Download 1. What three decisions by Lincoln most affected the war?

2015-2016 CIVIL WAR RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS—Be sure that you write a thesis that focuses specifically on
answering a question. This is NOT a report of information but an informed opinion paper. Your paper should
offer solid evidence based on research that supports your informed opinion. If you have a research questions
other than these, please make sure the block teachers approve it.
______________________________1. What three decisions by Lincoln most affected the war?
______________________________2. Why did the Peninsular Campaign fail?
______________________________3. When exactly did the North begin to win the war and why?
______________________________4. Why did the North lose at First Bull Run?
______________________________5. What was the significance of the New Orleans Union Victory?
______________________________6. How did ironclads change naval warfare?
______________________________7 . Why was William Tecumseh Sherman so controversial?
______________________________8. How did the Mississippi River play a role during the Civil War?
______________________________9. Was Andersonville Prison Camp really worse than other prisoner of war camps
during the Civil War? Why or why not?
______________________________10. How was Frederick Douglass important in the Civil War?
______________________________11. Were Confederate leaders dealt with justly and fairly after the war?
______________________________12. How did the North defend Washington, DC during the Civil War?
______________________________13. What was the importance of blockade-runners?
______________________________14. Why did the Oklahoma Cherokee fight for the South?
______________________________15. How did advances in military technologies change warfare?
______________________________16.What was the significance of Fort Monroe?
______________________________17. Why was the election of 1864 so important and how did Lincoln win it?
______________________________18. What were the effects of Secretary of State William Henry Seward’s foreign
policy?
______________________________ 19. Was Lincoln’s Suspension of Habeas Corpus justified and significant?
______________________________20. What were the effects of the Civil War Amendments to the Constitution?
______________________________21. How did the Civil War affect families, especially in the Border States?
______________________________22. What was the role of immigrants in the union’s armies?
______________________________23. Who profited the most off the war and why?
______________________________24. What was the role of Civil War music?
______________________________25. What was the effect of the Civil War on the railroad industry?
______________________________26. What was the plight of liberated slaves during the war?
______________________________27. How did Lincoln’s views on slavery change and why?
______________________________28. What important medical advances resulted from the Civil War period and
what was their significance?
______________________________29. How did the North spy on the South?
______________________________30.How did the South spy on the North?
______________________________31. What was effect of the draft on the war?
______________________________32. How did both governments in the Civil War deal with conscientious
objectors?
______________________________33. How did African-American soldiers help counter negative stereotypes of
African Americans?
______________________________34. In what ways was the Raid at Harper’s ferry a success or failure?
______________________________35. What was the status of slavery in Border States during the war?
______________________________36. Why was the Emancipation Proclamation significant in the Civil War?
______________________________37. How did McClellan’s actions affect the outcome of the war?
______________________________38. Why is Robert E. Lee considered such a great general?
______________________________39. Besides Robert E Lee, who was the most important general of the
Confederate Army? Support your choice.
____________________________40. After the Civil War, how did discrimination against former slaves
persist?
Civil War Paper Requirements Cross-Curricular Project 2015-2016
Research and write a 3-5 page research paper answering an approved Civil War question. Your
paper must use proper MLA documentation and have at least 4 reliable academic sources. No
Wikipedia allowed.
o Any paper topic question not on the sign up must be approved by the cross-curricular
teachers.
o Paper must be typed in 12 point Times-New Roman font with double spacing. See a teacher
if you don’t have access to a word processing program.
o Paper must be printed outside school. We no longer have the resources to print your paper.
See a teacher if this is a problem.
o Paper must be at least a full 3 pages in addition to a Works Cited page. We would like a 3-5
page paper.
o Paper must include at least 4 sources correctly referenced through MLA parenthetical
citations and a MLA format Works Cited page.
o Your sources cannot include Wikipedia or wiki-answers or any site that is not
academically sound. See a teacher if you are not sure if your source is reliable. Look for
sites done by academic institutions or historical associations.
o Use proper grammar and punctuation. Showcase your best writing.
o Be sure to answer the question you have been assigned. They are tailored to elicit your
stance based on research. This is not a report! Be sure to keep focused on answering the
question. No “fluff.”
o Paraphrase all information on your notecards and in your paper. Do not use more than 3
of the original source’s words in a row and be sure to put in a parenthetical citation.
NO CUTTING AND PASTING. THIS IS PLAGIARISM AND WILL RESULT IN AN F FOR THE
PAPER.
o The grades for this project will count in all three cross-curricular classes: History, English,
and Science.
o The paper will consist of several major graded components:
__45 research notecards and 4 reference cards done in proper format.
__Detailed outline of the paper.
__Final Paper