Historical development within the allotted time period and geographic locations

  write a paper using at least one primary source document (a document written during the past time period in question) related to the Americas (North, Central, or South America and/or the Caribbean) before 1865. (HINT: Preliminary research is crucial! Make sure to choose a topic with accessible, related primary source documents!) The paper can be on any individual, group, movement, or historical development within the allotted time period and geographic locations, but it CANNOT be the subject of an assigned reading. (Please review the assigned readings for the course prior to choosing a topic. If it is the topic of an assigned reading, then that topic is off limits!) An example of a good paper topic on an individual would be Benjamin Franklin, while an example of a good paper topic on a historical development would be the California Gold Rush. While we will speak generally about the role of Benjamin Franklin, we will not have time to read his writings, and while we will discuss westward expansion, we will not read a primary source document on the California Gold Rush.