An Article from March 20, 2010 designed to help folks seeking research paper topics on the Civil War

2011 marks the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War. Such anniversaries prompt a deluge of books and articles on everything from the causes of the war to the effects on the nation following Appomattox. American history students will find the temptation to write papers on the Civil War irresistible and in many cases mandatory by history instructors.

 

The tendency is to take the “easy way out” and write a broad paper on such themes as “Causes of the Civil War,” “Gettysburg,” and “Why Lee was Defeated.” A better approach is to formulate a thesis based on a focused, narrow topic. Suggestions include:

 

Military Topics

 

The training and superiority of Southern Generalship

Political Generals

Why McClelland Hesitated at Antietam

Why the Peninsular Campaign Failed

The Role of Attrition in Union Victories

Was the Anaconda Plan Successful?

Overconfidence at First Bull Run

Significance of the New Orleans Union Victory

How Ironclads changed Naval Warfare

The Morality of Sherman’s Campaign

The Andersonville Prison Camp

The Wisdom of Pickett’s Charge

Strategic Importance of Capturing Vicksburg

Punishment of Confederate Leaders

Importance of the Mississippi River

Defending Washington

The Importance of Blockade Runners

The fall of Richmond

Why the Oklahoma Cherokee Fought for the South

Advances in Military Technologies

Significance of Fort Monroe

 

Political Topics

 

Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation’s Effect on Northern Democrats

The Election of 1864

Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction

The Diplomatic War with Britain

Effects of Secretary of State William Henry Seward’s foreign policy

Lincoln’s Suspension of Habeas Corpus

Civil War Amendments to the Constitution

Ex Parte Milligan

Why Andrew Johnson was Chosen Vice President

 

Social and Cultural Topics

 

Civil War Poetry

Civil War Music

Northern Draft Riots

Conscientious Objectors (Shakers & Quakers)

Rationing

Profiting from the War

Immigrants Serving in Union Armies

Civil War Soldier Rations

Prostitution among the Troops

The Civil War in Art

Effect of the War on the Home Front

How the Civil War Split Families

 

African American Topics

 

Confiscation Acts

Fort Pillow Massacre

Black Troops at Charleston

Plight of Liberated Slaves

Comparing Slave Emancipation to Russian Serf Emancipation

Status of Slavery in Border States

 

General Topics

 

How the Civil War helped the Railroad Industry

The Development of a Federal Union

Carpetbaggers and Scalawags

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

The Gettysburg Address

Was Lincoln an Abolitionist?

The Confederate Constitution

The Civil War and the Federal Budget

 

Focusing on the Topic

 

The key to a narrowly focused research paper begins with the formulation of a straight forward thesis. Each of the above topics can be expressed this way. The body of the paper – regardless of length requirement, should follow the thesis by presenting solid evidence from the research. Any attempt to deviate from the focus must be avoided, although the temptation to fill a paper with what some professors call “fluff” is great, especially if the assignment becomes a last minute effort.

 

Further information on this can be found in the article on how to write a history thesis.