Research Papers on Colonial America

Click on any of the term papers to read a brief synopsis of the research paper. The essay synopsis includes the number of pages and sources cited in the paper.

  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 'Paul Revere's Ride,' Its Inaccuracies, and the Real Paul Revere

    A 5 page research paper that examines the true circumstances and contributions of Paul Revere to the American Revolution. While pointing out that the details of Longfellow's famous poem are inaccurate, the writer argues that Revere's life, in general, was indicative of the political and cultural attitude of New Englanders during that era and their overall reaction to the British occupation. Bibliography lists 4 sources

  • Colonial Age and Wilderness Literature

    A 5 page paper which examines some colonial recordings and poetry, discussing the concept of wilderness in colonial times. The paper examines John Smith’s “General History of Virginia,” William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation,” and three of Anne Bradstreet’s poems. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

  • History and the Impact of Physical Geography

    This 4 page paper briefly explores the effect of physical geography on the early American colonies. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • Assimilation Ideologies and Ethnic, Racial, and Cultural Diversity

    A 6 page review of the numerous factors which have led to diversity in the United States. The author explores the three major ideologies of assimilation (“Anglo-Conformity”, “the Melting Pot”, and “Cultural Pluralism”) and rejects these terminologies in favor of “structural pluralism”, a terminology which takes into account factors such as economics and geography as well as race and ethnicity to describe American diversity. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • Native Americans as Perceived by English Colonists

    A 7 page overview of early colonial interactions with Native Americans. The manner in which European colonists viewed the Native Americans whose lands they invaded varied both according to geography and according to time. The Puritans as a whole would proclaim their belief that all people were equal before God. Puritan proclamation and act, however, were two different things. In practice, race, class, and literacy were salient issues.

  • 18th Century Virginia and Slavery

    This 7 page paper takes a look at the slave trade in Virginia during the 1700s. Attention is paid to the geography of Virginia and its ambivalence due to its proximity between North and South. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

  • Comparative Analysis of the Films The American Revolution (Part I: ‘The Conflict Ignites’), Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot, and John Adams (Part I: ‘Join or Die’)

    In ten pages this paper summarizes each film, compares and contrasts them, addresses any biases in the treatment of subject matter, analyzes the producers’ techniques, and offers the writer’s personal opinion on the accuracy of each film. One source is listed in the bibliography.

  • Analysis of Four Historical Films Ben Franklin: Inventor, Diplomat, Icon... and a Human Being, Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor, The Madness of King George, and The Conquerors: General Howe, Conqueror of New York

    In twelve pages this paper compares, contrasts, and critiques these four films on important British and American eighteenth century colonial figures. Five sources are listed in the bibliography.

  • What if the Mayflower Had Landed in Jamestown instead of Plymouth?

    A 4 page paper that speculates how the issue of slavery might have been different had the Puritan influence been over the plantations of the south. Included is a comparison of the type of people who colonized Jamestown and the type who colonized New England. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

  • Historical Connections Between Puritanism and Calvinism

    An 8 page discussion of the history of the Puritans. The author contends that this history is considerably more extensive than that that unfolded in the “New World”. Indeed, the Puritans are integrally connected to Scotland and a man known as John Calvin. Puritans were followers of Calvin’s radical new approach to religion. The reverberations of that approach would reach far beyond Scotland and into the Americas as well as the rest of the world. Not only would it shape the actions of the Puritans themselves, it would determine the way they would interact with others throughout history. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

  • American Historical Contributions of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin

    A 7 page discussion of the historical contributions of these three men. While it is easy to look at history as dry fact, when we consider these facts on an individual basis, history comes to life. A review of the contributions and personal characteristics of each of these men allows us to make a connection between America’s past and the present. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • New England in the Seventeenth Century and Environmental History

    A 6 page research paper that examines chapter 3 from a text concerning American environmental history. In the text Major Problems in American Environmental History, editor Carolyn Merchant assembles an eclectic yet revealing collection of documents and essays that offer a form of "snap shot" of a specific period in American history in relation to environmental issues. Chapter 3 of this text focuses on the New England forest in the seventeenth century. Examination of this chapter demonstrates the basic conflict not only between how the Native Americans perceived the natural world, but also between how different groups of Europeans perceived it. These documents indicate that how the natural world is perceived and conceptualized within the boundaries of the human imagination is crucial to human interaction with the natural world. Bibliography lists 12 sources taken from this 1 text.

