Suggestions?

Question

I have to do a report, and the topic has to be some aspect of American History. The topic needs to be somewhat specific (i.e. not the civil war, too general) and it also needs to have both pros and cons. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

How about something about the Equal Rights Amendment? It is recent (1970s and 80s), and was contreversial... a lot of women were even against it.

Answer 2

How about sweatshops? The issue got a lot of press in the early 1900s because of the Triangle Factory fire (http://womenshistory.about.com/od/triangle/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_Fire.htm and http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/TriangleFire/). In 1911, women didn't have many job opportunities. Many worked making clothes in sweatshops, especially poor women. The Triangle Factory was a sweatshop in downtown New York City. When a fire broke out, the workers, including girls as young as 14-15, were trapped. The doors to the stairwell were locked, and the fire escape not only led nowhere but it collapsed under their weight. Many chose to kill themselves by jumping out of the building rather than be burned alive. Over 100 women and girls were killed in the fire, and it illustrates the problems with sweatshops that still exist today, even in the US.

On the pro side, you could research why corporations insist on using sweatshops - mostly to keep costs down.