The Great Gatsby
Research Project
Write a four-paragraph paper that:

Conveys a convincing argument in response to one of the questions below.

Incorporates and documents research from at least three reliable sources, two of which must be
databases.

Utilizes at least two direct quotes from varying sources.

Contains an introduction, two body paragraphs (argument and
counterargument), and a conclusion.

Cites any information that is not common knowledge.

Paraphrases and cites information from at least one source.

Uses both in-text parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page in MLA
format.

Is typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and shared in Google Drive.
Topics and Guiding Questions:
Topic 1: F. Scott Fitzgerald
What was F. Scott Fitzgerald's social status? Which people and events most influenced him? What
connections exist between Fitzgerald’s life and The Great Gatsby?
1. http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/index.html
2. http://www.neabigread.org/books/greatgatsby/ggatsby06.php
3.http://www.biography.com/articles/F.-Scott-Fitzgerald-9296261
Topic 2: Money & American Dream
What was the American Dream in the 1920s? What was the economy like in the 1920s? What led to the
stock market boom and its ensuing crash? How did the market impact society?
1. http://www.1920-30.com/business/wall-street-exuberance.html
2. http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade20.html
3. http://www.americansc.org.uk/online/American_Dream.htm
Topic 3: Prohibition & Crime
What was Prohibition? What kind of scandals did prohibition lead to? What types of illegal activities
were popular during this era?
1. http://prohibition.osu.edu/
2. http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/04109/301333-42.stm
3. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3383
Topic 4: Racism
Why were racism and racist violence so rampant in the 1920s? Why did the KKK reemerge in this era?
1. http://www1.assumption.edu/ahc/raceriots/
2. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/110488/Chicago-Race-Riot-of-1919
3. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/t/tu013.html
Topic 5: Women and Flappers
How were women's lives different during the 1920s, particularly due to the 19th amendment? What was
the flapper lifestyle? Why did flappers become prominent? What were the characteristics of the “new
woman”?
1. http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/clash/NewWoman/newwomen-page1.htm
2 http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/flappers.htm
3. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3400
Topic 6: Social Life in the Jazz Age
What were the fashion styles of the era? How important was entertainment to society, and what forms
did it take? How were the youth of the era rebellious? Why was jazz perceived negatively by some?
1. http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade20.html
2. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=13&smtID=6
3. http://www.pbs.org/jazz/time/time_roaring.htm
Topic 7: Technology & Daily Life
What were some of the scientific advances and inventions of the 1920s, and how did they make people's
day-to-day lives very different from previous generations? Why were automobiles considered "the most
important catalyst for social change in the 1920's"?
1. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=454
3. http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1920s.html
5. http://inventors.about.com/od/timelines/a/twentieth_3.htm
6. http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/decade/1920.htm
Topic 8: Immigration Cases & Concerns
Of what were Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti convicted in 1920? Why was this case controversial?
What was the general feeling towards immigrants at the time and how might that have affected the trial’s
outcome? How did immigration change in the 1920’s? What legislation was passed by Congress concerning
immigration in the 1920’s and how did that impact immigrants and attitudes toward them?
1. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3387
2.
Topic 9: The Impact of Illegal Activity on Daily Life (Crime & Scandal)
How did notorious crimes and trials (St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Black Sox scandal, Harding Administration
scandal, the Teapot Dome scandal, etc.) impact 1920’s culture and daily life? Why was the Leopold and Loeb
trial so disturbing? Important: What was happening to concepts of morality during this era?
1. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3391
2.
Topic 10: Impact of World War I (The Lost Generation)
What were the societal consequences of World War I in America? Why is this generation sometimes called
“The Lost Generation”?