One place to do your background reading is in encyclopedias.
General encyclopedias are excellent sources to consult for basic information about something.
The encyclopedia article will give you names, dates, places, events, and major concepts that will help you do the rest of your research. However, do not expect your exact topic to appear when doing background reading. Other resources to use for background information are course textbooks or instructor's lectures. In some cases, using these will provide enough information for you to proceed to step 2. Depending on your topic, you might want to consult a subject encyclopedia for additional background information.