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America
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What is America?

America as a topic of academic study spans nearly every discipline, from history and political science to public health, literature, and cultural studies. Its breadth makes it a common subject in introductory college courses as well as upper-level seminars, where students are asked to examine the nation's political institutions, social tensions, and evolving identity. What makes the topic academically rich is precisely its complexity: the United States has served as a site of competing visions, from debates over economic policy and national power to questions of individual rights and social change. Papers touching on figures like Edward M. Bannister, Sam Patch, and Heather Whitestone illustrate how individual stories can illuminate broader national narratives.

The papers archived under this topic reflect a wide range of approaches. Historical analyses trace developments across defined periods, such as America's rise to world power during the Gilded Age or the military origins of the republic from 1763 to 1789. Policy-focused essays examine specific controversies, including welfare from a libertarian perspective, same-sex marriage, and the Cuba-related Helms-Burton legislation. Other papers take a social or public health angle, addressing issues like childhood obesity or health promotion strategies. Comparative and philosophical approaches also appear, as in contrasting the theories of David Hume and William James within an American intellectual context.

A strong essay on America establishes a focused thesis rather than attempting to survey the entire nation's history or character. Evidence drawn from primary sources, policy documents, historical events, or specific case studies carries more weight than broad generalizations. The most common pitfall is treating "America" as a monolithic subject — the strongest papers define a precise time period, population, or issue and argue a clear, defensible position about it.

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Research Paper Doctorate
Slavery, the Civil War and the Preservation
In the face of oppression and harsh treatment, slaves formed communities as a coping mechanism and to resist the belief that they were simply property. Members of these slave communities came together often to sing,…
Research Paper Doctorate
Video conferencing platforms and applications
Videoconferencing in Business & Education
Research Paper Doctorate
Humanities concepts and applications
¶ … college campus across the country, students are greeted with the familiar sight of individuals seated at folding tables, with the purpose of marketing credit cards to them. These salespeople are most frequently seen…
Paper Undergraduate
Rise of China Case Study
¶ … rise of China in terms of its economy and military capability and in relation to the United States of America's national interest. Thou many have viewed this to be a threat to the U.S., but it isn't so, particularly…
Paper Undergraduate
City of Alexandria -- Time Series Data
Tufte (2001) and other ambassadors of the visual display of data have shown us how easily it is to understand complex data when it is graphically represented in ways that our minds are designed to understand. Tufte argues that "experience with the analysis of data…is essential for achieving precision and grace in the presence of statistics, .but even textbook of graphical design are silent about how to think about numbers" (Tufte, 2001, p. 104). Tufke remarks, that "Illustrators too often see their work as an exclusively artistic enterprise—the words "creative," "concept," and "style" combine regularly in all possible permutations—a Big Think jargon for the small task of constructing a time-series a few data points long" (Tufte, 2001, p. 204). Visual display of data has other uses than simply an elegant way to view, appreciate, and analyze data. The process of completing a graphic display of data forces the issue of data integrity and completion of data sets. When data is missing in a graphic display, it is glaringly apparent. And the process of figuring out how to arrange data for best display generates an awareness of the assumptions that undergird the data collection—and ultimately, the data analysis. When creating a visual display of data, the analyst has cause to "muse on the ineffable origins of…insights" (Gladwell, 2007, p. 40) . The analyst admits, if only privately, that "There are ten different things it can mean…--all of those are possibilities. You can't just look at one behavior [or data point] in isolation" (Gladwell, 2007, p. 43). When the data just doesn't come together, we might do well to recall Averch's caveat, that "If we believe that the information to be gained by evaluation should be proportional to the decision makers' needs, time, budget, and attention, then conventional quantitative evaluations may be infeasible or inappropriate" (n.d., p. 292).
Thesis Undergraduate
Diversity issues and challenges
Comparing the rates of crime and punishment in the United States as a whole to various individual regions and states, and to other countries in the world can provide very useful information regarding criminal justice policies in the nation. Through such measurement and comparisons, programs that work—and those that do not—can be identified, expanded, adjusted, or eliminated as warranted by the evidence. On a deeper level, understanding such information can tell a society a lot about its attitudes towards crime and various "types" or demographics of criminals, potentially exposing not only more fundamental societal issues but also cultural values, perspectives, and ethics.
Paper Masters
Truman\'s Dilemma in the Korean War
President Harry S. Truman found himself entrenched in a major dilemma as the Korean War unfolded. The consensus among most political leaders in the United States was that the Soviet Union was intending to export…
Paper Masters
Cultural Sensitivity and Language
Simply talking about culture can be like entering a minefield. Even the use of the word 'articulate' or praising an African-American's 'intelligence' can be questionable. The use of language is so powerful -- and so…
Paper Undergraduate
Jefferson Davis Views Towards Slavery
Jefferson Davis is famous for his controversial role during the war and his proslavery stance which is viewed in a negative light today. Although is views were led by good intentions on his behalf and his quest to protect the blacks from any oppression, it the ideology that drove these actions that have been controversial throughout history. His politeness, compassion and generosity towards his slaves and the black community in general were driven from the view that the blacks were an uncivilized community and that they needed to be tamed through slavery. In that respect he did not want the Blacks to outdo him in any civilized practices, and that was the motivation for many of his activities.
Paper Undergraduate
Stillness at Appomattox
The Civil War ended quickly after Lee's surrender at Appomattox: Why?