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The Roaring 20s

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The Reference Collection includes a variety of different sources, such as: subject-focused encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, maps/atlases, statistical compendiums, dictionaries, and more.   Look here to find introductory articles on subject-related topics. The broad perspective offered by such articles often proves helpful for narrowing research topics before pursuing more in-depth information.  

This guide provides some recommendations for encyclopedias and other reference resources that might provide helpful information relating to your topic.

Recommended Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

The 1920s (1920-1929)

Electronic Resource

Columbia Companion to American History on Film

Encyclopedia of Women's History in America

Reference Collection Annex - 2nd Floor

Family in Society: Essential Primary Sources

Main Collection (Second Floor)

Flappers: A Guide to an American Subculture

Great Depression: The Jazz Age, Prohibition, and the Great Depression, 1921-1937

Immigration in U. S. History

Reference Collection (Second Floor) Volumes 1-2

Jazz Age: Popular Music in the 1920s

Roaring 20's and the Wall Street Crash

Social History of the United States: The 1920s

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Twenties in America

Twenties in America: Politics and History

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• Last Updated: Apr 19, 2024 2:53 PM
• URL: https://libguides.kean.edu/roaringtwwenties

US History: Resources by Decade: 1920s

1920s: resources from database u.s. history in context (gale).

• U.S. History in Context (Gale): 1920s This link contains a variety of content (e.g. an overview, academic journals, primary sources, images, references) on the 1920s.

Barnett, Thomas P. (American architect, 1870-1929), Role: painter. (Work: 1922, Era: CE, Image Date: 1989). Riches of the Mines, detail view. [mural paintings (visual works)].  https://library.artstor.org/public/SS7732236_7732236_12897144

Ebooks and Print Books: USA in 1920s

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U.S. History: 1920s Research Assignment - Mrs. Thomson

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Mrs. Thomsons U.S. History

1920s Research Assignment

Description

For this project, you will be researching a topic within the decade of the 1920s and will be completing an annotated bibliography.  You will also be participating in an online discussion to share and discuss your research and ideas.

• 1920s Research Topics

Assignment: Part 1 - Annotated Bibliography

You will be using Student Resources in Context (Gale) and  World History: Modern Era  (ABC-Clio) databases, print resources and authoritative websites to conduct your research.

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. For this assignment our annotations will do the following:

• Summarize : Includes the title and author of the book/article. What topics are covered? What are the main arguments? What is the author’s purpose in writing this piece (what do they want the reader to think or understand)?
• Reflect : Once you've summarized a source, discuss how it fits into your topic of study on the 1920’s. How does the information you found relate? How was the source you found useful to your topic?

          9 Required Sources for the annotated bibliography:

• 2 reference articles from the databases
• 1 newspaper or magazine article from the databases
• 2 web based sources (authoritative) - use a web evaluation checklist if needed
• 1 print reference article from the media center
• 1 other book source from the media center
• 1 primary source image
• 1 primary source

Assignment: Part 2 - Online Discussion

After you complete your research you will be completing an online discussion of the themes found in your research.

You will post your response on the following blog:

          Mrs. Thomson's Blog  Block 2

Your response should reflect analysis of the sources read and a clear explanation of the following question:  How was the 1920s a decade of change? 

Response Guidelines

• Provide an answer to the question with evidence from research and the textbook
• Offer insights on the significance of the sources used and their usefulness and what clues it gives about the 1920s as a decade.
• Your response should be a minimum of two paragraphs
• Make connections between their research and your own
• Respond to their posts and pose your own questions
• Provide additional information/insight on their topic

Competencies & Rubric

Using multiple historical contexts, students will analyze the connection between ideologies and human behavior due to changing demographic patterns, civic ideals, and the role of government.

Power & Wealth

Using multiple historical contexts, students will analyze the recurring social tension caused by differences in power, wealth, and influence, as well as critique successful and unsuccessful attempts to resolve these issues. #1

• 1920s Competencies & Rubric

Assignment Sheet - Block 2 (printable)

• 1920s Research Assignment. Thomson

Annotated Bibliography Step-by-Step

• Log into NoodleBib.
• Open another tab and go to the Media Center home page.
• Click on the Research Guides tab at the top of the page.
• In the Databases box, click on Student Resources in Context .
• Remember to search by keyword, then limit your results by Document Type and Subject .
• Choose Database from drop-down menu-> select Reference Source -> Quick Cite (to copy & paste citation)
• Scroll to the bottom of the citation page and summarize the article (4-6 sentences) in the annotation box.
• Next, reflect upon why this article is relevant to your topic and add your reflection (4-6 sentences) to the annotation box.
• Repeat steps 3-7 for a print reference article . (Refer to the 3 lists of reference books on the 1920 Resources page.)
• Repeat steps 3-7 for a magazine or newspaper article . (You may use EBSCO's Explora or Academic Search Premier if you prefer.)
• Go to Google and find a RELIABLE and VALID source relating to your topic. Repeat steps 4-7 for a web based source
• Continue with the same procedure for the remaining required sources.
• Once you’ve completed your annotation and cited your source, click “submit.”
• Export your NoodleBib works cited page to Microsoft Word.
• Lastly, make sure your name, the date, and the class are typed into your works cited page and print.

Block 1 Assignment

Essential Question:  How was the 1920s a decade of political, technological, economic and cultural change?

Description:  For this project, you will be researching a topic within the decade of the 1920’s and will be completing an annotated bibliography.  You will also be participating in an online discussion using a blog format.

4 Required Sources for the annotated bibliography:

• 2 reference articles from Student Resources in Context and/ or World History: Modern Era databases
• 1 web based source other than a database (authoritative)

        Due: At the end of class on Friday, 11/20

Online Discussion:

         After you complete your research you will be completing an online discussion of the themes found in your research. Your  response should answer the essential question:  How was the 1920s a decade of change? (political, technological, economic, and cultural change)

          You will post your response on the following blog:      http://ushistoryfound.blogspot.com/

          Initial Posting Due: Monday 11/23 & follow up postings due 11/24

• Block 1 1920s Annotated Bibliography Assignment Sheet (printable)
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• Last Updated: Nov 6, 2023 9:56 AM
• URL: https://nhsn-nashua.libguides.com/ushistory

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1920s Research Project Resources:

The following are popular topics for 1920s research projects. Each link will open into a PDF listing books and films available from John F. Kennedy Library. 

Clothing and Fashion

Includes titles on 1920s fashion and clothing styles.

Includes titles on the 1920s economy, the farm depression, and factors leading to the Great Depression.

Harlem Renaissance

Includes titles on Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, and the Harlem Renaissance.

Includes titles on Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and Henry Ford.

International Issues

Includes titles on communism, isolationism, the League of Nations, and World War I.

Includes titles on Sherwood Anderson, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, H.L. Mencken, and Dorothy Parker.

National Issues

Includes titles on immigrants, Charles Lindbergh, the Ku Klux Klan and racism, and the Scopes Trial.

Overview of the Decade

Includes titles that give general information about the 1920s.

Includes titles on Calvin Coolidge, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, and Woodrow Wilson.

Prohibition

Includes titles on bootlegging, organized crime, and prohibition.

Includes titles on Aimee Semple McPherson and religious movements of the 1920s.

Sports and Entertainment

Includes titles on baseball, boxing, jazz, movies, radio, and theatre.

Includes titles on the 19th Amendment, Dorothea Dix, Margaret Sanger, and the Flappers.

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Researching the 1920's Era

• Books & Videos
• Databases & Journals

Searching by Subject Headings

To identify materials about a particular type of literature, consider the following subject headings: These might be good for historical research on the era.

