If you'll allow me a brief excursion into the realm of Mathematics, Mr. Wilson, I believe I can make a point fairly effectively:

For the sake of argument and simplicity, let's assume "Orthodontized Chick" (OC for short) is 20 years old. Now, slavery has existed in some form or another for centuries; let's say (again for convenience) 4,000 years. 4,000/20 = 200; thus, slavery has existed for 200 of OC's lifetimes. 200 (lifetimes) * 1.5 (pages per lifetime) = 300 pages. Since 300 is a much larger number (16.67 times larger, in fact) than 18 (the required length), I'm not seeing where the problem lies, even when you factor in the specific (and thus limiting) nature of the paper (socioeconomic impact rather than slavery in general).

I can sympathize with the difficulties in researching and writing a paper, but those usually stem from a lack of time, not from a lack of content in the subject (at least at the undergraduate level).

A note to Martinez, perhaps OC can only write on the slavery that has existed in her own lifetime and presence. I suspect this leaves her with very little information.

That's possible, but unlikely based on the snippet of conversation we have.

And what's with this "How do you write eighteen pages about anything?" nonsense? Clearly this person hasn't read a book in a very long time (books, which are writings about various things, are usually longer than 18 pages).