  • Early American History Law Contradictions

    This is a 10 page paper which discuss the Revolutionary War and the contradictions of the ideals that the war was fought for and the real affects of the war on African Americans and Native American Indians. The bibliography has 12 sources.

  • New England and English Puritans

    This is a 5 page paper discussing the Puritans in England and New England. The Puritans were originally known as non-conformists to the Church of England (or the Anglican Church in America) in that they stripped away much of the administrative hierarchy, “popery”, religious symbols and icons to the basic belief that only God could make religious ministers and that the Bible was the “Lord’s revealed word”. Because much of their religion was based on the interpretation and understanding of the Bible, Puritan leaders were well educated scholars and also promoted education in their communities. While many Puritans came over from England in the early 1600s with the Pilgrims, more joined the new communities when the Act of Uniformity was passed in England in 1662 which dismissed and punished any ministers not conforming to the guidelines of the Church of England and using the Book of Common Prayer. Once in New England the Puritans began to established authoritarian communities under their leaders and also established many of the educational school systems still in existence today. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

  • William Bradford and Captain John Smith as Examples of American Colonial Writers

    This is a 5 page paper comparing the writers Captain John Smith and William Bradford. Early colonial American writers were known for their optimistic look at the new world and described America as not only the new world but as pure, virgin and a place for opportunity and dreams. Their writings reflected the colonist view away from the restrictions of British society. Captain John Smith was considered one of the first historians ever to document the colonists’ experiences in his writings about his time at Jamestown and his travels throughout New England. Using a fairly simple and open narrative, he provided detailed maps and descriptions of the areas in addition to adventurous tales of his own and others. William Bradford who was one of the original arrivals in Plymouth on the Mayflower also wrote of his experiences in the new world but his text was based largely on his Puritan faith and compared their quest heavily to that of Paul’s in the Bible. Despite Bradford’s more sober style of writing, he also saw the new world as a land of opportunity as did Smith and the other colonists. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • Article Analysis: Blackbeard

    This 3 page paper critiques an article about Edward Teach, known as "Blackbeard," from the August 2007 issue of "Smithsonian Magazine." Bibliography lists 3 sources.

  • 18th and 19th Century Underground Railroad Network

    A seven page paper which looks at the network known as the Underground Railroad, which was instrumental in assisting plantation slaves to escape the North and Canada in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and at some of the prominent figures who contributed to the development and maintenance of the Railroad. Bibliography lists 6 sources

  • New England and English Puritans

    This is a 5 page paper discussing the Puritans in England and New England. The Puritans were originally known as non-conformists to the Church of England (or the Anglican Church in America) in that they stripped away much of the administrative hierarchy, “popery”, religious symbols and icons to the basic belief that only God could make religious ministers and that the Bible was the “Lord’s revealed word”. Because much of their religion was based on the interpretation and understanding of the Bible, Puritan leaders were well educated scholars and also promoted education in their communities. While many Puritans came over from England in the early 1600s with the Pilgrims, more joined the new communities when the Act of Uniformity was passed in England in 1662 which dismissed and punished any ministers not conforming to the guidelines of the Church of England and using the Book of Common Prayer. Once in New England the Puritans began to established authoritarian communities under their leaders and also established many of the educational school systems still in existence today. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

  • American Colonies' Divergence from England

    An 8 page research paper that examines the similarities and differences between England and her American colonies in 1750. The writer argues that by 1750, the English speaking colonies of North America, instigated and maintained under the auspices of the British crown, had diverged from many of the English norms of that era. Naturally, the numerous ties to England and English custom, such as the grounding of American jurisprudence in English Common Law, continued to exist and exists to this day. However, there were also distinct differences between the norms of the Old World and the New. Bibliography lists 11 sources (some citations are incomplete).

  • Benjamin Franklin and James Madison

    This 4 page paper compares and contrasts Benjamin Franklin and James Madison, two of America's most famous men. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

  • Positive Contributions of J.Q. Adams

    A five page paper which looks at the way in which Adams had a positive influence on the American government in terms of the Florida Purchase and the Monroe Doctrine, and his individual and perceptive attitude to the relationship between European colonialism and the formation of the USA. Bibliography lists 2 sources

  • American and Apache Wars

    A twelve page paper which looks at the origins and progress of the wars between the Apache Indians and the Americans during the nineteenth century, with reference to the different strategies which were employed by both sides, the role played by Apache leaders such as Geronimo, the importance of Apache scouts to the American troops and the eventual outcome of the conflict in terms of the cultural development of the Indian nations. Bibliography lists 13 sources.

