Research Paper

Prompt: Research Paper

You must choose one of the two topics below.

In June 1971, the New York Times began publishing material from what came to be known as “The Pentagon Papers.” The material was part of a 47-volume study by the Department of Defense that was labeled Top Secret, and related to American’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The papers were given to the newspaper by a man named Daniel Ellsberg, who had as a civilian employee of the DoD had worked on the research for the study in 1967, when it was compiled.

Ellsberg said his expose was a matter of conscience; that he could no longer know about the lies and not do something about the situation. The impact on the country of Ellsberg’s leak was sensational. The nation was tired and injured by the war. Thousands of Americans had been killed and millions of Vietnamese lives had been sacrificed. Billions of dollars had been poured into the fight. The Papers showed that most of the stated reasons for US involvement were lies.

The Papers revealed that the U.S. had expanded its war with bombing of Cambodia and Laos and made unauthorized coastal raids on North Vietnam. None of this had been acknowledged by the government or reported by media in the US. The most damaging revelations in the papers revealed that four administrations, from Truman to Johnson, had misled the public regarding their intentions regarding Vietnam. The U.S. wanted to exploit Southeast Asian resources, and to contain China and Russia from influencing the region. The administration challenged the publication of the papers. Eventually a US Senator opposed to the war read 4,100 pages into the Congressional Record to make sure they could not be missed, and Times went ahead with publication.

After a government challenge was defeated by the Supreme Court - a crucial victory for freedom of the press - the Times went public. As a result, Ellsberg was charged with espionage, conspiracy, and theft, and faced 115 years in jail if convicted. In 1973, after the government’s lies were thoroughly exposed, the charges against Ellsberg were dropped.

In this paper, you must research the Pentagon Papers. What were they? Discover what they exposed, and why was the information so controversial. Then, based on what your research tells you, decide if you think Ellsberg did the right thing. You must base your opinion on your research.Keep in mind that recently an NSA contractor named Edward Snowden did essentially the same thing with respect to government spying on citizens around the world and at home. He is currently in exile in Russia, because he'll be arrested and tried if he comes home to the U.S.

Or:

2. Do you think that our government has the right to tap our phones? Should they be able to collect and use our most private thoughts and to influence our behavior? Can we expect any privacy in this era, when our streets are alive with cameras, when the government has powerful eavesdropping devices. Since so many people give up personal information everyday on social media, does privacy even matter? Most importantly, so we trust our government and its many police agencies to use their eavesdropping wisely?
Edward Snowden is an American computer professional, a former CIA employee and federal government contractor, who copied and leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013.  He exposed many global spy programs that monitored email, texts, and phone calls of people around the world and in the United States.
He gave the information in May 2013 to journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Ewan MacAkill, who then published the documents in leading publications around the world. He was charged with breaking numerous laws, and fled the country to Moscow, Russia, where he currently lives.

He has been called a traitor, a hero, and many other things. His revelations have forced national debate on spying and privacy. He showed how under the guise of fighting terrorism, our spy agencies have invaded every corner of our lives.

If you choose this project, you will investigate what secrets Snowden released. You will investigate the debate that he triggered, and how the fear inspired by possible terrorism has allowed spy agencies to break many laws. You will weigh the costs of their spying on Americans and citizens of other countries, and decide whether on not you support Snowden’s actions.

Facts about your research paper:

1         This research paper should present a thesis that is specific, manageable, provable, and contestable—the thesis should offer a clear position, stand, or opinion that will be proven with research.   You should analyze and prove your thesis using examples and quotes from a variety of sources.  

2         You need to research and cite from at least five sources.  You must use at least 3 different types of sources.  At least one source must be from a library database. At least one source must be a book, anthology or textbook. At least one source must be from a credible website, appropriate for academic use.

3         The paper should not over-rely on one main source for most of the information. Rather, it should use multiple sources and synthesize the information found in them.

4         This paper will be approximately 2000 words in length, not including the Works Cited page, which is also required.  (use the word count function to check the length) The Works Cited page does NOT count towards length requirement.  

5         You must use MLA format for the document, in-text citations, and Works Cited page.

6         You must integrate quotations and paraphrases using signal phrases and analysis or commentary.  

7         You must sustain your argument, use transitions effectively, and use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

     8      Your paper must be logically organized and focused.