Reference Sources (Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

American decades / edited by Richard Layman Detroit : Gale Research, c1994-2001 LOCATION: Reference Collection E169.12 .A419 1920-29

American decades primary sources / edited by Cynthia Rose Detroit : Gale, c2004 LOCATION: Reference Collection E169.1 .A471977 2004 v.3 

Bowling, beatniks, and bell-bottoms : pop culture of 20th-century America / Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast, editors  Detroit : U X L, c2002 LOCATION: Reference Collection E169.1 .B7825 2002

Books about the 1920's: Literary, Social and Cultural Histories

American Heritage History of the 1920's & 1930's / Ralph K. Andrist (Editor) New York: Crown Publishers, 1987 LOCATION: General Collection E784.A67 1987

Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1939: Decades of Promise and Pain / David E. Kyvig Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, c2002 LOCATION: General Collection E169.K985 2002

Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and the Twenties / Ronald Berman Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press, c2001 LOCATION: General Collection PS3511.I9 Z55774 2001

The great trials of the twenties: the watershed decade in America's courtrooms / by Robert Grant and Joseph Katz Rockville Centre, NY: Sarpedon, 1998 LOCATION: General Collection KF220.G73 1998

The jazz age: the 20s / by the editors of Time-Life Books Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1998 LOCATION: General Collection E784.J39 1998

The Lawless Decade / Paul Sann New York: Crown Publishers, 1961 LOCATION: General Collection E784.S3

New world coming : the 1920s and the making of modern America / Nathan Miller  New York : Scribner, c2003 LOCATION: General Collection E784.M555 2003

The Roaring Twenties Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004 LOCATION: General Collection E784.R63 2004

Sacco & Vanzetti: [Italian immigrants and anarchists, framed by the State and executed for murder in Boston during the Red Scare of the 1920s] / edited by John Davis New York: Ocean Press, 2004 LOCATION: General Collection HX843.7.S23 A97 2004

Saying it's so: a cultural history of the Black Sox scandal / Daniel A. Nathan Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003 LOCATION: General Collection GV875.C58 N38 2003

VideoResources

The Great Gatsby [videorecording] / produced by David Merrick ; directed by Jack Clayton ; screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola 1 videocassette (146 min.) Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the story concerns a mysterious American millionaire whose efforts to recapture the sweetheart of his youth results in tragedy. LOCATION: Popular Collection ZZT 2345

The Twenties [videorecording] / produced by Richard Petrow ; written by Bill Moyers, Richard Petrow. 1 videocassette (58 min.) Journalist Bill Moyers looks at the 1920's, usually seen as the age of speakeasies, flappers and high living. The age also saw millions of workers struggling for better wages. He explores the decade when old America was vanishing and a new urban nation was being formed. Includes reminiscences of Americans who lived during the period. LOCATION: Circulation Desk E784 .T9 1988 (In Library Use)

Click here to go to databases.

Academic Search Complete

Academic Search Complete contains indexing and some full text for 1,837 journals. This scholarly collection provides journal coverage for nearly all academic areas of study - including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences and ethnic studies. 

Chicago Tribune Historical

Digital image of every issue of the Chicago Tribune from 1890-1956, cover-to-cover. Use this database to find not only news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, and birth and marriage announcements but also historical photos, stock photos, and advertisements. By utilizing software enhancements, the original microfilm image can frequently be improved for a cleaner, more readable image. And the date range searching tool lets users search on, before, or between two dates. On completion, the Chicago Tribune Historical database will cover the years 1849-1984. It currently holds the years 1890-1946.

History Study Center

History Study Center provides access to primary and secondary American history sources, full text articles, video, research guides, and reference materials.

New York Times Historical

Digital image of every issue of the New York Times from 1851-1999, cover-to-cover. Use this database to find not only news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, and birth and marriage announcements but also historical photos, stock photos, and advertisements. By utilizing software enhancements, the original microfilm image can frequently be improved for a cleaner, more readable image. And the date range searching tool lets users search on, before, or between two dates. 

JSTOR is an archive of digitized journal articles ranging in date from the 1700's to the early 2000's. These collections span a variety of subjects in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Physical Sciences.

Project Muse

"Project MUSE is a leading provider of digital humanities and social sciences content; since 1995, its electronic journal collections have supported a wide array of research needs at academic, public, special, and school libraries worldwide. MUSE books and journals, from leading university presses and scholarly societies, are fully integrated for search and discovery." (From the website)

American Experience: Monkey Trial Hosted by PBS, the American Experience series chronicles major events in US history. This site provides good background information about the Scopes trial, including: timelines, speeches, and links to further reading. An excellent background source to assist in developing a thesis topic.

The 1920's This is a remarkably well constructed website about the 1920's era. This Digital History site comes from the University of Houston.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary Website This website, published by the University of South Carolina, provides a wealth of biographical and critical information regarding F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby," and many of Fitzgerald other works as well.

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American History Decades project/Hunt: Home

Objective/goals.

Objective: Students will research various aspects of American culture and politics during their assigned decade (the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's and 1950's). This will provide for students to work both independently and collaboratively, honing their research, writing and presentation skills.

Project Goals:

• This project should provide the audience with an overall idea of what happened during that decade, and an idea of what it was like to live during that time period.
• After researching the topic, students will need to determine the format the project will take, such as Prezi, Google slides, Keynote or Powerpoint. Whatever the format chosen by a group, the presentation should make use of multimedia and be colorful, engaging and interactive. Use text, pictures, music, video and be creative; really try to think "outside of the box."
• The presentation will take 3-7 minutes,
• Students will work in small groups, i.e. the 1920's group will work together, the 1930's group will work together, and so on.
• Each group member will select an aspect/aspects of their era (see topics below) to research independently.
• Each group member must read at least three scholarly sources (i.e. articles by professional scholars from academic journals or selected chapters from books written by professional scholars).
• Each group member will choose one of their three scholarly sources and write one annotated bibliography .
• Each project should include information on the following:
• Fashion/Clothing/Hairstyles (men and women)
• Entertainment/Recreation/Leisure/Popular Culture
• Inventions/Technology/Innovations

Project Requirements

Groups will write a brief report about their decade, devoting about two paragraphs to each of the topics listed above using data gleaned from each member's three scholarly sources. Therefore, a group with four members will have a total of twelve scholarly sources from which to draw information for their written report. Reports must be properly formatted using footnotes and bibliographies in the Chicago Manual of Style. All group members must partake in researching and putting the project together and identify who did what on the final project.

Getting started:

Use your Foner textbook to help you find good scholarly sources. Skim over the readings in each chapter to help you think about data to explore for your topics. A list of scholarly sources, "review questions" and useful websites can be found at the back of each chapter.

• For the Twenties see p. 796
• For the Thirties see p. 838
• For the Forties see p. 882
• For the Fifties see p. 916

Your Teacher

Additional resources.

• PDS library catalog (Destiny) You can search for library books on your decade or on a specific topic if the material is not found on the reserve cart.
• GVRL (ereference books) Hint: for this project, click on "history," and then search the American Decades set, and the one called American Decades: Primary Sources.
• ABC-CLIO American History Hint: Choose the American History database and then click "topics" to find a timeline. You can then choose time periods corresponding to your decade.
• Infobase American History Hint: See the "Topic Centers" box to the right to find quick links to the decades.
• Historical New York Times
• Oxford Music Online The music database should be able to help with information on types of music and musicians.
• JSTOR Scholarly journal articles. Remember to use the "advanced search" function.
• EBSCO Academic Search Premier EBSCO's version of scholarly journal articles.
• ArtStor Huge image database. Find photos and works of art here.
• A-Z databases Links to all the PDS databases.
• Chicago Manual of Style A quick, online guide to citing using the Chicago manual of style.
• Last Updated: Mar 4, 2016 8:23 AM
• URL: https://pds.libguides.com/Decades

Join the Active History Community!

Active History Teacher

Interactive, Hands-on lessons and test prep ideas for US History Classrooms

Decades Project for US History

March 16, 2023

Have you ever assigned a decades project for your US History class?  It’s the end of the year.   You’ve finished your US History curriculum and need something engaging for students to go as an end of the year project?  It’s time to try a US History end of the year decades project!

Are you like me?

It’s May and standardized testing season is over.  You feel like you’ve done all of the fun review activities you can handle for the year.  You need to keep your students engaged and everyone is exhausted!  You want something that students can do independently that will hold their interest.  Sound familiar?

I have tried several projects over the years:  Oral History projects, “pick a topic from this year and research deeper”, Instagram summaries, etc.  All of these were fine, but I found that students really didn’t “get into them” and the work they produced was just ok.  

What is a decades project?

I created a one-pager type summary page for each decade covering the 1920s – 2010s.  Students will research a decade and create images for a variety of topics that relate to that decade.  Finally, they explain how each image relates to the decade they chose.  

The final product is a highly visual representation of each decade!

Benefits of a decades project?

• High interest due to student choice and topics
• Independent research means no direct teaching from you!
• Hand drawn or digital – students get to choose!
• Students love to research the “non history” stuff of a decade such as fashion and music.

How does it work?

