I am writing my end of term research paper on smuggling in Colonial America as it is the only thing I've truly been interested in during this semester in my Colonial America class. I am having trouble, however, determining an exact question to focus on and attempt to answer in my research paper. Also, any good recommended reading on this topic? Thanks in advance!
With a very specific topic like that, the best way to look for sources is to think "one step broader." It works best if you do this in multiple dimensions. So for smuggling in colonial America, you could look for information on:
You can use the bibliography in the sources you find on those topics to see if there is much out there specifically on smuggling/black market trade. If not, you can pull apart the references in those books and articles, either direct or indirect. That should allow YOU to build up an idea of what scholars have said about smuggling, and decide whether you agree or disagree with their interpretations. That's a good way to write a history paper: bringing together what other people have said into a broader picture that doesn't exist yet, or disagreeing with earlier essays based on outside, additional evidence that shows their interpretation of the major evidence is wrong.