WWII Research Paper Project

Outline Due: FRIDAY, NOV. 16

Final Draft Due: Beginning of class Tuesday, Nov. 20
This is a chance to delve deeper into a topic that interests you. You can pick from the options listed on
the back which topic and questions you will address in your paper!
Mini-Overview
- Your final paper will be minimum 1 page of type & maximum of 2 pages without pictures or graphs.
- You will need at least 3 different sources. Make sure you CITE your sources IN your paper using
correct formatting. Consider using a book!! 

Part 1: Research Question

Pick from the topics listed on the back! Here are some resources to get you started finding good information
ON those topics.
- http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/research-starters/
- http://www.amphi.com/media/4920129/wwii-guidelines-comprehensive.pdf
- http://www.authentichistory.com/1939-1945/
- https://www.pbs.org/thewar/
- https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/world-war-ii

Part 2: Do the research

By the beginning of class on Wednesday, you must hand in a bit of your research, use the following format:
Source Name
Answers to questions

Any other main information from source

1-2 quotes from source

(word for word what you might use in your paper)

Part 3: Outline & Rough Draft

Wednesday, April 6 is our second and FINAL in class work day. By the end of class you should have made
progress on your paper, at the very least in the format of a well though out and detailed outline. Outline/rough
draft will count as a project/paper grade by the end of class on Wednesday. Did you do it or not?

Part 4: Final Paper!! 

The paper must be approximately 2 pages double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman with 1-inch margins.
There must be an additional page for your works cited, just list them. This is DUE by the BEGINNING of
class April 11. It should be printed out. If you cannot print, share it on google docs or email it to me –
Jessica.Friedlander@dpsnc.net

** Plagiarism is not allowed. Plagiarism is any attempt of using someone else’s words in your paper
without proper citation. You will receive a 0!!**

Topics to Pick From:

 Women’s roles
** For THIS topic – you can either:
 Learn about the various roles women had and explain in depth a specific job or broadly cover many
of the various jobs that they had. (What did women do during the war? Who were they? What were
their stories?)
OR
 Investigate how women’s roles changed from before the war to after the war because of the war.
(What did they do before the war? What happened to them after the war? What changed and what
stayed the same?)
 African American experience
** For THIS topic – you can either:
 Investigate the Double V campaign. (Who was involved? What did it stand for? What did it do/what
was the result? How did WWII impact the civil rights movement?)
OR
 Study about the Tuskegee Airmen and what they accomplished. (What is training like? What did they
do? What battles were they in? What honors did they receive? How were their experiences different
from white airmen?)
OR
 Pick individuals and write about their experiences, demonstrating how one or two people can
exemplify a moment in history. (What did African Americans do during the war? What roles did
African American women play in the wartime endeavors?)
 Japanese Internment
** For THIS topic – you can either:
 Focus on life IN the internment camps (What was life like in the internment camps? How did
internment camps impact lives after the war? How is the creation of the camps related to government
power during wartime?)
OR
 Learn more about racial profiling at the time, looking at propaganda & internment camps combined.
(How did race influence American wartime policies? How was Japanese internment told to the
public? What was the propaganda at the time regarding Japanese? How were Japanese portrayed or
referred to in public?)
OR
 Pick individuals and write about their experiences, demonstrating how one or two people can
exemplify a moment in history (How did Japanese internment impact communities out west? What
were experiences of Japanese Americans? What were the experiences of white Americans out west?)
 Latino-Americans in WWII
** For THIS topic – you can either:
 Study the Zoot Suit Riot and race relations in America regarding Mexican-Americans (What
happened during the riot? How were Mexican-Americans treated on the West coast before the riot?
Why? What was the reaction from various people, including Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and the
newspapers?)
OR
 Investigate what jobs Latino-Americans had in fighting for WWII. (What jobs did they have – at war
and at home? How did wartime influence the lives of Latino-Americans at home? What were
individual stories that show what in general was happening?
 Atomic Bomb/Warfare Technology
** For THIS topic – you can either:
 Investigate the Manhattan Project. (Who was involved? What did they know? Why was the bomb
being made in the first place? What are the stories of those who were involved in creating the bomb?
What were the moral dilemmas?)
OR
 Look into the decision to drop the bomb and the repercussions in Japan & America. (Why did
Truman drop the bomb? What was the result of dropping the bomb – short and long term? What
were the debates around dropping the bomb? How did the dropping of the bombs shape American
foreign policies?)
 OR
 Research other forms of warfare technology at the time. (What advances were made in technology?
Was America the best? If not, who was? How did WWII change how wars were fought? Were there
any major battles that exemplify certain new military tactics or technologies?)