Historian's Code

As a historian, I vow to:

• Uphold the truths of history, despite how strong the tide of popular opinion may push against them
• Use and properly cite only the most accurate and/or relevant sources in my work, be they primary, secondary, or tertiary.
• Appreciate each day in my career as a day which will become a part of history, because when the sun sets on that day, that is exactly what it will become.
• Study, learn from, and teach history in its entirety, not just the pretty or flattering parts.
• Do no harm to historical documents, books, and other artifacts.
• Regularly watch so called "historical" films and e-mail directors when they adapt the events for the sake of dramatic effect. Yes, I'm talking to you, Roland Emmerich.
• Never forget that although I may earn my bachelor's, master's, or even doctorate, I will forever be a student, learning from the past.

The Struggle

So basically I'm having difficulty picking "main" primary and secondary sources. There are SO many articles out there on the impacts of 9/11. At this point, I'm pretty sure the main focus of the paper will be how 9/11 affected the national government, its foreign policies, and how the idea of national security changed after the attacks.

As I read, I'm discovering that terrorism is really the main focus of our national security programs, and some articles even state that 9/11 shaped the entire foreign policy of the U.S., although I believe that statement to be arguable and will probably end up debating such statements in my paper. Some articles even discuss how the U.S. hasn't really changed since the attacks. According to them, a lesson was learned, but that knowledge was not applied properly. Obviously, I still have a bit of research to do, as there are literally innumerable sources on 9/11 because everyone old enough to write on the topic was alive when it happened. Everyone experienced 9/11, so it's taking me a bit longer than expected to chisel through these sources and choose which ones will be most valuable to my paper.

So I guess what I'm saying here is that, growing up in the wake of 9/11, I haven't yet found any new information per se, yet I am discovering just how many individual groups had different 9/11 experiences. Muslims, Christians, Americans, veterans, New Yorkers, and probably even cats and dogs all have articles written on the impacts 9/11 had on them. My research questions have changed from, "How did 9/11 affect America," to "How much did 9/11 really affect America?" And this question is way more interesting than I thought. On the surface, one person might say America was totally changed; turned over on its head to never be the same. Others suggest the event changed America, but Americans don't really understand those changes or don't understand what exactly that meant for America. I know it sounds vague and confusing right now, but I'm honestly just now getting into the thick of this, and I don't have many answers, but I intend to find them through my research and explain them in my paper.

Developing a Thesis

There are probably innumerable approaches to developing a thesis.

Probably the most popular and conventional way is to write a sentence or a group sentences that establish what your paper is going to be about. The problem with this method is that often it leaves you with a thesis that is too lengthy or too broad, and when writing a scholarly work, it is often difficult to mention everything that will be in your paper in your thesis.

So, another approach is that you can use your thesis to state your stance on the issue being discussed in your paper. For instance, the topic of my paper is the impacts of American society caused by the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Hence, a very basic thesis statement would be, "The terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 caused immense impacts on American society." Of course, in the final draft I would have to describe exactly what impacts those attacks had.

Yet another way to develop a thesis is to begin with a question, then try to answer it. "Did 9/11 change American society? How? What groups, if any were impacted the most? The least?," and so on.

Lastly, some people prefer to basically write their paper backwards, almost. You can write your paper, which chisels in exactly what ideas will be in your paper, then write a thesis that blankets those ideas.

Plagiarism and Secondary Sources

Plagiarism is the act of using someone else's exact words or ideas in your own paper or speech without proper citation, which either blatantly or inadvertently claims the work as your own. Basically, when you commit plagiarism, you're using another person's work without giving them credit for it.

Plagiarism can be easily avoided, in my opinion. First of all, use your own words. I know that sounds basic, and it's not always easy, but it's the first way to avoid plagiarism. After reading from a certain source, try to develop your own ideas. You can also summarize and paraphrase your source's exact words if you are writing a review of that source or presenting information from it. Lastly, use quotation marks. By putting quotation marks around a word or sentence, you are directly stating "these are not my words, but are someone else's." Just don't forget to acknowledge exactly whose words they are (i.e. According to Matthew Bentley, "these are not my words, but are someone else's."

Now, for my paper on the social impacts of the 9/11 attacks, I have identified a few secondary sources including "What Lessons Did We Learn (or Re-Learn) About Military Advising After 9/11?" "Generation 9-11," and "How 9/11 Changed Our Culture" which are all news articles written after the September 11th attacks regarding lessons learned and how society was changed after those attacks. I think these sources will prove to be helpful in my paper for this reason.

Historical Controversies (This One's Going to be a Little Long, Sorry.)

There are so many historical controversies out there. The American Revolution, slavery, segregation, the Indian Removal Act, the Roswell UFO incident, and even more recent ones like 9/11, Confederate memorabilia, abortion, and the Iranian nuclear deal.

