Process Paper
During summer 2010, I knew that I would participate in National History Day in the fall. I had an idea for a topic after a visit to the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida. I was interested in how Florida changed occupants and rulers several times between Great Britain and Spain during the 1600-1700s. After some research, I realized that topic had few resources. I began reading about the Seven Years' War, when Florida was finally handed over to the British. I thought at first that I would create a project on the war itself, but that proved too broad and loosely related to the annual theme. Thus, in early September, I narrowed my topic to the 1763 Treaty of Paris.
My research began with searching for information about the Seven Years' War in order to have a foundational knowledge about my topic. I conducted this research at the local library and on the Internet. Next, I began searching for books and articles at the Zach S. Henderson library at Georgia Southern University and GALILEO. Throughout this time, I was searching for someone to correspond with about my topic. I conducted an interview with Dr. Phillip Naylor of Marquette University in January. Also, I was able to correspond with Dr. Linda Black of Stephen F. Austin State University, who provided me with several articles about the Seven Years' War. Both Dr. Naylor and Dr. Black were senior consultants for my World History: Patterns of Interaction textbook. After the regional competition in mid-February, I continued research to incorporate the judges' feedback. When I was making my final decision for a project type, I was considering either a historical paper or website. I desired a project type that would convey my topic best, and decided on creating a website in early October. I made this choice because there were multiple media |
opportunities with my topic. I began the exciting process of website
creation in January. Almost as soon as I began, I felt that the
template I selected fit perfectly with my topic. I then began writing
my content, process paper, and annotated
bibliography. After completing my website with images and edits, I
practiced for the regional competition. I
began editing my website once more when I received my feedback. I added
pages, improved
writing, and attempted to find more media. After the state competition, I altered the website layout and content and prepared for the national competition.
My topic, the 1763 Treaty of Paris, relates to the theme Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences in several ways. First, European leaders debated over which territories and colonies they would control after the war. Second, they settled this debate with diplomacy: the treaty, which concluded the entire conflict. Third, the treaty had both successes and failures. Last, the consequences of the treaty were tremendously important. This is important now because, without the treaty, North America would not be the same as it is today. |