I am going to agree with these three lovely girls; you have plenty to work with. The truth is that five pages is virtually around about 2000 words. That really isn't that many. If you want your essay to be meaningful and to flow properly, make sure that you have five parts to every paragraph: a topic sentences at the beginning, a sentence that works as a thesis--to narrow the topic you have introduced into specific ideas, a few sentences that create an image of your topic or give your points, an analysis of your points or what you had in the previous few sentences (This is the most important part), and a conclusion that wraps up your paragraph and leaves room for transition into your next topic.
With a research paper, it is very common to give some background on the topic you wish to discuss. Giving the history is the best way to draw a reader in and you want to make sure that you do that with any paper you write. Professors read hundreds of papers, and if you really want to get a good grade, make sure you grab their attention right away.