Research Paper Assignment
In doing this assignment you will:

Demonstrate your skill at organizing and elucidating a persuasive argument

Practice doing primary research

Apply arguments about the scope of presidential power to controversial historical incidents
These are some of the presidential actions about which you may choose to write your research paper.
• George W. Bush’s authorization of the NSA’s wiretapping of domestic phone calls
• George W. Bush’s detention of Taliban prisoners as enemy combatants outside the protections of
the Geneva Conventions

Bill Clinton’s claim of executive privilege over his conversations with aides about the Monica
Lewinsky affair
• Lincoln’s suspension of the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War
• Franklin Roosevelt’s attempt to “pack the court”
• Franklin Roosevelt’s internment of Japanese Americans during WWII
• Andrew Jackson’s refusal to enforce the Supreme Court ruling in Worcester v.
Georgia (led to the “Trail of Tears”)

Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory

Another incident approved by the professor
Once you have chosen your topic, research the following, using primary sources:
1. The facts surrounding the president’s actions, and the president’s stated justification for them.
2. The response by other political actors (interest groups, Congressional committees, courts, the
media, the public), and the arguments (if any) against the president’s actions.
3. Follow up on the claims made by both sides. What demonstrable facts support each side’s
argument? What beliefs about presidential power underlie their arguments?
Some primary sources you might want to consider using:
• Presidential speeches
• Memoirs and public statements of key presidential aides
• The Congressional Record, including hearings in relevant committees
• News accounts in major newspapers, or transcripts from news/debate shows
• Court cases (often available on Lexis-Nexis)
Based on that research, make your own argument in response to the question: Was the president’s action
within the scope of legitimate presidential power?
• Your thesis should be clear, and should guide the organization of your research paper, but the
thesis itself need not be simple. These are complex issues and may demand a complex response.

Your argument will be most effective if you refer to authoritative sources appropriately, and if
you take seriously an opponent’s potential objections to your argument.
Every “A” paper will feature:
• A clear, original argument, well organized and well written
• Satisfactory attention to each question asked above
• Use of at least five different primary sources