OVERVIEW
For this assignment you will write a 10-page paper based on original research into primary sources. The aim of the paper is simple: to tell the reader, in detail and with examples, what Georgia’s citizens were thinking about some important issue, event, trend or person in our nation’s history 1945-2000. Precisely which issue, event, trend, or person is up to you – topics for the paper could run the gamut from the Berlin Airlift to the desegregation of UGA to the Vietnam War to the Oil Crisis to the election of Ronald Reagan. But whatever topic you choose, your goal is to “recover the voices” of Georgians from that period.
PRIMARY SOURCES: For the purposes of this paper, you will be searching for “voices” in the papers of elected officials in Georgia avaialble in the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. A huge part of these collections is correspondence from constituents writing to express opinions, ask for assistance, register complaints, or ask for advice. This correspondence will give you an overview of what many in the state thought about issues or events facing Georgia, the U.S. or even the world. These letters are known in history as “primary sources” documents, that is, original pieces of historical evidence produced by historical actors of the time. See the primary sources tab on this guide for information on accessing constituent correspondence in the Russell Library collections. The number of primary sources you use in your paper will vary based on the nature of your topic, but should include at least five (5) distinct sources from the Russell Library.
SECONDARY SOURCES: Placing the letters from constituents to their elected officials in context is essential. Figuring out how the ideas/perspectives expressed in the letters fit or don't fit into broader attitudees gives meaning and depth to your paper's point of view. Reading what other historians have written about the issues or events you are exploring in the letters will also give you a framework to consider your specific primary evidence. You might find you disagree with historians' takes on your topic, or you may find that their work doesn't apply. No worries, this disagreement and reassessing is part of the critical dialogue that historians and other scholars have with each other over time.
For this project, please utilize at least two (2) “outside secondary” readings (e.g. readings not on the 3073 syllabus) – academic articles, books, etc. related to the topic which you choose to write on - which will serve as supporting literature. These will go in your bibliography. Please visit the secondary sources tab on this guide for sugggestions and links to online and print resources that should be helpful, or browse UGA Libraries Gil or Galileo resources directly. Remember, you must use a UGA computer or log onto the Library system to access articles for free – otherwise, you have to pay for them. Don’t pay…your tuition has already done so!).
