Process Paper
I chose my topic on the Battle of Gettysburg because it is the only battle I really know and it is supposed to be a major “turning point in the Civil War”. I want to find out how the one battle can be such a turning point.
I started my research on the topic by just looking at the Wikipedia article on the Battle of Gettysburg. I took about a page and a half worth of notes on the key points that the article had in it, things that were important to the battle and other things that seemed relevant to my question. With a basic and background knowledge on my topic, I set out on Google to find some more focus specific articles that directly related to my question. I found some great articles that talked about many things. There was a lot of good information on what happened in the battle itself and also I discovered how the Confederate defeat at the battle halted their offensive excursion into the North, which is really good to answer my focus topic. My best source so far is probably the article called “The Gettysburg Campaign”, as it has the most information that I can use to answer my focused topic. I also found a few good primary sources using Google Scholar. There were a couple of books with primary sources. One was actually comprised of journals and letters from a Union officer and wasn’t intended to be published. I’m not sure if the other book’s author is a primary source but it has many eyewitness accounts in the book. I found a scholarly journal, or at least I think it is a scholarly journal, and it is the only journal type source I can find. I also found a few good sources for my before and after pages. On the before page I want to include to the Battle of Chancellorsville because it is important to how the events unfold at Gettysburg. On the after page, I got a source that talks about the Gettysburg Address, which is really important because the only reason that the Gettysburg Address happened is because of the Battle of Gettysburg.
I’m working alone on this project because I think I can work better without having to worry if someone else is pulling their own weight on the other end.
I have found a lot of good information that specifically addresses my focused topic, and I think that I have a good thesis. The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the American Civil War because it left the Confederacy on the defensive for the rest of the war and ended their invasion into the North. I think that the thesis is about as narrowed down and specific and supportable as I can get it, and this is my final thesis for the project that will be on my website.
I started my research on the topic by just looking at the Wikipedia article on the Battle of Gettysburg. I took about a page and a half worth of notes on the key points that the article had in it, things that were important to the battle and other things that seemed relevant to my question. With a basic and background knowledge on my topic, I set out on Google to find some more focus specific articles that directly related to my question. I found some great articles that talked about many things. There was a lot of good information on what happened in the battle itself and also I discovered how the Confederate defeat at the battle halted their offensive excursion into the North, which is really good to answer my focus topic. My best source so far is probably the article called “The Gettysburg Campaign”, as it has the most information that I can use to answer my focused topic. I also found a few good primary sources using Google Scholar. There were a couple of books with primary sources. One was actually comprised of journals and letters from a Union officer and wasn’t intended to be published. I’m not sure if the other book’s author is a primary source but it has many eyewitness accounts in the book. I found a scholarly journal, or at least I think it is a scholarly journal, and it is the only journal type source I can find. I also found a few good sources for my before and after pages. On the before page I want to include to the Battle of Chancellorsville because it is important to how the events unfold at Gettysburg. On the after page, I got a source that talks about the Gettysburg Address, which is really important because the only reason that the Gettysburg Address happened is because of the Battle of Gettysburg.
I’m working alone on this project because I think I can work better without having to worry if someone else is pulling their own weight on the other end.
I have found a lot of good information that specifically addresses my focused topic, and I think that I have a good thesis. The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the American Civil War because it left the Confederacy on the defensive for the rest of the war and ended their invasion into the North. I think that the thesis is about as narrowed down and specific and supportable as I can get it, and this is my final thesis for the project that will be on my website.