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Sat 1 Nov, 2003 07:00 pm
I cannot come up with a topic for my history paper because the topic is so broad. The topic is to apply the themes of liberty, equality, and power to the books we've read in class. We are to choose a specific period in history (such as the Civil Rights era of the 1950's-60's, etc.) and to link each book to the paper somehow. What I need help with is coming up with a topic/thesis that deals with the Civil Rights era based on the themes of liberty, equality, and power. I've decided to choose to write about the Martin Luther King era, but I cannot come up with a thesis dealing with figures during this time. Can someone help me with this? I would greatly appreciate it.
A list of the books you've read in class would help.
The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
A Call to Conscience
Hmmm. Interesting. The MLK/ Malcolm X thing has been done, but might work for you as a hook to talk about the rest of it. What one symbolized, what the other symbolized, how they were the same and how they were different, how they succeeded and how they failed and why.
I'm thinking about having a thesis that has to do with the theme of Republicism. Come someone help me go even deeper with this?
Another often overlooked individual of the civil rights movement is Rosa Parks. She proved that one person really can make a difference.
You can find a long list of resources about her here:
http://emints.more.net/ethemes/resources/S00001073.shtml
If you're looking for other ideas, this index of themes from the same website might inspire an idea to get you started.
http://emints.more.net/ethemes/resources/by-title.shtml
How about the Black Panthers?
(I did this for an 8th grade class and got an A).
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