• I created a sign up sheet for each decade.
• Students sign up for the decade of their choice.  I capped each decade at 4 because, let’s be honest, 1999s rap is cool.
• After students sign up, they choose to complete the digital version or hand drawn version.
• Students begin their research on the following topics for their decade:  fashion, innovations, music, fads, key events, literature, popular culture, kids/toys.  
• For each topic, students would include 4 images.  You could require more or less.
• I allowed students to include keywords with their visuals, but told them not to use sentences.  The point is to have each decade be a visual representation.
• I required students to use color and be neat.
• Students created a separate document/paper that explained each image for the decade.  They stapled it to their decades page or added a slide before turning it in. 

Student feedback?

Students love this project.  They love the ability to have free research time and that they can be creative.  

Why do I love it?

• The creativity students have is outstanding!
• I love the high quality work they produce on this project!
• We have been so content/standards driven all year, it’s nice to allow students a chance to breathe and research the fun stuff!  
• While they are working I can wrap up end of the year requirements for my school, like grades.

High interest, low stress = it’s a win, win for both teachers and students.  Check out this free and editable decades project and let me know how your students love it! 

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Interesting American History Research Paper Topics

In this page, we present a comprehensive guide to finding and selecting interesting American history research paper topics . Whether you are a history student or an academic researcher, this resource aims to provide you with a wealth of options and insights to uncover the captivating stories and significant events that have shaped the American experience. With a focus on engaging and thought-provoking subject matter, our list of interesting American history research paper topics covers a wide range of categories and subtopics. By delving into these captivating areas, you can delve into the rich tapestry of American history and develop a research paper that offers fresh perspectives and compelling narratives.

100 Interesting American History Research Paper Topics

Exploring the fascinating realms of American history offers students and researchers a multitude of opportunities to delve into captivating 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. Let’s dive into the rich tapestry of interesting American history research paper topics and discover the intriguing topics that await exploration.

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• The impact of the Mayflower Compact on the development of self-governance in early America
• The Salem Witch Trials: Causes, consequences, and the cultural context of witchcraft accusations
• The role of religious freedom in the establishment of the thirteen colonies
• Slavery in Colonial America: Origins, expansion, and resistance
• The influence of the Great Awakening on the religious landscape of Colonial America
• The founding of Jamestown: Challenges, triumphs, and the establishment of the first permanent English settlement
• The interaction between Native American tribes and European colonizers in early America
• The impact of the French and Indian War on the relationship between the American colonies and the British Empire
• The evolution of the Puritan society in New England: Ideals, conflicts, and legacy
• The Boston Tea Party: Causes, significance, and its role in igniting the American Revolution

Revolutionary Era and the Founding of the Nation

• The ideological roots of the American Revolution: Enlightenment philosophy and its influence on the Founding Fathers
• The role of women in the American Revolution: Activism, contributions, and challenges
• The drafting and impact of the Declaration of Independence: Ideas, influences, and its enduring legacy
• The Constitutional Convention: Debates, compromises, and the creation of the U.S. Constitution
• Alexander Hamilton and the economic policies that shaped early America
• The Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist debates: Perspectives on government and the formation of political parties
• The impact of the American Revolution on slavery and the abolitionist movement
• The Battle of Yorktown: Turning point of the Revolutionary War and its consequences
• The emergence of political cartoons during the Revolutionary Era and their role in shaping public opinion
• The Whiskey Rebellion: Causes, consequences, and its significance in early American history

Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny

• The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Goals, challenges, and their impact on westward expansion
• The Louisiana Purchase: Motivations, negotiations, and the consequences for American expansion
• The Oregon Trail: Challenges, hardships, and the experiences of pioneers
• The Mexican-American War: Causes, outcomes, and its impact on territorial expansion
• The Gold Rush of 1849: Socioeconomic effects and its influence on westward migration
• Native American displacement and resistance during westward expansion
• The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad: Technological advancements, economic implications, and cultural transformations
• The Homestead Act of 1862: Promises, challenges, and its effects on settlement in the West
• The Battle of Little Bighorn: Perspectives, myths, and the clash of cultures
• The closing of the American frontier: Consequences and the legacy of westward expansion

Civil War and Reconstruction

• The causes and consequences of the Civil War: Political, economic, and social factors
• The Emancipation Proclamation: Impact, limitations, and its significance for African Americans
• The role of women during the Civil War: Nurses, spies, and activists
• Abraham Lincoln: Leadership, speeches, and the legacy of his presidency
• Reconstruction policies: Successes, failures, and their long-term effects on the nation
• The impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments on the rights of African Americans
• The Freedmen’s Bureau: Mission, challenges, and its efforts to assist newly emancipated slaves
• The Ku Klux Klan: Origins, activities, and its influence on racial tensions during Reconstruction
• The assassination of Abraham Lincoln: Conspiracies, aftermath, and its impact on national healing
• The Compromise of 1877: Resolving the disputed presidential election and its implications for Reconstruction

Progressive Era and the Gilded Age

• The rise of industrialization in America: Technological advancements, urbanization, and social transformations
• The Progressive Movement: Goals, reforms, and its impact on American society and politics
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire: Tragedy, labor activism, and the fight for workplace safety regulations
• The Populist Party: Origins, demands, and its influence on political discourse
• The role of women in the suffrage movement: Leaders, strategies, and the fight for voting rights
• Theodore Roosevelt and the conservation movement: Policies, national parks, and environmental advocacy
• The Haymarket Affair: Labor unrest, anarchist influences, and the impact on labor movements
• The Spanish-American War: Motivations, outcomes, and its impact on American imperialism
• The Great Railroad Strike of 1877: Causes, consequences, and its significance in labor history
• The Panama Canal: Construction, geopolitical implications, and its role in international trade

World War I and the Roaring Twenties

• America’s entry into World War I: Motivations, consequences, and the impact on American society
• The Treaty of Versailles: Negotiations, implications, and the U.S. decision not to ratify
• The Harlem Renaissance: Cultural movements, artistic achievements, and the African American experience
• Prohibition and the rise of organized crime: Causes, enforcement, and social consequences
• The Scopes Trial: Evolution vs. creationism, the clash of science and religion, and its legal ramifications
• The Red Scare: Anti-communist hysteria, political repression, and its effects on civil liberties
• The Jazz Age: Music, fashion, and the changing social dynamics of the 1920s
• Women’s suffrage and the 19th Amendment: Struggles, victories, and the changing role of women in society
• The Great Migration: Causes, experiences, and the impact of African Americans moving from the South to urban centers
• The Wall Street Crash of 1929: Causes, consequences, and its role in the onset of the Great Depression

The Great Depression and New Deal Era

• The causes and impact of the Great Depression on American society and the global economy
• The Dust Bowl: Environmental disaster, migration, and government responses
• The New Deal: Programs, policies, and their effectiveness in addressing the economic crisis
• The role of Eleanor Roosevelt: Activism, advocacy, and her influence on social reform
• The Bonus Army: Protests, the military response, and its impact on public opinion
• The Federal Writers’ Project: Literary contributions, folklore collection, and the preservation of American culture
• The art of the Great Depression: Visual expressions of hardship, resilience, and social commentary
• The Wagner Act: Labor rights, unionization, and its impact on workers’ rights
• The Social Security Act: Origins, provisions, and its legacy in social welfare programs
• The Dust Bowl migration and its influence on the demographic and cultural landscape of the West Coast

World War II and Post-War America

• America’s entry into World War II: Pearl Harbor, the home front, and the war effort
• The Manhattan Project: Development of the atomic bomb, ethical implications, and its role in ending the war
• Japanese internment during World War II: Causes, consequences, and the violation of civil liberties
• The GI Bill: Educational opportunities, housing benefits, and its impact on returning veterans
• The Marshall Plan: Reconstruction of Europe, containment policy, and America’s role in post-war recovery
• The Cold War: Origins, conflicts, and the impact on American society and foreign policy
• The Civil Rights Movement: Leaders, strategies, and the fight for racial equality
• McCarthyism and the Red Scare: Communist witch hunts, political repression, and the Hollywood blacklist
• The Korean War: Causes, outcomes, and its impact on the balance of power in Asia
• The Baby Boom: Population growth, suburbanization, and the changing dynamics of American family life

Civil Rights Movement and Social Change

• Brown v. Board of Education: Segregation, desegregation, and the landmark Supreme Court decision
• The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the power of nonviolent resistance
• The March on Washington: Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and its impact on civil rights legislation
• The Black Panther Party: Activism, community organizing, and the struggle for racial justice
• The Feminist Movement: Women’s liberation, reproductive rights, and the fight for gender equality
• The Stonewall Riots: LGBTQ+ activism, the birth of the gay rights movement, and the fight for equal rights
• The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968: Native American sovereignty, activism, and the pursuit of self-determination
• The Chicano Movement: Immigration, labor rights, and the fight for social and political equality
• The Counterculture of the 1960s: Anti-war protests, hippie culture, and the quest for social change
• The Environmental Movement: Rachel Carson, Earth Day, and the fight for environmental awareness and conservation

