PaperDue

Essay Topic Hub

America
Essays

16,904+ paper examples, study guides & outlines

16,904 papers

UG & Grad levels

Free to browse

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.

16,904 papers

Sort by:

Essay Doctorate

Circular 230 and the IRS regulation of tax preparers

Although the majority of Americans view tax season as an annual burden that is more bother than benefit, America's ascendancy to the realm of undisputed superpower was fueled by the willingness of its citizens to contribute as individuals for the sake of the whole. For many, however, tax preparation can become a dreadful experience defined by ignorance of the law and inexperience with financial matters, and every April millions of unsuspecting Americans are duped by duplicitous tax preparation services. By manipulating the information entered into an individual's tax forms, or neglecting to inform a client about possible refunds and other benefits that they are rightfully due, nefarious tax preparers can easily defraud the unsophisticated taxpayer out of thousands of dollars, inflicting dual damage on both the individual victim's pocketbook and the federal government's coffers. With the recent national recession reminding the IRS and individual taxpayers alike that disposable income is a luxury to be treasured, revisions made to Circular 230 have been made to tighten regulations on unethical tax preparation experts, and to reduce the risk posed by negligent and unqualified tax preparers. As recent testimony delivered to the U.S. House of Representatives, during a meeting of the Committee on Ways and Means' Subcommittee on Oversight, Representative Jim Ramstad expressed the situation thusly, explaining that "the individual most responsible for claiming tax refunds is not the individual taxpayer but rather a professional tax preparer … (and) unfortunately, taxpayers receive little or no guidance on how to avoid a bad or unscrupulous preparer. Tax preparers are not licensed by the IRS … and although the IRS administers a detailed set of rules that governs tax practice, known as Circular 230, hundreds of thousands of income tax preparers are not covered by these rules" (2005).

Essay Doctorate

Nixon's role in orchestrating the Watergate break-in and cover-up

Abstract This text concerns itself with the events surrounding the 1972 burglary attempt at the Democratic National Committee's headquarters. This burglary came to be known as ‘the Watergate Scandal.' President Richard Nixon was implicated, alongside some of his top aides, and as a result, he consequently became the first United States president to tender his resignation.

Paper Undergraduate

Physical education outcomes for reducing childhood obesity

The learner-based outcome that I've chosen for this paper involves all students being able to successfully complete a physical education curriculum designed to enhance overall physical strength, improve dexterity and…

Paper Undergraduate

Lost national identity and belonging among Singaporean youth

Singaporean Youth and No Sense of Belonging

Thesis Doctorate

William Blake's radical sexual politics in three early works

William Blake is usually classified with the Romantic movement in English literature -- which coalesced in the revolutionary climate of the late eighteenth century, and roughly spanned the period from 1780 to 1830.

Paper Doctorate

The Amistad trial and the fight against American slavery

In 1839 the United States was bitterly divided over the issue of slavery. The House of Representatives had enacted a gag order which effectively blocked any anti-slavery legislation from being discussed.

Paper High School

Generational reform cycles and environmental policy progress in the United States

In answering the question of whether the United States has improved on environmental policy since the 1930s, the cyclical nature of the political system must be considered. A generational reform cycle occurs every 30-40…

Paper High School

Cigarette smoking's harmful effects on human health

Cigarette smoking kills, and where it does not, it still inflicts significant harm upon both the smoker and those in his or her vicinity, the victims of so-called second-hand smoke.

Factors influencing China's rise to superpower status

In evaluating China's prospects for achieving superpower status, especially during this economic crisis, the first research question would take into consideration whether and to what degree the United States is in decline as a superpower, and if it is, then whether China is simply going to achieve superpower status by default. This is what happened to the British Empire after decades of economic decline and then bankruptcy as a result of the Second World War: the U.S. took its place as the leading world power. Certainly the U.S. position seems far shakier today than it did in the 1950s and 1960s or in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Even the predominant economic model that it has been propounding worldwide since the 1980s, that of free trade and free markets is no longer sweeping all before it as it did after the Cold War.

Paper Doctorate

Cultural identity and racism in Filipino American experiences

America has long been seen as a cultural "melting pot" in which each group that comes to this country is melted into an American. This metaphor assumes that the original culture is lost, or must be lost, in the process of becoming a "true American." This document contains a compare and contrast essay to reinstate this point.

← Prev 1 2 3 … 1323 1691 Next →