Essays and Research Papers on U.S. History (1900s)

5 pages in length. Norman Bowker did what any other red-blooded American did when called to duty during one of the most politically volatile periods of United States history: he served for his country. As author Tim O'Brien recounts the trauma he faces once returning home from war in The Things They Carried: ...

A 4 page discussion of the importance of women’s roles in this interesting time in world history. The author asserts that Woodrow Wilson’s contention that World War I was a war to ensure democracy simply did not pan out either domestically or internationally. Instead the world was left tremendously unstable, an instability which ...

An 8 page overview of Mexican American roles in World War II. These years became a time of tremendous opportunity for Mexican Americans to escape the social ostracization which had characterized much of their history and to move into mainstream America both in roles in the military and in filling the occupational chasm created ...

This 23 page paper outlines the hey day of this industry in a small New Jersey town when the region supplied much of the world's caviar. The delicacy is explored and the way in which it is made is also discussed. This paper focuses on the history of caviar and how it ...

A 5 page paper exploring the way that history has sometimes been misrepresented in regard to the atrocities of racism and class discrimination. This paper relies on Pablo Mitchell’s “Coyote Nation: Sexuality, Race, and conquest in Modernizing New Mexico” and Kevin Starr’s “Endangered Dreams: The Great Depression in California” to get a clearer ...

A 5 page book review on Murdering McKinley by historian Eric Rauchway, in which the author creates a gripping story from what has basically become a footnote in twentieth century American history--the murder of President William McKinley in 1901 by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. Through an intriguing use of narrative perspective, Rauchway offers readers an enthralling ...

A 4 page overview of the now infamous Navajo Code and the people that created it. This paper reviews the history and the accomplishments of the Navajo Code Talkers. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

9 pages in length. When assessing which had the most significant impact upon the development of Western European integration from 1950 to 1970, one can surely give equal credit to both political and economic factors. That Western Europe was able to emerge from its grievous postwar existence is not something that can be ...

A 3 page examination of the contention that during the strong bipolarity which resulted between the U.S. and the USSR during the Cold War, Europeans essentially stood passively by while the major players determined Europe’s fate. Berlin itself became a pawn in this game. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the similarities and differences between Jews in Eastern Europe and Blacks in America during the 1930s. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

10 pages in length. The Yalta conference, whose primary purpose was the restoration of "nations conquered and destroyed by Germany" (Healy, 2002), proved instrumental in finding the middle ground with regard to myriad issues. Not only was it a facilitating factor in addressing the overwhelming hostilities between and among all parties involved, but ...

(5 pp) Numerous factors seem to have existed that make it appear that Hitler moved almost unopposed towards his major goal of the domination of Europe. Although it is a simplification, we could almost say that everyone was too busy, or too involved with what they were doing, to worry, to see, or ...

A 4 page book review. Formally entitled the European Recovery Program, but popularly known as The Marshall Plan, this program of aid was formulated by the United States in order help Europe recover economic prosperity after World War II. In his text The Marshall Plan: America, Britain and the Reconstruction of Western Europe 1947-1962, historian ...

A 5 page overview of World War II and postwar impact in Europe. Information is provided regarding the numbers of lives lost and the massive extent of world involvement. Details are provided regarding the division of Germany after the war. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page contention that the primary reason behind the use of atomic bombs in Japan, however, was to effect a speedy end to the bloody ravages of the War. Indeed, Japan provided a number of actions which justified the final desperate U.S. act of the deployment of atomic bombs. While this bombing ...

This 7 page paper discusses the impact of Pearl Harbor and how the Americans responded to this unprecidented event. Specifically, this paper discusses America's military response and how this affected Japan in terms of their military and economy. Bibliograpy lists 9 sources.

A 5 page paper that provides an overview of post-1945 imperialism in Japan. This paper demonstrates the reasons for US imperialism, the influences that the US involvement had on Japan and the relationship that developed. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

7 pages in length. The writer offers a comprehensive look at both sides of the historical argument. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 15 page report discusses the cultures of two of the modern world’s most influential and economically powerful nations -- Japan and the United States. Culture is most often associated with the complex relationships of political, social, and economic factors, but specific cultural activities can and should be independently defined. This report compares some of the most important determinants of culture ...

A 5 page comparison of the relative development of Japan and China. Links the apparent differences to circumstance and choice of post World War II allies. Contends that the U.S. was charged in many ways with restoring the economic stability of Japan since World War II but only began to emphasize trade relations ...

A 6 page examination of the true story documented in Monica Stone's "Nisei Daughter"-- the recounting of events that took place in a community of Japanese-Americans during and around the time of World War II. Specifically examined are the harsh ways that the Japanese people were treated and the socio-cultural problems they endured. Culture, power, ...

A ten page paper which looks at the effects which the post-war occupation of Japan by the Allies, and particularly the USA, had on the country’s cultural, political and economic development in the subsequent decades, and the way in which the occupying forces were able to reconstruct the country’s imperialist heritage, religious practices and social ...

A 6 page paper which examines if the Japanese internment in WWII in the United States was a matter of racism or military necessity. The paper argues that the internment was because of racism. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 9 page research paper on the internment of Japanese Americans in California during World War II. The writer details the reasons for internment, the running of the camp and its conditions, and the policies which were involved. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 page consideration of these aspects of the horrors of World War II. “Farewell to Manzanar” is used for insight into this time. Bibliography lists 3 sources.