Redefining Equality Under the Law: The Constitutional Impact…

Each student will write a paper on an issue relevant to American legal history, 1776-1976. More than one person can choose a topic as long as papers are distinct. Focus on legal issues such as authority, jurisdictions, philosophical themes such as ethics and morality, legislation, practices such as enforcement, court cases, and legal scholarship-articles by legal scholars in law reviews and alike.

The required paper is about ten HARD-COPY pages (8 pages minimum for passing grade, NO penalty for length beyond 10 pages, an abstract will count, BUT cover sheet and list of references are EXTRA), single side, double space, regular margins, minimal headings, and in font size 12 Times New Roman. NO FOOTERS/HEADERS; insert page numbers at the bottom of each page without extra spaces/margins, using MLA or APA style before the interview. For more guidance see

After the papers are due, the professor will conduct about 10 minute interviews on the facts, the substance, the sources, and the arguments in the paper.

Outline presages the structure of the whole paper. Introduction presents the issues. An abstract summarizes, usually in one paragraph of between 150250 words, the major aspects of a research paper or dissertation in a prescribed sequence that includes: The overall purpose of the study. Information regarding the method and participants. Main findings or trends. Your interpretations and conclusion. Interpretation means analyzing the materials by adding your own understanding of academic contents and issues.

NO NEED for foot/end notes unless you are quoting directly. If you chose to cite, you should quote fully the first time, then can use the format [Smith, 20] IN THE BODY OF THE PAPER.

You are encouraged to focus your topic, then research widely, using library databases such as Google Scholar; Google Books; JSTOR, Lexis-Nexis, Springer, and EBSCO. Prominent scholarly periodicals such as the Journal of American History; Political Studies Quarterly; Peace & Change; Reviews in American History; and Human Rights Review. Regrettably, to assure uniformity, and my ability to read them if necessary, all scholarly sources have to be in English.

Worthwhile online academic websites include multiple H-Net Discussion groups:

PREFERABLE BUT NOT MANDATORY Paper format:

Comparative Annotated Bibliography:

Contrast various sources, referring to the context, basic and relevant facts, dates, and background about the people and movements involved, then similarly research the authors, their findings, and their conclusions. Research the topic for scholarly analysis. See who wrote about the topic. Focus on issues such as context, contents, and authors. What is their background? Compare and contrast their differing or similar approaches. Then compare and contrast portions that relate to scholarly articles analyzing the same topic. Exact format is flexible as long as there is a substantive analysis. Facts like dates and names do not need citations. If, by contrast, you QUOTE or INTERPRET based on an outside source, then cite fully. If you chose to cite, you should quote fully the first time, then can use the format [Smith, 20] IN THE BODY OF THE PAPER.