One of the most intriguing controversies to me is the Nixon Administration's Watergate Scandal. A lot of people I know find it boring, and I did too, at first. I really just find it interesting because Richard Nixon was one of the most popular presidents up to that time, winning just over 60% of the popular vote in the 1972 election. All but two states voted for Nixon to serve a second term.

But, you see, in 1972, two years before the election, two burglars were caught attempting to wiretap phones and conference rooms within the Democratic National Convention's headquarters in the Watergate Hotel, Washington D.C. After some phone numbers tied to Nixon were found with the burglars, people began to question the President's involvement in the espionage. However, Nixon assured the American people neither he, nor his office, was involved in the break-in, and Richard Nixon went on to win the election by a landslide in 1974.

Long story short, President Nixon was ratted out by some aides and campaign partners who testified to his crimes. Nixon not only lied about being unaware of the break-in, but also arranged for hundreds of thousands of dollars to be paid out in "hush money," and he even attempted to obstruct the CIA's investigation by means of the FBI. After hearing that Nixon's cover-up plans were recorded in the Oval Office, the Supreme Court demanded Nixon hand over the tapes, which ultimately led to his downfall.

Impeachment was inevitable, so Nixon resigned from the Presidency with his famous, "I am not a crook" speech. Gerald Ford later pardoned Nixon, yet the Watergate scandal changed American politics forever, and people began to think more seriously about who they chose as their leader.

To this day, 18 minutes of the Watergate tapes are missing and have never been found.

Historical Museums and Sites

I love history museums, although I rarely get the chance to visit them. However, I haven't yet visited one I did not thoroughly enjoy, but the History Museum of Mobile and the WWII Museum of New Orleans are perhaps my two favorites. Regarding historical sites, it'd be impossible for me to pick one to call my favorite.

The History Museum of Mobile is probably the one I'm most familiar with. I've been there multiple times and I always learn something new or notice something I hadn't before. Many native Mobilians and even Alabamians don't really understand the historical significance of Mobile, and I think a visit the history museum here should really be a priority for tourists and newcomers to the city.

I think my favorite exhibit in the museum is a room that contains numerous doll-houses in glass cases, but each of those houses actually existed in Mobile at one time, known as the Friedman Miniature House Gallery. Each of the glass cases has a switch by which you can turn on the lights within the house, and a placard with information of the houses. They really are beautiful and I just think it's so cool to know those houses and their grandeur were once a part of Mobile. I wish I had pictures to include here, but unfortunately I don't. However, there are millions of images on Google and if you haven't already I highly recommend you look it up and pay a visit. If you love history, you won't be disappointed.

My Favorite Historical Time Period

I'm honestly not sure where to begin with this one. I've never had anyone ask what my favorite historical era was.

I guess I'd have to say it's a tie between the American Revolution and the French Revolution. I just find them both so interesting: how just a few people with sharp minds and a willful hope for a better life caused a full-scale revolution.

 

We've been learning about the American Revolutionary Era in both the Historical Methods and the Women's History class, so I'm not going to bore you with a synopsis of it. However, I will bore you with why I like to study it. The American Revolution is so interesting to me because (1) as an American, I'm naturally interested to know how my country came to be, how it's framework was designed, and whose ideas and convictions were made the fundamental bases of our nation's philosophies. Secondly, the American Revolution was one that resulted in the birth of a whole new nation, one unlike the world had ever seen. Not to mention the fact that 13 colonies were able to defeat the mightiest empire in the world at the time, with the mightiest military, and that is simply astounding when you think about it. The American Revolution shocked the world, and the world was forever changed. One might argue the actual legitimacy of the Revolution: I've heard it said that it wasn't technically revolution but more of a partition, but still. That single Revolution created a shout of freedom that echoed throughout the whole world...

 

 

...and eventually found its way across the Atlantic to Paris. Considering that the French Revolution was only inspired by our very own American Revolution, I find it only fitting that I should be equally interested in the two. Besides, a bunch of peasants overthrowing a centuries-old monarchy, eating cake, and chopping off heads. What's not to be interested in? Just kidding, but really. The French Revolution politically flipped France upside-down. The weak became strong, the first became last, and for once, rich and poor became equal. Again, one might argue the efficiency of the French Revolution due to the fact that about 24 years later a king was back on the throne and the classes were once again divided. Nonetheless, it really is fascinating.

 

For a glimpse into the American Revolution and French Revolution check out these primary documents:

 

American: http://www.teachushistory.org/Revolution/t-bloody.htm

                  http://www.teachushistory.org/Revolution/t-account.htm

French: http://www.emersonkent.com/source_text/what_is_the_third_estate_1789.htm

             http://www.emersonkent.com/source_documents/bastille_ground_plan.htm