Hi all,
I'm not really sure if this is the place to ask this, but I'm currently a History major in university struggling with developing a topic for my senior thesis. The topic I have came up with is essentially tracing the evolution of voter suppression among minority groups in the American South. My professor has told me that this is too broad and I need to narrow it down quite a bit. He suggested I bring it to a more local level, however I am having a hard time finding local level sources. My question is this, rather than focus more at a local level would it perhaps be better to simply focus on a limited period in time? For example, Disenfranchisement among minority groups in American South 1890-1950.
My question is this, rather than focus more at a local level would it perhaps be better to simply focus on a limited period in time? For example, Disenfranchisement among minority groups in American South 1890-1950.
Since your professor is the person who would be reading and grading your paper, you should make sure to get his approval for this direction of the paper.
Even the period 1890-1950 is still a very broad time span to be talking about, especially if you are going to attempt to talk about the specific voting laws of individual states. And if you instead treat "the south" as a culture-area and analyze "voter suppression in the south" in a generic sense, (i.e. you don't look at individual state laws and state trajectories) then your paper won't have much analytical insight.
Also, consider that voter disenfranchsement in the South has been in general been written about quite a lot, presumably since the Civil Rights era. On the other hand, there is a strong likelihood that voting laws in your specific location or your state has not been written about before. By writing a local history, you have a chance of making fresh observations that have not been made before, and of writing a paper that your professor will find novel and engaging.
He suggested I bring it to a more local level, however I am having a hard time finding local level sources.
I presume by the subject matter that you are at an American college or university. Didn't your semester just start? I think it is a bit early to give up on looking for local sources, unless your paper is due in only a week or 2.
What efforts have you made to find these local sources? Have you gone to your school's library and spoken to a research librarian about your topic? Have you phoned or emailed your local city or town clerk to ask for about municipal records? If you are examining things from a state perspective, have you contacted the library or archive at your state legislature?
Part of the purpose of writing a thesis is to learn the process of how to look for sources, and how to navigate archives. It is an acquired skill, and it will be difficult at first. But don't give up just because sources aren't immediately available (presuming that there is still time before your paper is due)