Part A To start forming your thesis, write down your chosen topic and your initial thoughts on your chosen topic. This process will help you formulate ideas when writing your thesis. The topic for your thesis may be based on your own experience or that of some other group of Americans you know about or have researched. To help narrow down the topic for your thesis, reflect on these questions: What individual or group of people are you focusing on? You can focus on the experience of someone who's currently living or from a past era. How does the cultural experience of a person or group of people influence the formation of the American identity ? Are there specific historic events that are part of that cultural experience that influenced the formation of the American identity ? After you choose your topic, you might need to do some research to achieve a thorough understanding of your topic. Write down your topicalong with any notes you've taken while coming up with a topic idea. .