If you haven't selected a topic, you might browse databases or specific publications for ideas. Look for options to browse by date range, or enter search terms relevant to the type of artifact you're interested in (song, album, episode, movie, painting, photograph, speech, etc.) along with any additional keywords (protest, race, feminism, etc.)., then look for options to limit or sort the results by date. Many of these sources will have articles about cultural artifacts, as well.
Once you've found your artifact, use these resources to find what people had to say about it at the time it came out. Scout or one of the databases below will be the best resources to find that information.
Check out the video tutorials below for help using some of the databases listed on this page.