Modern America and Contemporary Issues

• The Watergate Scandal: Political corruption, investigative journalism, and its impact on American politics
• The Reagan Era: Conservative politics, economic policies, and the redefinition of American conservatism
• The 9/11 Attacks: Causes, consequences, and the impact on national security and foreign policy
• The rise of social media: Transformations in communication, privacy concerns, and the influence on society
• The Black Lives Matter movement: Racial justice, police brutality, and the fight against systemic racism
• The #MeToo movement: Sexual harassment, gender equality, and the call for social change
• The opioid crisis: Causes, consequences, and the efforts to address the epidemic
• The presidency of Barack Obama: Historical significance, policies, and the impact on American society
• Immigration policy in the 21st century: Debates, challenges, and the changing demographics of America
• Climate change and environmental activism: The scientific consensus, policy debates, and the quest for sustainable solutions

This comprehensive list of interesting American history research paper topics provides a wide array of options for students and researchers to explore the captivating stories and pivotal moments in American history. From the early colonial period to modern-day issues, these topics offer abundant opportunities for in-depth research, critical analysis, and engaging writing. By selecting a topic aligned with personal interests and academic goals, students can embark on a rewarding journey of discovery and contribute to the rich tapestry of American historical scholarship.

American History: Exploring the Range of Interesting Research Paper Topics

American history is a captivating and diverse subject that encompasses a vast array of fascinating topics. From the early colonization of the continent to the modern era, the history of the United States is filled with remarkable events, influential figures, and transformative social movements. In this article, we will explore the breadth and depth of interesting American history research paper topics, providing students with a rich tapestry of subjects to investigate and analyze. By delving into these topics, students can gain a deeper understanding of the nation’s past, its complexities, and its enduring impact on the present.

• Colonial America : Colonial America serves as the foundation of American history, and exploring its various aspects can offer valuable insights. Topics in this category may include the establishment and development of the Jamestown settlement, the religious beliefs and social structure of Puritanism in early New England, the causes and consequences of the Salem Witch Trials, the impact of Native American-European encounters, and the role of women in colonial society.
• Revolutionary Period and the Founding Fathers : The Revolutionary Period marked a significant turning point in American history. Research paper topics in this category can focus on the causes and significance of the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and its impact on American identity, the role of key Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, the Revolutionary War’s military strategies and key battles, and the transition from the Articles of Confederation to the U.S. Constitution.
• Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny : The concept of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion played a pivotal role in shaping America. Research topics may include the motivations and impact of the Louisiana Purchase, the experiences and challenges of pioneers on the Oregon Trail, the social and economic transformations brought about by the California Gold Rush, the impact of the Mexican-American War on territorial expansion, and the resistance and struggles of Native American tribes.
• Civil War and Reconstruction : The Civil War and Reconstruction era remain critical periods in American history. Students can explore topics such as the causes and consequences of the Civil War, key battles and military strategies, the leadership and speeches of Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation and its significance in ending slavery, and the policies and impact of the Reconstruction period on the nation.
• Industrialization and the Gilded Age : The Gilded Age witnessed rapid industrialization and significant social changes. Research paper topics in this category may include the rise of industrialization and its technological advancements, the labor movement and the fight for workers’ rights, the Progressive Era’s social reforms and political changes, the women’s suffrage movement and the struggle for gender equality, and the challenges and contributions of immigration and urbanization.
• World Wars and the Interwar Period : The World Wars and the interwar period shaped America’s position on the global stage. Students can explore topics such as America’s involvement in World War I, the cultural developments and societal changes of the Roaring Twenties, the causes and impact of the Great Depression, America’s role in World War II and the home front experience, and the post-war era marked by the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a global superpower.
• Civil Rights Movement and Social Change : The Civil Rights Movement and other social movements brought about significant change in American society. Research paper topics may include key events and figures of the Civil Rights Movement, the struggle for equality and justice, the impact of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., the fight for women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights, and the broader social changes of the 1960s and beyond.
• Cultural and Intellectual Movements : Exploring cultural and intellectual movements provides insights into American society. Research topics can cover areas such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Beat Generation and counterculture movements, the feminist movement and women’s liberation, the impact of popular culture, and the influence of art, literature, and music on American society.
• Economic and Industrial Development : America’s economic and industrial development has had a profound impact on its history. Research paper topics in this category can include the rise of big business and monopolies, the impact of technological advancements such as the automobile and electricity, the evolution of labor and consumerism, the Great Depression and its consequences, and the challenges and transformations of the modern economy.
• Foreign Policy and International Relations : American foreign policy and international relations have shaped the nation’s role on the global stage. Topics in this category may include America’s involvement in wars and conflicts, diplomatic relations with other nations, the Cold War and its impact on American society, the evolution of globalization, and contemporary foreign policy challenges.

Exploring the diverse and intriguing aspects of American history through research paper topics allows students to deepen their understanding of the nation’s past. From the early colonization to modern-day challenges, the range of interesting American history research paper topics is vast and captivating. By selecting an interesting research paper topic and delving into the associated historical context, students can develop critical thinking skills, expand their knowledge, and contribute to the ongoing exploration of America’s rich and complex history.

How to Choose an Interesting Topic in American History

Selecting an engaging and thought-provoking research paper topic is essential for a successful study in American history. With such a vast and rich historical landscape, it can be challenging to narrow down your focus and choose a topic that piques your interest while offering ample opportunities for exploration. In this section, we will provide you with valuable tips on how to choose interesting American history research paper topics that align with your academic goals and captivate your audience.

• Identify Your Interests and Passions : Start by reflecting on your personal interests and passions within American history. Are you fascinated by a particular period, such as the Revolutionary War or the Civil Rights Movement? Do you have a keen interest in social, political, or cultural aspects of American history? By selecting a topic that genuinely interests you, you will be more motivated to delve into the research and produce a compelling paper.
• Consider Unexplored or Understudied Areas : While popular topics in American history are widely discussed, consider exploring lesser-known or understudied areas. Look for hidden narratives, forgotten voices, or overlooked events that offer new perspectives on American history. This approach not only allows you to contribute to the field but also adds novelty and intrigue to your research paper.
• Focus on Specific Regions or Communities : American history is diverse and encompasses a wide range of regions, communities, and cultures. Narrowing down your topic to a specific geographic area or community can provide a more focused and nuanced analysis. For example, you may choose to explore the experiences of Native American tribes in a particular region, the contributions of a specific immigrant group, or the impact of a social movement in a particular city.
• Examine Social and Cultural Aspects : American history is not just about politics and wars; it encompasses social and cultural aspects that have shaped the nation. Consider topics that delve into art, literature, music, popular culture, and social movements. Analyze the impact of cultural icons, explore the evolution of American identity, or study the connections between art and politics during a particular era.
• Analyze Controversial Issues and Debates : Controversial issues and debates in American history offer ample opportunities for in-depth analysis and critical thinking. Select a topic that sparks debate or challenges traditional narratives. For example, you may examine the controversies surrounding the American Revolution, the complexities of Reconstruction, or the ongoing debates about immigration policies throughout history.
• Utilize Primary Sources : Incorporating primary sources into your research can add depth and authenticity to your paper. Primary sources include documents, diaries, letters, speeches, photographs, and other materials created during the period you are studying. By analyzing firsthand accounts, you can gain unique insights and provide a fresh perspective on your chosen topic.
• Consult Secondary Sources : Secondary sources, such as scholarly books, articles, and research papers, provide a foundation of knowledge and offer different interpretations of historical events. Consult reputable secondary sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of your topic and to situate your research within the broader historical context.
• Consider Interdisciplinary Approaches : American history intersects with various disciplines, such as sociology, literature, political science, and economics. Consider adopting an interdisciplinary approach to your research paper by integrating insights from multiple fields. This can add depth and complexity to your analysis and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the chosen topic.
• Evaluate Feasibility and Availability of Sources : Before finalizing your topic, assess the feasibility of conducting research and the availability of relevant sources. Ensure that there are sufficient primary and secondary sources accessible to you. If necessary, consult librarians, databases, and archival collections to determine the availability and accessibility of materials related to your chosen topic.
• Refine and Narrow Your Topic : Once you have identified a potential research topic, refine and narrow it down to ensure it is manageable within the scope of your research paper. Consider the time frame, geographical boundaries, and specific research questions you wish to explore. This process will help you maintain focus and produce a well-structured and coherent paper.

