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HIST 2231 - O. Gonzalez: Topics & Background Info

A library guide for US History to 1877

Choosing a topic

Picking a topic is research! Topics start very broad and then need to be narrowed down to a manageable size. For example, the broad topic for this assignment is the Civil War / Reconstructiont; however, there are thousands of books, articles, and films made about this era. Choose an event that took place during that era to focus your research on. You can also choose to focus on gender or race, person or place, activity or movement. Try a variety of topics and see what kind of results you get. If you get very few results, change the topic and try again.

Check out this brief tutorial from North Carolina State University

Primary, Secondary, and Background Sources

Below are library resources that will provide you with background information as well as give you some insight into the broad issues of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Pre-Columbian Native America. This is a sample of the many scholarly electronic books we have available on these topics. 

These sources can also help you narrow your topic and discover keywords for further searching. Below are some reference sources and primary sources that cover the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Primary Sources

Primary sources provide first person experiences on your topic. Primary sources include letters, legal documents, interviews, live performances, images, and artifacts. Primary sources can be found in books, newspapers, and journals. Below are primary sources related to suggested topics:

Secondary and Background Sources

The sources below include subject encyclopedias and books that focus on the Civil War its major events and themes. These are excellent sources to help you narrow your topic and focus on just one event or group from the Civil War and Reconstruction era.