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HIST 101 - History of the United States to 1877 - The American Revolutionary War - Gutierrez

Start Brainstorming Terms

Searching for information will have you typing a lot of words into boxes as you use search engines, databases, library catalogs, and the internal search features on websites like the Library of Congress or the National Archives. The words you type into these boxes? They matter. 

"What is this war called, anyway?"

  • American Revolutionary War
  • American Revolution
  • American War for Independence
  • United States -- History --Revolution --1775-1783 

Research Questions Video

Watch the video below to see how to create research questions.

Background Reading: Getting Acquainted With Your Topic & Developing Ideas

Develop Research Questions

Your professor has provided you with a research question to guide your inquiry into the causes of the American Revolution:

How did colonial responses to British actions evolve during 1763-1775, and which specific policy marked the greatest turning point on the path to revolution?

Use the intermediate questions below to help you analyze and compare different events or ideas that may have been turning points in the path to the American Revolution. Answer these questions for each potential topic (e.g., the Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, mercantilism, etc.). Your answers will help you decide which idea you want to explore in depth in your research paper.

  1. What was it? (Definition, who was involved, what happened)
  2. Why did it happen? (What were the causes or motivations?)
  3. How did colonists respond? (What kinds of protests or resistance?)
  4. What made it important? (How did it increase tensions?)
  5.  What background knowledge helps explain it?
  6. What makes it a candidate for *the* turning point?
  7. What are the counterarguments?
  8.  How does it compare to other events?

Preliminary Reading in Gale eBooks

Gale eBooks is an online collection of specialized encyclopedias. In it you'll find concise topic overviews, a perfect first step to explore your topic; background reading will set you up to understand more complex sources that you'll turn to later in the research process.