Choosing an interesting American history research paper topic is an exciting yet challenging task. By identifying your interests, exploring understudied areas, considering specific regions or communities, examining social and cultural aspects, analyzing controversies, utilizing primary and secondary sources, adopting interdisciplinary approaches, evaluating feasibility, and refining your topic, you can select a captivating subject that engages both you and your audience. Remember, a well-chosen topic sets the stage for a compelling research paper that contributes to the ongoing exploration of American history.

How to Write an American History Research Paper

Writing an interesting and captivating research paper on American history requires careful planning, thorough research, and effective writing strategies. Whether you are exploring a significant event, analyzing social movements, or examining the lives of influential figures, the following tips will guide you in crafting a compelling and well-structured research paper that engages your readers and showcases your understanding of American history.

• Develop a Clear and Concise Thesis Statement : A strong thesis statement is the foundation of your research paper. It should clearly state your argument or main idea and provide a roadmap for your paper. Ensure that your thesis statement is focused, specific, and supported by evidence from your research.
• Conduct In-Depth Research : Thorough research is crucial for an interesting American history research paper. Explore primary and secondary sources to gather relevant information, facts, and perspectives on your chosen topic. Utilize libraries, archives, databases, and reputable online sources to access a wide range of materials.
• Analyze Primary and Secondary Sources : Examine primary sources, such as documents, letters, diaries, speeches, and photographs, to gain firsthand insights into the historical context you are studying. Analyze secondary sources, including scholarly books and articles, to understand different interpretations and scholarly debates surrounding your topic. By critically evaluating sources, you can present a well-informed and balanced argument.
• Organize Your Research and Create an Outline : Organize your research findings and create a well-structured outline for your research paper. An outline helps you establish a logical flow and ensure that your arguments are presented coherently. Divide your paper into sections, each focusing on a specific aspect of your topic, and use subheadings to further organize your ideas.
• Craft Engaging Introductions and Conclusions : Capture your readers’ attention with an engaging introduction that presents the significance of your research topic and provides context for your study. Introduce your thesis statement and outline the key points you will address in your paper. In your conclusion, summarize your main arguments, restate your thesis, and offer some final thoughts or insights.
• Use Clear and Concise Language : Write in a clear and concise manner to effectively communicate your ideas. Avoid excessive jargon and complex language that may confuse your readers. Use active voice, straightforward sentences, and transition words to ensure a smooth and coherent flow of information.
• Present Strong Evidence and Support Your Claims : Support your arguments and claims with strong evidence from your research. Cite your sources accurately using the appropriate citation style (such as APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian) to give credit to the original authors and to demonstrate the credibility of your work. Use a mix of direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries to incorporate evidence into your paper.
• Provide Historical Context : Place your research within the broader historical context to help readers understand the significance of your topic. Discuss relevant events, social conditions, cultural influences, and political factors that shaped the period you are studying. Providing historical context enhances the depth and understanding of your research paper.
• Analyze and Interpret Data : An interesting American history research paper goes beyond presenting facts and data. Analyze and interpret the information you have gathered to provide insightful perspectives and draw meaningful conclusions. Consider different viewpoints, historical interpretations, and the implications of your findings.
• Revise and Edit : Revision and editing are essential to polish your research paper and ensure its clarity and coherence. Review your paper for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure errors. Check the flow of your arguments and make sure your ideas are presented logically. Seek feedback from peers, instructors, or writing centers to gain valuable insights and improve your paper.

Writing an interesting American history research paper requires a combination of diligent research, critical thinking, and effective writing skills. By developing a clear thesis statement, conducting in-depth research, analyzing primary and secondary sources, organizing your ideas, using clear language, providing strong evidence, offering historical context, analyzing data, and revising and editing your work, you can create a research paper that engages your readers and contributes to the exploration of American history. Remember, the journey of writing a research paper is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the subject matter and share your knowledge with others.

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Finding the Soul of the 1920s!

The lesson will be taught in a 7th grade classroom. All students will be required to use primary and secondary sources to investigate the 1920s.

• I am a fan of teaching with a constructivist approach where students are hands on in numerous experiences and exploring their individual strengths. This podcasting lesson with is either with a partner or by himself or herself. I will expect
• The classroom will open with Jazz music from the 1920s to set the tone alone with images of ordinary people on the smart board. I will have names of famous Missourians from the 1920s on the classroom desks, which we will explore through the unit. We will create a visual timeline in the classroom
• I am hoping to expand this unit with my colleagues. I think we could incorporate the 18th and Vine museums into our multicultural assembly in January. My focus will be to for students create a podcast based on a person or topic from the 1920s. I want to also highlight the Jazz Age in Kansas City through creating a podcast.

The 1920s produced an amazing amount of history about extraordinary time for our country. I want to encourage students make connections from the past to the present of strong leading Americans, plus ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I will focus on the history of the Kansas City region for this project

Research a topic from the 1920s

Be given a basic history of the 1920s.

Create an original podcast using their research.

Students will explore the Kansas City history during the 1920.

Understanding of beginnings of Jazz music in Kansas City

 Social Studies, students in Missouri public schools will acquire a solid foundation, which includes knowledge of

1. Principles expressed in the documents shaping constitutional democracy in the United States

2. Continuity and change in the history of Missouri, the United States and the world

5. The major elements of geographical study and analysis (such as location, place, movement, regions) and their relationships to changes in society and environment

6. Relationships of the individual and groups to institutions and cultural traditions

7. The use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps, documents)

Technology Standards:

ISTE-NETS-S: Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

Students will apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

Students will create original works as a means of personal or group expression

Kansas Standards

Benchmark 1: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of individuals, groups, ideas, developments, and turning points in the era of the emergence of the modern United States (1890-1930).

9. (A) analyzes factors that contributed to changes in work, production and the rise of a consumer culture during the 1920’s (e.g., leisure time, technology, communication, travel, assembly line, credit buying).

Benchmark 5: The student engages in historical thinking skills.

1. (A) analyzes a theme in United States history to explain patterns of continuity and change over time.

2. (A) develops historical questions on a specific topic in United States history and analyzes the evidence in primary source documents to speculate on the answers.

3. (A) uses primary and secondary sources about an event in U.S. history to develop a credible interpretation of the event, evaluating on its meaning (e.g., uses provided primary and secondary sources to interpret a historical-based conclusion).

The Roaring Twenties Statistics

The Roaring Twenties Timeline

Kansas City Library

Stanley Coben, Rebellion Against Victorianism

An analysis of the social and intellectual transformation during the 1920s.

Ellis W. Hawley, The Great War and the Search for Modern Order

A highly readable interpretation of the period.

Clara Bow’s vivaciousness helped define the new woman of the 1920s. This film tells the story of a shop clerk who wins the heart of her rich employer because she has "it": "that quality possessed by some which draws all others with its magnetic force."

The Library of Congress

Missouri Valley Special Collections

American Jazz Museum

Internet Resources

• Digital Librarian - History
• Hanover Historical Texts Project
• Spartacus Educational
• American Memory Project
• Learning in Hand: Podcasts

Podcast Learning Goals:

An appreciation for the history of radio and the 1920’s.

Be able to find quality research and write about the events

Create a quality product

Improving communication skills

Be able to work with technology and improve his or her skills.

What to Do:

Introducing a podcasts

I will ask the students if they familiar with podcasts and what they like to listen to on the radio? I plan to show podcasts from the apple website. I will have downloaded my couple of my favorites. I plan to discuss the history of radio and it’s importance on American History. After we have completed our discussion, I will explain we will be creating a podcast based from historical research in the 1920’s. I will provide the students with a list of topics from the 1920’s to choose on of interest to them.

The class with chooses a partner to create their podcast (radioshow) it should resemble old time radio shows. I want students to include music and other artifacts from the time period.

1. Students will select a person or topic of interest from the 1920’s.

2. Students will choose a partner or can choose to work alone.

3. Students will listen to old radio show and modern podcasts to brainstorm ideas in the form of a concept map.

4. Students will be given two days to research their topic. The teacher will provide some web source as a starting point for students.

When writing the script students should consider length of segment, order of the show, music segments, and overall creative informative podcast.

