Overview
Write a paper that traces the history of Lockport Illinois. Base the paper around the following question: What role did the local area play in the nation’s history until 1865? The paper should be double spaced with one inch margins and at least seven pages in length with an additional title page and Works Cited page. The title page should include your name, title of the paper and date. Remember that this is an essay, and you should follow the organization and structure of any essay: introduction, paragraphs that support your main thesis, and a conclusion. Include a Works Cited page at the end of the paper. A local history paper re-creates a portion of the historical experience of the American nation. The local area played a role in the larger story of America and this paper allows you to find out about the role your area played in shaping, or being shaped by, history. Start the paper by discussing the indigenous people who lived in the local area before the Europeans came. Discuss what they did for a living; what their religious beliefs were; investigate the type of dwelling they lived in, and the parent-child and husband-wife relationships. Then write about the first European explorers and settlers and how they interacted with the indigenous people. Why did the settlement mushroom into a major town? Find out the ethnic origins of the Europeans that came to the area, what they did for a living; what their religious beliefs were; and what their politics were. Then discuss how the area was affected by major historical events such as the American Revolution, Slavery, Immigration, Westward Expansion and the Civil War. You MUST use at least FOUR Internet sites and ONE book.