The Periods of American Literature || English literature by Dharmendra Naruka Sir

  2. History English Language

  3. What Is American Literature? In Urdu- Hindi

  4. How Do I Write a History Research Paper?

  5. 3 Reasons to Choose Faculty of American Culture and Literature

  6. Introduction to American Literature, History, Myth and Culture in Tamil

COMMENTS

  1. American Literature Research Paper Topics

    100 American Literature Research Paper Topics. American literature, a vast and diverse field, encompasses a range of themes, styles, and epochs. From the colonial tales of the early settlers to the modern narratives of the 21st century, the U.S. literary canvas is as broad as the country's history. This comprehensive list offers a variety of ...

  2. 300+ American History Research Paper Topics

    American History Research Paper Topics. American History Research Paper Topics are as follows: The Salem witch trials: religious hysteria and persecution. The California Gold Rush: immigration and economic boom. The Harlem Renaissance: cultural movements and African American creativity. The Stonewall riots: LGBTQ+ rights and activism.

  3. 50 American Literature Research Paper Topic Ideas

    Here are the best American literature topics to consider for your paper: American dream in literature. Labor movement depiction in writing. Cross-generational American authors. Most influential American literature. American literature and social media. Contribution of American writers to the world.

  4. Interesting American History Research Paper Topics

    In this section, we present a comprehensive list of interesting American history research paper topics, carefully organized into 10 categories. From political milestones to social movements, cultural shifts, and economic transformations, these topics provide a broad spectrum of ideas for conducting in-depth research and analysis.

  5. 160 US History Research Paper Topics

    List of 160 American History Research Paper Topics. History is a rich and complex subject, ripe for exploration in academic research. Whether you're a student seeking a topic for an assignment or a history enthusiast looking to delve deeper into America's past, this list offers a diverse range of subjects.

  6. 140 Good Research Topics for History Papers

    10 Good History Research Topics that are Easy to Adapt. Conditions for Slaves During the Building of the Great Pyramid. Three Events from the First Greek Olympiad. How, Where, and When Rome was Founded. The Battle of Marathon: How the Greeks Defeated Persia.

  7. American History Research Paper Topics

    This page presents an exhaustive guide for students exploring American history research paper topics. American history, rich in its complexity and breadth, spans across centuries of transformative events, influential figures, and groundbreaking policies. Our comprehensive list of 100 research paper topics is systematically divided into ten ...

  8. American History Research Guide

    The West. Trade Literature. United States Cartography and Maps. World's Fairs and Expositions Resources. The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives' American History Research Guide is a select list of resources for students, teachers, and researchers to learn about various topics of American History.

  9. English 2327--american Literature I Research Paper Topics

    RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS. You are encouraged to develop your own topic for your term paper, but if you are unable to do so you may choose a topic from the list below. If you choose a topic from the list you do not have to discuss it with me before beginning work. However, if you decide to create your own topic, please clear it with me first.

  10. 520 Excellent American History Topics & Tips for an A+ Paper

    This topic allows you to combine film theory and the history of American journalism. The impact of Citizen Kane on movies around the globe. To this day, Citizen Kane is considered one of the most influential films ever made. In a paper on the 1941 masterpiece, you can focus on what made it special.

  11. American literature

    American literature, the body of written works produced in the English language in the United States.. Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it. For almost a century and a half, America was merely a group of colonies scattered along the eastern seaboard of the North American continent—colonies from which a few hardy souls ...

  12. Research Paper Topics for American Literature

    The American Renaissance is a period in literary history -- set between 1830 and 1870 -- in which Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson are major characters. Research paper topics for American literature often provide opportunities for instructors to assign papers on Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter."

  13. 153 US History Topics [2024 US History Essay Ideas]

    👌 Easy American History Essay Topics. Sometimes you simply do not have enough time to write a profound essay. These American history topics are relatively easy, and you don't have to research them a lot. Even if you do, there is a ton of information available. British Colonization of the Americas; Slavery and racism in the United States

  14. Research Guides: Finding scholarly literature on a topic in history

    For topics that are of wide interest, you may be able to find an essay that reviews the literature on that topic, and that sets it in context by discussing how other historians have approached that topic. This kind of essay is invaluable when you are starting a research project. There are two easy ways to find them: History Compass is an online ...

  15. Early American History Research Paper Topics

    Typically, an early American history research paper includes an introduction, literature review, methodology (if applicable), main body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Ensure that each section flows smoothly and supports your thesis statement. Use clear headings and subheadings to guide your reader through the paper.

  16. 75 Best Literature Research Paper Topic Ideas

    How the revolutionary period of 1765 to 1789 defines freedom for America. The role of James Fennimore Cooper in enhancing nationalism. Moral ambiguity lessons during the American renaissance period. African Influence and Realism in Harriet Beecher Stowe's book. Social perception of contemporary American literature.

  17. 250 Literature Research Paper Topic: Literary Ideas for You

    Here is a list of English literature research paper topics for your perfect essay! Gender representation during medieval English literature. Colonialism's effects on British literary works during the 18th century. Influence of British writers on modern literature. The role of nature in 18th-century British novels.

  18. 100+ Excellent Literature Research Paper Topics

    American Literature Topics. Some teachers ask students to choose American literature research topics for certain reasons. If asked to write on such topics, here are some of the American literature research paper topics to consider. Analyze key aspects of American ideology, particularly in the literature written before the 20th century.

  19. American History Research Paper Topics & Ideas 2023

    Our top dissertation writing experts are waiting 24/7 to assist you with your university project,from critical literature reviews to a complete PhD dissertation. Free American history research topics & ideas 2023 for college students and graduates. List of questions on American dream, diaspora, slavery, literature, etc.

  20. Colonial America Research Paper Topics

    This comprehensive list of Colonial America research paper topics explores various aspects of Colonial America, spanning politics, economy, society, culture, religion, and more. By delving into these topics, students can gain a deeper understanding of the colonial period and its lasting impact on American history.

  21. Topic Ideas

    Order and emphasis of core topics may vary from instructor to instructor. I. Introduction to Chicano Studies. A. Chicano/a Studies as a field of scholarly inquiry. B. History and culture as a dynamic processes. C. Main historical periods in Chicano History. 1. Pre-Columbian era, pre- 1519. 2. Spanish colonial era, 1521-1821. 3.

  22. News & Publications

    Stay up-to-date with the AHA View All News The American Historical Review is the flagship journal of the AHA and the journal of record for the historical discipline in the United States, bringing together scholarship from every major field of historical study. Learn More Perspectives on History is the newsmagazine…

  23. Literature Research Paper Topics

    In a literature research paper, one can delve into numerous facets of this intricate art form, leading to an extensive range of topics for exploration. Literature comes in various forms, including novels, short stories, plays, and poems. Each of these forms has unique characteristics, providing ample research paper topics.

  24. Analysis of data suggests homosexual behavior in other animals is far

    A team of anthropologists and biologists from Canada, Poland, and the U.S., working with researchers at the American Museum of Natural History, in New York, has found via meta-analysis of data ...

  25. 1000 Literature Thesis Topics and Ideas

    This page provides a comprehensive list of literature thesis topics, offering a valuable resource for students tasked with writing a thesis in the field of literature.Designed to cater to a wide array of literary interests and academic inquiries, the topics are organized into 25 diverse categories, ranging from African American Literature to Young Adult Literature.