Paper # 4: Defining California
Research a specific moment in California history and analyze how that particular historic
moment defines (or does not define) California culture.
Although you will be doing analysis, the heart of this paper centers on the ability to
define California culture clearly and succinctly.
Paper Requirements:
Minimum of five (5) complete pages
MLA format (see below for specifications)
Quotation of outside material to support thesis
Works Cited page
Research Requirements
Two (2) newspaper sources
Two (2) scholarly articles
Paper Due Dates:
Rough Draft for Peer Review:___________
Final Draft:_____________
Paper Format:
This paper should adhere to the following criteria:
Minimum page length of four (4) full pages
One-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides of each page
Times New Roman font in 12 point size
Descriptive title in normal style and size font
Double line spacing
Consecutive Pagination
Name block
MLA style and documentation as discussed in class
Some of the More Interesting Moments in California History
Zoot suit riots in 1943
Watts Riots in 1965
Aimee Semple McPherson
1906 earthquake
The 1955 opening of Disneyland
William Mulholland and the Los Angeles Aqueduct
Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir
Bear Flag Revolt
The Gold Rush
A Japanese-American interred at Manzanar or any other internment camp in California
(there were several)
Rodney King Beating
The L.A. Riots (riots following verdict in Rodney King police brutality case)
A priest at one of the California missions
A native person forced to work at one of the California Missions
Development of Hollywood
Hearst Castle
Alcatraz
Yosemite classified as a National Park
Cesar Chavez
The occupation of Alcatraz in 1969
The assassination of Harvey Milk in San Francisco
Haight-Ashbury in the late 1960s and early 1970s
The Tenderloin District
Citrus farm in Southern California
Jim Morrison playing at the Whiskey
The Nightstalker
The rise of surf culture in Southern California
The rise of skate culture in Southern California
Knott’s Berry Farm
Chavez Ravine