A List of Unused Term Paper Topics For Your US History Class

If you're looking for a topic that hasn't been used for a particular project you're working on, look no further than a correlation between a current event versus something that happened in the past. The reason you want to comprise a topic like this is that you’re tying in something that's a current event to historical data. It’s a way to tie a recent event or noteworthy news to an era in history that may have been about expansion or progressive reform. A list of topic ideas that might help you with your paper may include:

• US History: A topic from US history might be something about how we built roads, canals and bridges in the 1800's, versus problems that we’re finding now with our roads and bridges because some areas just haven't been repaired or weren’t set up for huge population growth. Consider writing about the train system in Pennsylvania. They had a service train that overturned in a residential neighborhood, and this isn’t the first time its happened. Or you could tie in how some bridges are collapsing with snow storms and heavy traffic. Bridges were originally designed to haul horses and small loads. The designs just have not held up over the years. You can mention structural damage that we’re only fixing when we see a fracture.
• Another topic idea could be Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad as it relates to Civil War and Reconstruction era. You can tie in the recent movements because of the shootings of unarmed men by police officers in the news. Have civil rights really expanded as much as we thought they would?
• In terms of expansionism, if you're interested in writing about women, you can do an interesting piece on women in the Wild West, and how they were demoralized vs modern times, and how we have women in political offices. You can also mention someone influential like Sheryl Sandberg and her book, Lean In, about empowering women as they move forward in the workplace.
• Another expansionism article could be about the Hawaiian Islands. They were considered valuable to American interests in the Pacific years ago, and even now, as Americans fight to try to increase the tourist industry, Hawaiians are picketing and fighting everyday to retain the rights to their land and their property.
• Or consider a different topic that may interest you like progressive reform. For example, you can write about how attitudes toward women and minorities were damaging to labor unions as it related to them in the 1800's. Look at where we stand now, as we have companies like Walmart that still try to argue with labor unions and won't raise minimum wage rates.

Just remember as you write about US history, you can start with historical data, tie in the correlation between what started as an idea, how it was implemented and where we stand today. Then tie it back to its origins and whether our founders had it right, or close with what our expectations should be going forward.