The American Civil War is an extremely broad subject, and too large to be adequately addressed in a 20 page term paper. In this article I talk about how not to write a term paper on the American Civil War, i. e., how to keep the scope of the paper narrow enough to write something that will get you a good grade!
First, there are the causes to consider, which, broadly speaking can be broken down into economic, political, and social/cultural. Next there are the pre-war political events, such as the presidential election of 1860, the election of Abraham Lincoln, the secession of the southern states, the enrollment of the armies, and the political maneuverings immediately prior to the firing on Fort Sumter. There is the war itself, which can be loosely divided into eastern, western, and naval campaigns. The war itself was huge—lasting four years, costing over 600,000 American lives, involving dozens of major battles, and thousands of minor battles. During the course of the war, there were many significant political events—such as the emancipation proclamation—which changed the nature of the war and motivators for the people.
Of course there are a myriad of other events and subjects to consider, from political leaders such as Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis to the military commanders such as Robert E. Lee, US Grant, Stonewall Jackson, and William Tecumseh Sherman. The war can also be studied from the viewpoint of medical developments, the morale of the troops, its impact on the lives of the slaves, participation by blacks or native Americans, and the impact on the families involved. Technological innovations are another aspect of the war that is fascinating. The Civil War is the first war that employed the extensive use of ironclad ships, manned balloons for aerial reconnaisance, and battlefield photography. These subjects are only a sampling of many more.
So, instead of trying to write a paper on the general topic of the American Civil War, pick an aspect of it and focus there. Many books have been written on every one of the subjects mentioned above, and many websites address them as well. The outline of the civil war is an excellent place to start your online research on many of these subjects.
In future blog posts, I will suggest some specific topics to explore as well as strategies for researching them.
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