Many thoughts have been circling around in my mind regarding this research paper. At first, I thought I was going to research the "Indian Placement Act." However, when I started exploring this topic, I discovered that I could not find a good amount of sources or information, I think mainly because it was a church act installed by President Kimball that lasted for a short period of time.
Then I started pondering what other subjects could be found in my family history. I finally asked my grandparents what they thought I could find some good information on. My grandpa took me out to his shed and gave me a large binder of papers about the "downwinders." The "downwinders" refers to those who were exposed to the radiation from atomic testing in the 50's. The government allowed atomic bomb tests to be conducted on the desert of Nevada, the radiation then exposing populations in Nevada and Utah. Grandpa Cawley grew up in Flowell, Utah- a small farming community near Fillmore. My drafted thesis is "the decision of the United States government to engage in atomic bomb testing in Nevada negatively effected the lives of many people in both Nevada and Utah because their exposure harmed livestock, caused cancers, and diminished the trust of the American people."
Other ideas I have thought of is: how did it affect both Americans and the government? Did the compensation the government gave later on help the people feel better? Another way to word the thesis is "The atomic bomb testing in Nevada created feelings of distrust in the American people towards the government because the exposure to radiation harmed livestock, desolated the environment, and caused cancers."
I hope to talk to my family much more on this topic and include some quotes from my grandpa and his journal.
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