Essays and Research Papers on U.S. History (1800s)

This 7-page paper focuses on the U.S. Civil War and its Reconstruction, and offers recommendations and potential legislation for how things could have been different. Also discussed are reasons for the War itself and where Reconstruction went wrong. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the perspectives and conditions of the Native Americans during the last half of the 19th century. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

3 pages in length. The writer briefly discusses the agricultural revolution, the railroad and individualism as they relate to manifest destiny of the era. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 9 page paper which examines why Americans were motivated to engage in such a prolonged war, using as a primary source James McPherson’s historical text, “For Cause and Comrades.” Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 6 page discussion of the role Frederick Douglass played in the abolitionist movement. The author describes the historical setting and ideology and identifies Douglass as one of the most visible and influential characters of the nineteenth century. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the efforts to stave off the Civil War as seen through the Compromise of 1820 through to the Compromise of 1850. The Nullification Crisis of the early 1830s is discussed as well. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page paper discussing some of the Constitution-related causes of the Civil War. The new Constitution was only thirty years old when the issue of slavery began to be too troublesome to ignore. It – and its flexibility to meet current needs – would be put to the test in the next ...

A 5 page paper discussing the Mexican-American war. The war that Americans refer to as the Mexican-American war is referred to even today in Mexico as "the Mutilation." It played a significant role in leading the United States into civil war, and also gave new US commanders real battle experience to take into ...

5 pages in length. Edward Bellamy finds many things problematic about the rise of late nineteenth-century industrialism in Looking Backward: 2000-1887. The extent to which this rise of social progress served to economically stunt the masses while creating fortunes for a handful of savvy – if not unscrupulous – businessmen is both grand ...

A 3 page research paper that analyzes Francis Parkman's text La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West was originally published in 1869, a time in literary history that is characterized as the "Romantic" era, which refers to the fact that artists, writers, and musicians were reacting to the over emphasis on rationality that ...

A 4 page discussion of the material presented in a chapter of a book titled Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World by author Barrington Moore. Moore tackles the subject of the causes and effects of the American Civil War and the importance of the ideology ...

A 4 page analysis of the causes of the Civil War. The author specifically examines the impact of the annexation of Texas, the Wilmot proviso, expansionism, the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and the Presidential election of 1860. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

An 8 page discussion of Thomas Jefferson's actions towards blacks and Native Americans. The author contends that in regard to his handling of slavery and Native American land rights Jefferson wavered considerably from his professed belief in the ideology of true equality. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the nature of labor in the 19th century in the United States. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page paper which examines all aspects of this decisive Civil War conflict of July 1-3, 1863, including the Confederate and Union leadership, strategy and tactics used in planning and executing the battle, the outcome, and its impact upon the progression of the war. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 10 page paper which examines the Civil War battle of Kennesaw Mountain in 1864. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

An 8 page paper which examines Brown’s role in commencing the Civil War and whether his contemporary label as ‘the father of terrorism’ is an accurate one. Bibliography lists 11 sources.

A 4 page discussion of the economic aspects of slavery. The author contrasts those impacts with the personal face of slavery, arguing that slavery was in fact not that economically profitable. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 9 page research paper that discusses this topic. This area of historical study can be divided roughly into several categories, as there are books that detail the role of Northern women as nurses; abolitionists; spies; and as actual soldiers. The historiography of Northern women's involvement in the war is too vast to be addressed ...

An 8 page paper which examines the different people in the Donner party and how the dynamics of the group led to the final outcome. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

The 5 page paper discusses the financial status of Irish immigrants of the 19th century and today's Mexican immigrants. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 7 page paper which examines the scope of the work, analyzes the author’s treatment of his subject (accuracy, logic, balance), and offers a personal opinion about the book’s relevance and whether or not it can be regarded as recommended reading. No additional sources are used.

A 3 page essay that responds to De Crevecoeur's famous essay. J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur (1735-1813) wrote about his impressions and his pride in an infant country, a nation of immigrants, the newly formed United States of America. In his essay "What is an American," he offers the opinion that "...we are the ...

A 3 page paper which examines what “Sam Patch” by Paul E. Johnson can teach the reader about life in the 19th century. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which examines the Abolition movement before the Civil War. Bibliography lists 3 sources.