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HIST 301: The Historians Craft (Dressler, Fall 2024)

Steps when looking for peer reviewed sources

1) Write out your topic

2) Identify key words

3) Identify synonyms

4) write out the search using Boolean

5) After your first search, revise terms

Examples

  • Criminal Law in Early America,  Capital punishment, Labor Houses, British vs. Colonial system, lex talionis
    • ("Early america" OR "colonial america") AND ("criminal law" OR "Capital punishment" OR "labor houses" OR "Work houses" OR "lex talionis")
  • New England Whaling Native American experience, roles, and identity
    • "New England" AND (whaling OR whalemen) AND ("native american" OR "first nations" OR "indians of North America" OR "native americans")
  • Slavery at the Time of the Founding Founding Fathers's Justifications for Slavery
    • (slavery) AND (justificat* OR defens* OR defend*) AND (founder* OR colonial OR revolution*)
  • Non-English Settler Mindset ,  German Settlers in Pennsylvania around Revolutionary War
  • Western Rendezvous or Ben Franklin        The fur trade and westward expansion/ the Founding Fathers
    • fur AND ("westward expansion" OR "western expansion" OR "Western rendezvous")
    • Poverty and Mental Illness in the American South        The interactions between poverty and mental illness, along with race and slavery.
      • history AND ("mental health" OR "mental illness" OR "mental illnesses") AND ("southern states" OR "American south" OR virginia OR maryland OR carolina OR Georgia OR alabama OR mississippi OR louisiana OR florida))
  • Women and Religion in Early America        Gender roles, First Great Awakening, women's rights, religious roles
    • (women AND religion AND "Early america") OR (women AND "great awakening")

 

Examples (Continued)

  • Slavery and Indeginous Americans        Native American involvement in the American slavery, indeginous and slave interactions, cutlural impact.
  • Scottish Influence on Appalachia        Scotland, Immigration, Appalachia, Appalachian culture, political influence of Appalachia
  • Religion (and maybe Race) in Early America        Jewish disapora in early America; maybe relationship between Jews and black people (maybe something to do with gender if I change my mind)
  • Industrialization in the American North        Socioeconomic effects of Industrialization (primarily in New York and Pennsylvania)
  • Developments in Convict Labor in America        Convict Labor and Convict Leasing throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries.
    • ("prison labor" OR "convict labor") AND "united states" AND (18th OR 19th OR history)
  • Difficulties of National Unity         Attempts to foster nationalistic sentiment directly following the War of 1812
    • "War of 1812" AND ("national unity" OR nationalism OR nationality)
  • Epidemics (smallpox, yellow fever)        Immigration, Trade, Socioeconomic factors/relations, Slavery, Port Cities (New Orleans, Charleston, Boston, etc.)
    • (epidemic* OR smallpox OR "yellow fever") AND (charleston OR boston OR "new york")
    • (epidemic* OR smallpox OR "yellow fever") AND (trade OR immigration)
      • you'll need to narrow down to one of these topics.
  • Mental health, illness, and the asylum system        Development of the Asylum system, treatments and viewpoints on mental illness, mid-atlantic or sea ports
    • (asylums OR "psychiatric hospitals" OR "mental health facilities") AND "united states" AND history

Examples

  • D.C. Home Rule        Structures of government, positions of political parties, opinions on self governance across racial divides among residents
  • Sexual relations between races in Early America        Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, the frequency of relations, the societal connotation of these relations, possible impact of the Revolution
    • ("multi-racial" OR "racially mixed" OR "interracial" OR "Miscegenation") AND ("early america" OR "american colonies")
  • Sexual Cultures/Politics in Early America        Prostitution/sexual labor, sexual surveillance, nonmarital sex and sexual relationships, sex and the American Revolution/forming an American identity
  • Early America-China contact and racial politics        How cross-Atlantic transportations of Chinese goods and culture shaped American view on the "Orientals"
    • china AND "united states" AND commerce AND history AND (18th OR 19th)
  • Barbary piracy affecting USA        Perceptions of race, religion, and slavery in U.S., nationalism and nationbuilding, public opinion
    • ("barbary pirates" OR "Barbary wars" OR "barbary war" OR "Tripolitan War" OR "Barbary Coast war" OR ("Algerian War" AND "united states"))
      • BOOKS
        • ("barbary pirates" OR "Barbary wars" OR "barbary war" OR "Tripolitan War" OR "Barbary Coast war" OR ("Algerian War" AND "united states")) AND (race OR religion OR slav* OR "public opinion")
      • articles 
      • worldcat
  • Africa & Religion        exchange of religion & language from Africa to U.S., the interactions between religion and institution of slavery