Annie Wardroup

Dr. Henry Clay Blazer

AP US History - 1st Block

17 December 2019

Process Paper

How Did I Develop My Idea for the Topic?

I discovered my topic through general web searches that considered the theme. I explored

well-known barrier-breakers such as Amelia Earhart, and Mahatma Gandhi. However, I wanted

to choose someone whom I could learn about and wasn’t a very well known character in

American history. I also wanted to explore women who broke down barriers in fields I enjoy,

such as medicine or literature, considering, whether I have been aware of it or not, those

women’s accomplishments probably impact my day-to-day life. Therefore, when I discovered

Edith Wharton as the first woman to win one of the greatest literary awards annually given out, I

quickly decided to pick her as my topic and pursue further research on her life and struggles.

How Did I conduct Research?

I mainly researched Edith Wharton through the internet. I used sources such as a website

made in her honor, the Pulitzer Prizes official website and archive, and various newspaper

organizations. I also considered reading a full-length biography on her would help me get a

general timeline of her life and understanding of how she broke through the barrier into the

literary world. Therefore, I read R.W.B. Lewis’ Edith Wharton:A Biography to achieve this. As I

dove deeper into compiling my research in my website I read excerpts from her autobiography, A

Backward Glance, and began to research her life through pictures. Also, I knew that in order to

fully depict how she broke her personal barrier, I would need to provide background as to what
her barrier was. I then researched women’s place in society and their place in literature in the

early 20th century.

Why Did I Choose a Website?

I chose to present my information, topic, and research in the form of a website because I

wanted to challenge myself in creating the website itself and, with the type of information I had

to discuss, I figured it would be the best medium. I created the site using Weebly and by

incorporating both images and my analysis.

How Does My Topic Relate to the Theme?

Given that the National History Day theme this year is “Breaking Barriers,” I knew that

my topic would have to exemplify breaking barriers in society and in a particular field in both

the short term and the long term. When I began preliminary research, I stumbled upon the first

woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, Mrs. Edith Wharton. I originally considered her for the

presentation because of the time period in which she lived and the accomplishments she was able

to make during that time. She lived and published her novels in the early 20th century, a time

when men ran the literary world and society in general believed that women were too sensitive to

write novels. Bearing that in mind, I was intrigued to see how she overcame society and earned

the accomplishments that she did. Upon further research of her life, I came to realize that she

overcame so much more than the walls put up around her by society. She also had to convince

her family to accept the path she wanted to take in life and she had to conquer her own

insecurities. Therefore, with all things considered, I came to the conclusion that Edith Wharton

was the epitome of having to break down multiple barriers in order to reach her goals in life and

catapult women into literary success.