5. Students will create a written script from their research.

6. Students will record the podcast using Garage band. It can be done with Audacity. Students will go into the computer lab to do their recording.

Students will one day to record and one day to edit the podcast.

Before recording students will practice reading scripts out loud.

Podcasts will be posted on my webpage for parents to listen to their child’s work. I will also make each student a copy of all the podcasts.

I found this scoring guide, which could easily be used for this project.

Rubric for Podcasts

*I typically work with the students to create a scoring guide, so they are involved in the process of creating a quality product. I think the students take ownership in the project when they understand how it is going to be graded. I also will allow them to grade themselves, and then I will conference with them about his or her score. We will look the final product together.

Grade 8 - 1920's Research Project - Siegel: Slides / Presentation

• Slides / Presentation

Giving A Good Presentation

• Step 1: Speaking/Presenting
• Step 2: Powerpoint
• Step 3: Content
• Step 4: Rehearsal
• Step 5: As An Audience Member

How you carry yourself when you are giving your presentation is just as important as all that work you put into researching for it. A presentation is two parts: information and show. After getting the information together, here's how you perfect the show: • Speak loudly but do not yell. • Speak slowly and clearly. • Smile, maintain good posture, and make eye contact with audience. • Be succinct: keep your presentation simple but make your words count. • Be engaging. How can your audience be interested in your presentation if you aren’t? • Vary your tone, don’t “read” your script; even if you are actually reading it, it doesn’t have to sound that way. • If you mention a foreign word, put it on a slide – some people will not really understand a new word without seeing it too. • Likewise, if you come across a word you are unfamiliar with, look up the pronunciation or ask a teacher for help.

Your slides cannot save your presentation if your script is underdeveloped. Slides ≠ your presentation. They are a separate entity, and you cannot depend solely on them to convey your information. On that note: • DO NOT put your entire script in the slides. • DO NOT read your slides as you present. • Use slides for what they are: visual aids. Include pictures--use them to highlight ideas, words, or concepts. • Don’t use fancy transitions and effects, they draw attention away from your presentation. • Spell-check your slides, and have someone else look them over, too.  • Use standard fonts. • If technical difficulties are irresolvable, be prepared to give your presentation sans slideshow.

Advice on how to set up your presentation: • Don’t inject too much opinion into your presentation unless the project directs you to specifically do so. You are a reporter; be impartial. • In conjunction with the above, do not seek to sensationalize simply to get attention. You must maintain credibility in the eyes of your audience. • Prepare a conclusion for your presentation so that your audience knows it’s over, don’t just trail off or get to the last slide and say “that’s it.”

Though it may be tempting to skip the practice stage, don't give in!  The more you practice your presentation, the more natural you will sound. • If you have a verbal tic (“um,” “like,” “so, yeah,” “uh,” etc.) practice speaking slowly and rehearse your script. • Try to pace your breathing in rehearsal so that you do not speed up, run out of breath, panic, and get flustered. • Rehearse in front of real people. Enlighten your parents during dinner, call friends over for a movie night and surprise them with a presentation on Surrealism during the intermission, whatever it takes. • Use observations from rehearsal to eliminate awkward phrasing, awkward pauses, and to mark your script exactly where you need to change slides. • Make sure to time your rehearsals so that you will stay within/meet your time limit.

Remember, if you're in a class and have to give a presentation, it's likely your audience is made up of future or past presenters. Be a good audience for them! • Do not heckle, comment, or raise your hand during the presentation. Questions should come at the end. • Stay in your seat. The middle of someone else’s presentation is not the right time for a bathroom break. • If you are late to class, wait in the doorway until the presenter is done, then enter.

How to Give an Awesome Presentation

Making an Interesting Presentation

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• Last Updated: Mar 31, 2022 12:37 PM
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1920s Project: Research Question & Background Information

• Research Question & Background Information
• Scholarly vs. Background
• Notes & Plagiarism
• Rough Draft and Revision
• Works Cited
• Sample MLA 8 Paper
• Reference Help

Topic Selection and Sample Research Questions

These questions start with the words:  How, What if, Should, To what extent  or  Why . Note:  These take practice to learn how to write. Ask your teacher if you’re on the right track. (Chart from the Golden Gate University Business Library.)

Download your own chart here!

Background Information: Your First Sources

Background research is essential for understanding concepts, terms, events, places and people who shape this topic.  This knowledge base needs to be built before you start your scholarly research.  When reading  background information , write some basic questions.  These questions can be answered with a yes or no, or a single sentence or two.   This process will help clarify your thoughts and enable you to write your  research question .  If you're stuck on how to get started, remember the 5Ws+H:   Who, What, Where, When, Why,  and  How.

General Encyclopedias and Reference Books:

A general encyclopedia like the Encyclopedia Britannica  may be useful for basic facts and for a broad understanding of your topic. You can also use the Databases for Reference ebooks.  If you feel that the information goes beyond superficial facts and will provide you with details you can use later in your project, you should print or save it to use later.

Online Databases and News Sources:

A subject-specific online database such as ABC - CLIO  for social studies is a good choice for background information.  A   news article can be useful if you are researching current events.  Use an article from a database, from the web, or from a print newspaper or magazine (ex. National Geographic Magazine , The New York Times , The Boston Globe ,  CNN.com , Gale Group  databases have newspaper and magazine articles). 

If you think you will use the information found in these sources in your research paper, you should print or save them to use later.  Be sure to cite them in MyBib.com.

General Websites:

At this stage, it’s O.K. to Google your topic.  Since you are just trying to learn more about your topic , it’s permissible to do this.  Find a reputable website with basic facts. Click on the Evaluation Criteria for Websites . If you happen to find an authoritative website that you think you may use later because it has quality information, you may want to print or save it to use later.  

Keep in mind: You may find student projects online, anonymous sites like Answers.com, or Quora.  Do not use them for your background or scholarly research .  They are not reputable because the authors are unknown or not reliable.

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The Roaring '20s: A Project-Based Learning Activity for The Great Gatsby - With Downloadable Handout

• Categories : High school english lesson plans grades 9 12
• Tags : High school lesson plans & tips

Project Introduction

Out of all of the classic American novels I teach, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the most difficult for my high school students to grasp. They often get lost in the rambling first chapter, overlook the subtle hints given through dialogue and events, and wonder why it seems like the characters are in a state of perpetual partying.

The historical references made throughout the novel are equally baffling to them. As I always seek an opportunity to fold project-based learning into my curriculum, I developed this activity to set up for students the complicated and exciting era known as the Roaring Twenties. My students complete this project before we read; however, you can easily adapt it to be completed as an independent project during your reading of the novel, or as a unit assessment upon completion of the book.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the project, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of a specific area of interest from the 1920s as well as a general knowledge about the era.
• Develop a piece of writing that reflects what students learned during research.
• Cooperate within a group to accomplish completion of the project.
• Edit writing from peers.

Materials Required

Computers or compatible devices with internet access and word processor

Related books or resources (I sometimes use this unit to do a quick library orientation, or I provide students with a list of links that are particularly useful if they’re not the most adept researchers)

Lesson Procedure

• Activate background knowledge by asking students what they already know about the Roaring Twenties. Spend a few minutes brainstorming together.
• Introduce the novel as you see fit. I usually give a brief teaser of the novel—without giving too much away, of course—and discuss why it is important to understand the historical context of the story in order to get a clearer picture of the society Fitzgerald depicts.
• Distribute the project handouts. ( Download the handout here. )
• Split students up into groups. You could assign groups or let them choose for themselves, depending on the composition of your classes.
• Each student within the small groups should choose an area to focus on for his or her research. On the project handout, I listed a few areas (cars, sports, technology, etc.), but you could easily add or deduct from the choices based on what you would like your students to know.
• Before your class starts researching, discuss the focus question of the project: What made the 1920s roaring? Inform students that although they will each be focusing on one topic area, their research overall should answer that question.
• Allow your students to complete some research in class. Project-based learning is research-driven because being able to discern a credible source from an unreliable source is a vital 21st century skill. Your task is to monitor students during their research and coach them toward more accurate and reliable information.
• Students will then write an article based on the research completed. Encourage students to focus on one aspect of their topics rather than simply summarizing their findings; for example, a student who researched sports in the 1920s could write an article about a particular boxer or cover a baseball game.
• After each student is finished writing, allow the small groups to reconvene. During this time, groups should share their articles with one another for two reasons: one, to teach each other what was uncovered during research; two, to proofread the articles for spelling and grammatical errors. Once the articles are edited, the groups should then begin to compile their magazines and work together to design and create a cover page that engages interest and previews the articles inside.
• When the magazines are complete, each group should come to class with multiple copies of their projects. Spend some time doing what I call a gallery walk: lay the magazines out in different areas of your classroom and allow the students to browse from project to project, reading articles and checking out the pictures. This is a way for students to present their work without the pressure of a formal presentation in front of their peers.

