history work
HIST 535
U.S. in the Age of Roosevelt
Fall, 2021
Final Essay:
Write an essay of 8-10 pages in response to Option A or B below. Graduate student papers should be 12-15 pages. Papers should be double-spaced using 12-point type. Bibliographic citations should follow Chicago Style.
Essays are due on Thursday Dec 9, 11:59pm through Canvas
Option A:
Build on the work you completed for your Research Hypothesis and Annotated Bibliography paper. The goal of this assignment is to frame, contextualize, and answer a historical question using primary and secondary sources.
Final essays should include the following parts.
1) A simple “how” or “why” question that you wish to answer about U.S. history in the ‘Age of Roosevelt.’ Citing specific secondary sources, explain why you selected this question and why it is significant.
2) A clear hypothesis (the answer you expect to find) and discussion of the scholarly literature on this subject. Cite at least two scholarly books or articles in addition to assigned course materials, and explain the state of scholarship on this question. What answers have historians given to your question? Why? Which of these answers are most persuasive? Why? In this context, why do you expect this answer?
Graduate students should discuss ideas from at least four scholarly books or articles, in addition to assigned course materials.
3) A thorough discussion of your results (what you actually found). Use research tools available through the SDSU library to gather primary sources. Analyze and organize those sources to support a persuasive answer to your question. Explain how and why this evidence confirms, confounds, or complicates your hypothesis. Please discuss examples from at least ten primary sources representing at least two different publications or collections.
On structure: Please devote at least half of your paper to the discussion of results.
Option B: A Week in the Life
Read one full week of one U.S. daily newspaper. (or one month from a weekly paper) from the period 1928 to 1945. Based on evidence you find there, write an essay of 8-10 pages in response to following questions: What were the most important local or national currents affecting Americans in your city during the week that you selected? How did these currents affect everyday life across the various parts of a daily newspaper? How did daily news reflect any of the main themes of our course? How do these trends and events compare with what you expected to find based on works by three historians, including David Kennedy and two additional authors?
Be sure to review the whole paper: the front page, editorials, local news, sports, business, society, classifieds, etc, for a full look at local and national currents. As you read, jot down your observations with appropriate citations (title, paper, date and page) and use this information to make generalizations about significant trends in this time and place. You may select a week in which some major event happened or some less well-known moment. Be sure to use examples from a minimum of 12 specific articles to support your generalizations.
Example of an opening paragraph: "Franklin Roosevelt claimed in his 1933 inaugural address that Americans had 'nothing to fear but fear itself,' but during the early Spring of that year, residents of Akron, Ohio, expressed much more tangible fears. The Beacon-Journal kept close tabs on the number of layoffs in local rubber plants, the mounting local deficit and cutbacks in the local sanitation and relief departments. Letters to the editor decried the growing number of men sleeping in city parks. Even on the fashion page, writers showed concern for economy...." (follow with specific examples).
Research Suggestions:
SDSU has a variety of newspapers available for this period. The Library has digital access to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union as well as more specialized papers. Consider the following databases:
Historical New York Times or Los Angeles Times . To find newspaper stories from these venerable papers, use Pro-Quest Research Library. From the Library homepage, click “Databases.” Search for or browse for Pro-Quest Research Library (under P). Inside Pro-Quest you will need to limit your search. At the very top, open the menu next to "Select Databases": 1 Scroll down and select "ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Historical NYT , or Historical LAT . Search by keyword. Again, use language appropriate to the time.
San Diego Union . Our library has digital access to the San Diego Union, 1871-1993. Find it in “Databases” : search by title or browse under “S.” Search by keywords as above.
African American Newspaper Collection . SDSU has access to a range of 19th and 20th century papers written by/for African Americans from across the U.S. Search by title under “Databases.”
International Women’s Periodicals, 1786-1933 . Use this database to search a range of US and European newspapers and magazines for women. Search by title under “Databases.”
Chronicling America. Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this is the most comprehensive database for historic American newspapers. Click: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov and use the search features to select newspapers and search by keyword. The database includes papers from around the U.S.
Reader’s Guide Retrospective is available on-line for the period 1890-1982. Use citations in the RG to locate magazine and journal articles in the library. Go to the SDSU Library Homepage (http://library.sdsu.edu/), In the black box on the upper left, click on “Databases." Then search by title or browse under "Databases A-Z" for Reader’s Guide Retrospective is under “R”. Search for periodical articles by subjects, keywords, or titles. Use language appropriate to the time.
Once you have a list of article citations, use the Library Catalogue to check whether they are available at SDSU, or via Circuit. Find and photocopy the articles. With sufficient time, you may be able to receive articles that are not available locally through Interlibrary Loan (from the Catalogue page, click ILL). Among the excellent older journals that we have on campus are House Beautiful, Redbook, The American City, The Survey, Sunset, and Harper’s Magazine.