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Process Paper
Abigail Davis
Junior Division
Individual Website
Word Count: 498
Student Composed Words: 419
Multimedia: 0
How did you choose your topic and how does it relate to the annual theme?
I chose to do my project over the Stonewall Uprising because of how pertinent this part of
history is to me, and because of how vastly undertaught The Stonewall Riots are with few states
being mandated to even teach certain history such as stonewall at all. So, when I learned that
this year’s theme was to be “Revolution, Reaction, Reform” I immediately thought of the
Stonewall Uprising as it can fit all three aspects of the theme perfectly as it was a revolution
against oppression, there was a definite and significant reaction to the riots, and it ended with
lasting reform for the lgbtq+ community.
How did you conduct your reasearch?
Because the topic is relatively recent I conducted most of my research with archived newspaper clips,
books either written by participants of the riots or by a secondary source, many articles/blogs with
credited information and some interviews. For finding primary sources it was much more of a challenge
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than locating secondary sources as at the time of the riots the majority of the mainstream media sources
were not even covering the initial raid or following riots. So I had to rely on underground media.
How did you create your project?
I thought the topic could be covered to the fullest potential in a website as I could focus on getting
accurate information and being able to quickly put it into a website rather than having to do everything by
hand. I wanted to format my website to look like a classic newspaper to be accurate to how news was
reported at the time the Stonewall Riots occured.
What is your historical argument?
The Stonewall Uprising was a radical revolution against police brutality and systemic oppression that
served as a significant accomplishment in the battle for gay rights and social reform. The movement
sparked a swift reaction in both traditional society and the queer community. By showing what was really
happening to these marginalized groups it opened the eyes of many individuals to the horrors these people
were facing at the hands of the police. By rebelling against injustice and demanding equality many lasting
reforms were accomplished such as the first pride march, many non-discrimination laws being passed, the
change of the DSM classification of homosexuality, and eventually marriage equality.
In what ways is your topic significant in history?
My topic is significant to history because of not only how pivotal the riots were at the time but also how
even generations later its impact still influences so much of current society in America today. Many
young people today are unaware of the profound impact the uprising had with some not knowing anything
about Stonewall. And the Stonewall Revolution didn't just impact the lgbtq+ community but it greatly
benefited many other marginalized groups as well.