At the end of the project process, have students write a reflection in which they answer the question, “What made the 1920s roaring?”

Potential Modifications

My favorite aspect of this project is that it lends itself well to different emphases based on what you’re currently teaching. For example, when I have a class struggling with writing, I incorporate a mini-lesson about voice and tone before students write their articles.

If I have a class that is still getting used to project-based learning, I scale back on the requirements of the assignment and focus on the project process itself. Advanced students can easily accomplish this project outside of class.

No matter which way I choose to go, my students create products that they can refer to throughout our reading of the novel, making their experience with The Great Gatsby all the richer.

• Image Credit: The Great Gatsby,  ISBN-13: 9780743273565, Publisher: Scribner, Publication date: 9/30/2004

This post is part of the series: Project Based Learning: High School English

These lesson ideas are a great start to adding project based learning into your curriculum.

• Salem Witch Trials Webquest: Project Based Lesson to Introduce &ldquo;The Crucible&rdquo;
• Music in &ldquo;The Pearl&rdquo; by John Steinbeck: Project-Based Learning Assessment
• American Poetry Anthology: A Project Based Learning Activity
• The Roaring ‘20s: A Project-Based Learning Activity to Introduce The Great Gatsby
• Seeing into the Future: A Project-Based Learning Analysis of Fahrenheit 451
• Review of the Writing Process: A Lesson Plan for High School Students

• Reedy High School

US History: Roaring 1920’s Project

Click Here to go to the US History VA Roaring 1920’s Scrapbook Project MackinVia Group

In MackinVia go to Groups – US History VA Roaring 1920’s Scrapbook Project

Video Helper for US History VA Roaring 1920’s Scrapbook Project Research Resources

Pictures Video Helper for US History VA Roaring 1920’s Scrapbook Project

In many ways, the roaring 20s are comparable to today. Easy, loose money. Rising stock markets, new technologies, etc. A difference from then to here and now is that they had their dollar pegged on gold. Now, we don’t. We have fiat currency that is way overvalued, and when it corrects, it will be ugly.

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U.S. centenarian population is projected to quadruple over the next 30 years

The number of Americans ages 100 and older is projected to more than quadruple over the next three decades, from an estimated 101,000 in 2024 to about 422,000 in 2054, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. Centenarians currently make up just 0.03% of the overall U.S. population, and they are expected to reach 0.1% in 2054.

The number of centenarians in the United States has steadily ticked up since 1950, when the Census Bureau estimates there were just 2,300 Americans ages 100 and older. (The Census Bureau uses calculated estimates for years prior to the 1990 census because it has identified large errors in the census counts of centenarians for those years.)

In the last three decades alone, the U.S. centenarian population has nearly tripled. The 1990 census counted around 37,000 centenarians in the country.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand how the population of Americans ages 100 and older looks today, and how it is expected to change in the next 30 years. U.S. population estimates come from the U.S. Census Bureau , and global projections are drawn from the United Nations’ population projections under its medium variant scenario .

All racial groups are single-race and non-Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race.

Today, women and White adults make up the vast majority of Americans in their 100s. This trend is largely projected to continue, though their shares will decrease:

• In 2024, 78% of centenarians are women, and 22% are men. In 30 years, women are expected to make up 68% of those ages 100 and older, while 32% will be men.
• 77% of today’s centenarians are White. Far fewer are Black (8%), Asian (7%) or Hispanic (6%). And 1% or fewer are multiracial; American Indian or Alaska Native; or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. By 2054, White and Asian adults are projected to make up smaller shares of centenarians (72% and 5%, respectively), while the shares who are Hispanic (11%) or Black (10%) will be larger. (All racial categories here are single-race and non-Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race.)

The U.S. population overall is expected to trend older in the coming decades as life expectancies increase and the birth rate declines. There are currently roughly 62 million adults ages 65 and older living in the U.S., accounting for 18% of the population. By 2054, 84 million adults ages 65 and older will make up an estimated 23% of the population.

Even as the 65-and-older population continues to grow over the next 30 years, those in their 100s are projected to roughly double as a percentage of that age group, increasing from 0.2% of all older Americans in 2024 to 0.5% in 2054.

Centenarians around the world

The world is home to an estimated 722,000 centenarians, according to the United Nations’ population projections for 2024. The U.S. centenarian population is the world’s second largest – the UN estimates it at 108,000, slightly larger than the Census Bureau’s estimate.

Japan is the country with the greatest number of people in their 100s, at 146,000. China (60,000), India (48,000) and Thailand (38,000) round out the top five.

In each of these countries, centenarians make up less than 1% of the overall population, but combined, they account for more than half (55%) of the world’s population ages 100 and older.

Looked at another way, centenarians make up a bigger proportion of the total population in Japan, Thailand and the U.S., and smaller shares in China and India, which have large but relatively young populations. There are about 12 centenarians for every 10,000 people in Japan, five for every 10,000 in Thailand and three for every 10,000 in the U.S. That compares with fewer than one centenarian for every 10,000 people in China and India.

By 2054, the global centenarian population is projected to grow to nearly 4 million. China is expected to have the largest number of centenarians, with 767,000, followed by the U.S., India, Japan and Thailand. As a proportion, centenarians are projected to account for about 49 out of every 10,000 people in Thailand, 40 of every 10,000 in Japan and 14 of every 10,000 in the U.S. Six out of every 10,000 people in China will be centenarians, as will about two of every 10,000 in India.

• Older Adults & Aging

Katherine Schaeffer is a research analyst at Pew Research Center

How Teens and Parents Approach Screen Time

Older workers are growing in number and earning higher wages, teens, social media and technology 2023, dating at 50 and up: older americans’ experiences with online dating, about half of americans say the best age for a u.s. president is in their 50s, most popular.

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MIT announces 2024 Bose Grants

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MIT Provost Cynthia Barnhart announced four Professor Amar G. Bose Research Grants to support bold research projects across diverse areas of study, including a way to generate clean hydrogen from deep in the Earth, build an environmentally friendly house of basalt, design maternity clothing that monitors fetal health, and recruit sharks as ocean oxygen monitors.

This year's recipients are Iwnetim Abate, assistant professor of materials science and engineering; Andrew Babbin, the Cecil and Ida Green Associate Professor in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Yoel Fink, professor of materials science and engineering and of electrical engineering and computer science; and Skylar Tibbits, associate professor of design research in the Department of Architecture.

The program was named for the visionary founder of the Bose Corporation and MIT alumnus Amar G. Bose ’51, SM ’52, ScD ’56. After gaining admission to MIT, Bose became a top math student and a Fulbright Scholarship recipient. He spent 46 years as a professor at MIT, led innovations in sound design, and founded the Bose Corp. in 1964. MIT launched the Bose grant program 11 years ago to provide funding over a three-year period to MIT faculty who propose original, cross-disciplinary, and often risky research projects that would likely not be funded by conventional sources.

“The promise of the Bose Fellowship is to help bold, daring ideas become realities, an approach that honors Amar Bose’s legacy,” says Barnhart. “Thanks to support from this program, these talented faculty members have the freedom to explore their bold and innovative ideas.”

Deep and clean hydrogen futures

A green energy future will depend on harnessing hydrogen as a clean energy source, sequestering polluting carbon dioxide, and mining the minerals essential to building clean energy technologies such as advanced batteries. Iwnetim Abate thinks he has a solution for all three challenges: an innovative hydrogen reactor.

He plans to build a reactor that will create natural hydrogen from ultramafic mineral rocks in the crust. “The Earth is literally a giant hydrogen factory waiting to be tapped,” Abate explains. “A back-of-the-envelope calculation for the first seven kilometers of the Earth’s crust estimates that there is enough ultramafic rock to produce hydrogen for 250,000 years.”

The reactor envisioned by Abate injects water to create a reaction that releases hydrogen, while also supporting the injection of climate-altering carbon dioxide into the rock, providing a global carbon capacity of 100 trillion tons. At the same time, the reactor process could provide essential elements such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt — some of the most important raw materials used in advanced batteries and electronics.

“Ultimately, our goal is to design and develop a scalable reactor for simultaneously tapping into the trifecta from the Earth's subsurface,” Abate says.

