Okay, so I don't graduate until Summer of 2018 or fall of 2017 but I wanted to start thinking about what I am gonna write for my capstone course paper (idk if that is the official name or what). It has to be pretty lengthy, 30 pages or so and I am having trouble finding a good topic with depth. I love American history and would like to do it on that. The presidents fascinate me, the construction of the government, Hamilton vs Jefferson and just the founding of the country. I was wondering if anyone would be able to maybe help me expand on these ideas or help me come up with a topic. It's not due for a while but I'd like to start it and have it done with some time to spare. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
When I was thinking of mine the best advice I got from a professor was, so what? When you are thinking of your topics you want to find something that has not been done. Comparison are too easy and don't normally have a so what to them; unless you show a connection that hasn't been brought up already. Maybe if you have a professor you can bounce ideas off of I would do that too.
Hey! So you already have a general topic in mind (Founding Fathers/colonial-early US), which is great.
There are a couple of different basic approaches to a paper like this. One is to identify a scholarly controversy--people who have competing views on a question. Then use primary sources along with their arguments to judge which one is more correct, or wind up providing a new perspective entirely! The second option is to use primary sources to open a new question, and draw in context from published secondary scholarship. Ideally, a paper would combine a bit of both approaches, but they are useful ways to frame your thoughts in the beginning.
Okay. So how do you identify these mysterious "scholarly controversies" or find a "fresh question"? It's one of those answers that is simple but not easy: READ. Read read read. Start reading some academic books on the American Revolution, Constitution, the historical figures you're interested in. Not textbooks! This is the time to get into what historians are currently saying about those topics. Think of subjects that interest you that you might like to focus on for thirty pages--the role of religious belief or state religion, how the idea of "America" grew in people's minds and hearts, the experience of British soldiers, women's participation, early patriotic music, whatever book and article topics sound cool. Read the book. Check the bibliography. If there's a cool footnote, follow it up by reading THAT book or article.
Especially if you read the "historiography" or literature review sections, where a historian talks about previous scholarship on the subject, you'll start to get an idea of where disagreements lie and where you might be able to say something.
Good luck!
Can you give us a few more interests from the time period? Since you mentioned Jefferson, you could definitely come up with a thesis regarding the impact of Jefferson's major decisions that were opposite of "Little R" republicanism and how those decisions shaped the future of executive decisions.