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

The Civil War was the most devastating event in the history of the United States. The political, social and economic effects of that particular war are still being felt today. The 'cause' of the Civil War is generally understood to be the controversy surrounding slavery and the abolition of that institution. This 12 page paper explores the ...

This 6 page paper considers the perspectives of American journalists regarding the bombing of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor during the Spanish/American War. This paper assesses the perception of journalists through a view of the history and the reactions in newspaper/magazine articles from this era. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A five page paper contrasting the view of slavery described in Winston Churchill's 'The Great Democracies' (Volume Four of 'A History of the English-Speaking Peoples') with Austin Steward's slave narrative 'Twenty Two Years a Slave, and Forty Years a Freeman.' The paper points out that Churchill's view of the Civil War was colored by the ...

(5 pp) Whatever the time frame in history, "progress" will mean different things to different people. This paper will focus on the impact of land on the American sense of progress from 1837 to 1867. Often when a country begins, it is limited by its geographic borders; such was not the ...

7 pages in length. America experienced significant changes between the years of 1837 and 1867; however, everyone did not necessarily embrace this overwhelming progress. From political, economic, social and cultural ideas to issues of slavery, civil war, voting, church, schools, public office, banking, manufacturing, gender, culture, education, fine arts and even respect for the ...

This 7 page paper considers how the paradigm of the manifest destiny influenced the culture and history of the Native American Indians. Aspect such as divine rights and noblesse oblige on the part of the white man are considered. Particular attention is paid to the Cherokees in Georgia and Indian Removal Act of 1830. The ...

Phillip Shaw Paludan, in his book, Victims: A True Story of the Civil War, presents the social aspects of a war that has been represented in the history books as a morality fight or as strictly political. This 5 page paper tells the story of the Shelton Laurel massacre of 1863. No additional sources are listed.

An 18 page paper which discusses the history and other aspects of the War of 1812 which illustrate the causes of the war. Topics discussed are Britain's position after the Revolutionary War, impressment, the Chesapeake-Leopard battle, the Embargo Act of 1807, and the pressure from the War Hawks. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 27 page paper discussing the guerrilla warfare tactics employed by the Confederacy during the Civil War. Independent of stringent military control, most were led by men of integrity but other units used the war to indulge in theft and murder. In the end, some historians believe that partisan ranger activity prolonged the war; ...

This 5 page paper looks at Abraham Lincoln's decisions concerning slavery as well as Republican influence. The Emancipation Proclamation is discussed. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

13 pages in length. The Hartford Convention, which took place from December 15, 1814 until January 4, 1815, was assembled as a means by which to assess New England's problems that were directly associated with the War of 1812. Before the outbreak of war, the New England Federalists had objected to the 1807 Embargo ...

This 5 page report discusses Harriet Beecher Stowe’s and Frederick Douglass’ American masterpieces. Douglass’ lectures on slavery to audiences in Great Britain created a great deal of sympathy for the abolitionists’ cause and prompted his admirers to raise funds to purchase his freedom. And, of course, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s heartbreaking story, melodramatic as it is, reached into the hearts of the “mainstream” ...

A 4 page research paper that contains two short essays. The first concerns how the Civil War changed the nature of the Union and the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment. The second essay addresses the goals of the Reconstruction era and whether or not it succeeded or failed. The writer argues that it failed. Bibliography ...

A 3 page paper that addresses 2 topics. The first half of the paper offers reflection on Bruce Catton's "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts," which describes the contrasts between these two generals. The second half offers reflection on the student's experience in writing an essay. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 5 page paper discusses some of Chauncey's actions and command at Lakes Erie and Ontario. Chauncey established his main site at Sacket's Harbor by Lake Ontario. His aim was to prevent communication between the British forces along Lake Ontario. He succeeded in doing that although Chauncey is not perceived as a great naval hero. ...

This 9 page report discusses the lives of the young women who went to work at the Lowell, Massachusetts, fabric mills in the mid 19th century. Approximately seventy women worked to produce what they titled “The Lowell Offering: A Repository of Original Articles on Various Subjects Written by Factory Operatives.” Its first issue also carried the banner “This Number Wholly ...

A 3 page paper that examines technology that was new during the American Civil War. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 10 page paper which examines how and why the Civil War is considered the first modern war. The paper illustrates that it was deemed the first modern war because of new technology. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses how two different writers of the Victorian era, John Henry Newman, a poet, and John Stuart Mill, an essayist, help to illustrate many of the changing thoughts in society at the time. The works presented for examination are "Speech In Favor of Capital Punishment" by Mill, and "The Pillar of the Cloud" by ...

This 11-page paper explores the U.S. antibellum economy (between the late 18th century and mid 19th century) through Henry Clay and the American System, written by Maurice Baxter; and Internal Improvement: National Public Works and the Promise of Popular Government in the Early United States, written by John Lauritz Larson. The paper examines the theories ...

11 pages containing 6 letters written during the Civil War. Three of the letters are written by a Union soldier from Kentucky; three are from a Confederate soldier from Tennessee. The purpose of the letters is to convey facts, conduct and feelings about the war. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 5 page research paper that examines 'The Shirley Letters' which were written under the pseudonym of 'Dame Shirley' by a young woman who was, presumably, writing her account of life in the California mines in 1851 and 1852 in letters to her sister. The writer discusses the content and accuracy of these letters and ...

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts the autobiographical accounts of the Civil War, from the perspective of the northerner Rhodes and the southerner Watkins. Specifically considered are the men themselves and who they were, where they came from and why they joined the fight; the job of a common foot soldier; why ...

This 4 page paper provides a letter written from an Irish maid in 1830 to her parents who have remained in Ireland. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 4 page set of observations as they would be made by Alexander Hamilton if he were somehow miraculously transported from the earliest years of our country’s history. This paper emphasizes Hamilton’s probable impressions about the unchecked growth of the government in both size and responsibilities. Bibliography lists 4 sources.