Sharks as oceanographers

If we want to understand more about how oxygen levels in the world’s seas are disturbed by human activities and climate change, we should turn to a sensing platform “that has been honed by 400 million years of evolution to perfectly sample the ocean: sharks,” says Andrew Babbin.

As the planet warms, oceans are projected to contain less dissolved oxygen, with impacts on the productivity of global fisheries, natural carbon sequestration, and the flux of climate-altering greenhouse gasses from the ocean to the air. While scientists know dissolved oxygen is important, it has proved difficult to track over seasons, decades, and underexplored regions both shallow and deep.

Babbin’s goal is to develop a low-cost sensor for dissolved oxygen that can be integrated with preexisting electronic shark tags used by marine biologists. “This fleet of sharks … will finally enable us to measure the extent of the low-oxygen zones of the ocean, how they change seasonally and with El Niño/La Niña oscillation, and how they expand or contract into the future.”

The partnership with sharks will also spotlight the importance of these often-maligned animals for global marine and fisheries health, Babbin says. “We hope in pursuing this work marrying microscopic and macroscopic life we will inspire future oceanographers and conservationists, and lead to a better appreciation for the chemistry that underlies global habitability.”

Maternity wear that monitors fetal health

There are 2 million stillbirths around the world each year, and in the United States alone, 21,000 families suffer this terrible loss. In many cases, mothers and their doctors had no warning of any abnormalities or changes in fetal health leading up to these deaths. Yoel Fink and colleagues are looking for a better way to monitor fetal health and provide proactive treatment.

Fink is building on years of research on acoustic fabrics to design an affordable shirt for mothers that would monitor and communicate important details of fetal health. His team’s original research drew inspiration from the function of the eardrum, designing a fiber that could be woven into other fabrics to create a kind of fabric microphone.

“Given the sensitivity of the acoustic fabrics in sensing these nanometer-scale vibrations, could a mother's clothing transcend its conventional role and become a health monitor, picking up on the acoustic signals and subsequent vibrations that arise from her unborn baby's heartbeat and motion?” Fink says. “Could a simple and affordable worn fabric allow an expecting mom to sleep better, knowing that her fetus is being listened to continuously?”

The proposed maternity shirt could measure fetal heart and breathing rate, and might be able to give an indication of the fetal body position, he says. In the final stages of development, he and his colleagues hope to develop machine learning approaches that would identify abnormal fetal heart rate and motion and deliver real-time alerts.

A basalt house in Iceland

In the land of volcanoes, Skylar Tibbits wants to build a case-study home almost entirely from the basalt rock that makes up the Icelandic landscape.

Architects are increasingly interested in building using one natural material — creating a monomaterial structure — that can be easily recycled. At the moment, the building industry represents 40 percent of carbon emissions worldwide, and consists of many materials and structures, from metal to plastics to concrete, that can’t be easily disassembled or reused.

The proposed basalt house in Iceland, a project co-led by J. Jih, associate professor of the practice in the Department of Architecture, is “an architecture that would be fully composed of the surrounding earth, that melts back into that surrounding earth at the end of its lifespan, and that can be recycled infinitely,” Tibbits explains.

Basalt, the most common rock form in the Earth’s crust, can be spun into fibers for insulation and rebar. Basalt fiber performs as well as glass and carbon fibers at a lower cost in some applications, although it is not widely used in architecture. In cast form, it can make corrosion- and heat-resistant plumbing, cladding and flooring.

“A monomaterial architecture is both a simple and radical proposal that unfortunately falls outside of traditional funding avenues,” says Tibbits. “The Bose grant is the perfect and perhaps the only option for our research, which we see as a uniquely achievable moonshot with transformative potential for the entire built environment.”

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Earth week 2024.

This is a campuswide week of events, lectures, and volunteer opportunities designed to educate and inspire action related to environmental justice, climate, and nature-based solutions. This year’s theme is Restore & Regenerate.

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Excellence in Graduate Teaching Reception

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Penn Graduate Student Center, 3615 Locust Walk

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

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Maggie Nelson

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Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

Science & Technology

2024 tropical cyclone prediction

Michael mann and colleagues predict a record-breaking 33 named storms for the 2024 north atlantic hurricane season. it is the highest count ever projected..

For more than a decade, climate scientist Michael Mann of School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues have annually combed through historical weather data, reviewed current oceanic and atmospheric conditions, and applied computational modeling to forecast of coming hurricane seasons.

The team, comprising Shannon Christiansen , a senior research coordinator in the Mann Group, and Michael Kozar, a former graduate researcher in the Mann Research Group , today released their prediction for the 2024 North Atlantic season, which spans from June 1 to Nov. 30. They forecast an unprecedented 33 named tropical cyclones, potentially ranging between 27 and 39.

“We’ve seen many hyperactive seasons over the past decade, and in just about all cases, like our prediction for this year, the activity is substantially driven by ever-warmer conditions in the tropical Atlantic tied to large-scale warming,” says Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media .

Mann says the annual prediction originally started out as a scientific exercise. It began as an undergraduate research project that Michael Kozar, then a Pennsylvania State University student, was doing under Mann’s guidance to improve the predictions other groups were making through a more appropriate statistical framework.

“This tropical cyclone project with Dr. Mann was my first exposure to meteorological research about 15 years ago,” Kozar says. “Working on this seasonal model as an undergraduate student helped confirm that I wanted to dedicate my career to better understanding and forecasting Atlantic tropical cyclones. So, it is always exciting to touch base with the team and revisit our work each spring to get an idea on how active the upcoming season might be.”

Kozar, now tropical cyclone forecaster at Moody’s Risk Management Solutions, still works with Mann every year to bolster the quality of the predictions, which now incorporate more advanced statistical models that have been refined to include a broader array of climate predictors and adjustments for historically undercounted storms.

The process and product

Christiansen explains that the forecast integrates several key climatic variables. “It takes into account the current Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs), which significantly influence hurricane development by providing the necessary heat and energy,” she says. “We also factor in the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions, as shifts between El Niño and La Niña can dramatically alter atmospheric patterns that either enhance or suppress hurricane activity.”

Additionally, the researchers consider the mean conditions for the North Atlantic Oscillation, which affects weather patterns in the Atlantic. These climate predictors are gathered and put into the statistical model, enabling the researchers to produce a detailed range and best estimate of the named storms anticipated for the season.

This year’s predictions are influenced by particularly high sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Main Development Region (MDR), which, as of this month, are recorded at more than 1.9°C above average according to NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch. In addition, the forecast incorporates the anticipated development of moderate La Niña conditions, marked by a Niño 3.4 region anomaly of -0.5°C, and assumes average conditions for the North Atlantic Oscillation during the coming fall and winter. The Niño 3.4 region is a specific area in the central Pacific Ocean used to monitor and measure sea surface temperature anomalies as part of the ENSO diagnostic strategy.

Should ENSO conditions neutralize later in the year, the team predicts a slightly reduced activity of 30.5 +/- 5.5 storms, ranging from 25 to 36 storms, with the estimated 31 named storms as the most likely outcome. An alternative model, accounting for MDR sea surface temperature relative to the tropical average and incorporating the impact of negative ENSO conditions, suggests a lower activity with 19.9 +/- 4.5 named storms.

Why these matter

Mann cites three main reasons for why these results are of particular interest, saying, “first, from a preparation standpoint, these provide a lot of useful information as to whether those in areas impacted by Atlantic hurricanes should prepare for an especially active season.

“Second, these results underscore the seasonal relationship between climate and tropical cyclones, which helps to provide context for understanding how climate change is impacting hurricanes,” Mann says. “Since it’s the same basic relationships that are in play on seasonal and longer timescales, for instance, the warmth of the tropical Atlantic.”

Finally, it is an important demonstration of the strength of climate science models, Mann says. Scientists can make successful seasonal predictions based on the climate information they have, providing grounds for trust in longer-term climate predictions, particularly human-caused warming and its impacts.

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Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Solar production has begun at the Great Cove I and II facilities in central Pennsylvania, the equivalent of powering 70% of the electricity demand from Penn’s academic campus and health system in the Philadelphia area.

Education, Business, & Law

Investing in future teachers and educational leaders

The Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program at Penn’s Graduate School of Education is helping to prepare and retain teachers and educational leaders.

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

25 years of ‘LOVE’

The iconic sculpture by pop artist Robert Indiana arrived on campus in 1999 and soon became a natural place to come together.