  • U.S. Federalism and the Rights of States

    A 7 page discussion of the history of federalism in the United States. The author emphasizes the role state rights have played in this country since its inception. This role characterizes the difference in the concept of dual federalism verses cooperative federalism. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

  • Federalism and the Writings of William Manning

    A paper which looks at the way in which William Manning's writings related to the federalist and anti-federalist debate in post-revolutionary America.

  • George Washington: Heroic, Flawed, and Human

    In ten pages this paper examines how American General and first President of the United States George Washington is depicted in various ways as heroic, human, and flawed in Jeff Shaara’s The Glorious Cause, and in the films Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor, The Conquerors: General Howe, Conqueror of New York, The Crossing, and D.W. Griffith’s America. Three sources are listed in the bibliography.

  • The American Dream as Embodied by Benjamin Franklin

    This 4 page paper discusses Benjamin Franklin's principles and how he has proven to be the embodiment of the "American dream." Bibliography lists 5 sources.

  • When Life Gave Him Lemons, Ben Franklin Made Lemonade

    This 4 page paper discusses some aspects of Ben Franklin’s life, and how he faced challenges and used them to create opportunities. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

  • Early 19th Century Expedition of Lewis and Clark

    A paper which looks at the Lewis and Clark expedition of the early nineteenth century and the reasons why it has become a part of American cultural mythology. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

  • Key Events in Colonial and Native Interactions

    This 4 page paper discusses differences in French, Spanish, and British interactions with Native Americans and outlines key wars. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 'Paul Revere's Ride,' Its Inaccuracies, and the Real Paul Revere

    A 5 page research paper that examines the true circumstances and contributions of Paul Revere to the American Revolution. While pointing out that the details of Longfellow's famous poem are inaccurate, the writer argues that Revere's life, in general, was indicative of the political and cultural attitude of New Englanders during that era and their overall reaction to the British occupation. Bibliography lists 4 sources

  • David Hackett Fischer's Paul Revere's Ride

    A review of David Hackett Fischer's work, Paul Revere's Ride, which looks at the famous midnight ride in the context of Revere's wider involvement with the revolutionary movement, and relates the ride to the military strategies of the revolutionary forces. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

  • An Examination of Pocahontas

    This 5 page paper provides biographical information, but also looks at controversial areas of the life of this Indian "Princess." Her experience with the Jamestown colony as well as her voyage to Europe and untimely death are each explored. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

  • Religion in the History of Early America

    This 6 page paper traces the influence religion had on the evolution of American society. Bibliography lists 1 source

  • 17th and 18th Century America and White Slaves

    An 8 page consideration of an often overlooked component of American history. While it is impossible to assign a precise number to the percentage of slaves that were white, suffice it to say that this number was significant and that these slaves served in the same capacity as blacks. As a consequence, they began to identify more with blacks in some instances than the did with whites. As white slaves interchanged both culture and genes with blacks, the previously strictly separate ideas of Caucasian verses African began to somewhat blur. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

  • Factors Leading to the Boston Tea Party

    This 13 page paper discusses the Boston Tea Party and the factors leading up to it. This paper examines why this happened and what happened afterwards as a result. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • The Boston Tea Party

    A 7 page paper answering 5 questions about this event in American history. The covert destruction of 45 tons – 90,000 pounds – of British tea in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773 did not directly lead to the American Revolution, but it certainly became a contributing factor in perspective if not in economic consequence. In many respects it bears similarity to some of the sentiments rising up in America again today. Bibliography lists 11 sources.

  • Pilgrim Separatists and William Bradford

    A 5 page paper discussing the background of those who sailed over to the 'New World' on the Mayflower. After a discussion of the difference between Separatists (Pilgrims) and Puritans, the paper analyzes Bradford's role in the history of the Plymouth Colony. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • What if the Mayflower Had Landed in Jamestown instead of Plymouth?

    A 4 page paper that speculates how the issue of slavery might have been different had the Puritan influence been over the plantations of the south. Included is a comparison of the type of people who colonized Jamestown and the type who colonized New England. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

 

Most Relevant Research Papers

Click on any of the term papers to read a brief synopsis of the research paper. The essay synopsis includes the number of pages and sources cited in the paper.

 

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