national history day research paper examples

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Research Rendezvous

Missed the live Mastering your Thesis event?  Watch the recording here, as Kayla Gabehart shows you how to form and revise your thesis. FAQs at the end answer students' questions about NHD in Colorado.

More information from  National History Day in Colorado

Thesis Statement

From NHD website:

Develop a Thesis Statement NHD projects should do more than just tell a story. Every exhibit, performance, documentary, paper and website should make a point about its topic. To do this, you must develop your own argument of the historical impact of the person, event, pattern or idea you are studying. The point you make is called a thesis statement. A thesis statement is not the same as a topic. Your thesis statement explains what you believe to be the impact and significance of your topic in history. Example:

Topic: Battle of Gettysburg Thesis Statement: The battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point of the Civil War. It turned the tide of the war from the South to the North, pushing back Lee’s army that would never fight again on Northern soil and bringing confidence to the Union army.

• Tackling the Thesis [PDF]
• Handout from Minnesota Historical Society [PDF]
• Thesis Creator Helpful template to guide you through your working thesis
• Thesis Organizer & Checklist [PDF]

Videos from NHD Affiliates

Process Paper

Form NHD website Rule 15 | Process Pape r

All categories, except historical paper, must include a process paper with the entry. It must describe in 500 or fewer words how you conducted your research and created your entry. The process paper must include four sections that explain: 1. how you chose your topic; 2. how you conducted your research; 3. how you selected your presentation category and created your project; and 4. how your project relates to the NHD theme.

You can view sample process papers at http://www.nhd.org/CreatingEntry.htm .

• Process paper rules [PDF]
• What is a Process Paper? [PDF]

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Rules & Project Examples

Rules & Guidelines

General rules for all categories.

These are rules form the National History Day Rule Book, with some additions that relate to the Colorado contests. For detailed rules, visit the link below.

Rule 1: Contest Year  The contest year begins immediately following the National Contest awards ceremony and runs through the next year’s National Contest awards ceremony. You may begin working on a project for competition after the conclusion of the previous contest year in June. Rule 2: Entry  You may enter only one project (or entry) in one category within a contest year. Please see the Participation Information (Section 2, p. 4) for details about the Regional or Afliate Contest in which you must participate. Rule 3: Individual or Group Entries  Groups may contain between 2 and 5 participants. Once a group enters a competition, students may not be added, replaced, or pursue an individual project. Rule 4: Student Research  Entries must be completed during the current contest year. Projects from a previous year cannot be revised or reused. You must choose a new topic each contest year. Rule 5: Plagiarism  Plagiarizing all or part of your NHD project will result in disqualifcation. You must give credit to the primary and secondary sources you use and provide a complete citation and annotation for all of your sources in your annotated bibliography. See nhd.org/annotated-bibliography for more information about crediting and citing sources. Rule 6: Tampering    You may not tamper with another student’s entry. Intentional or malicious defacing of another student’s project will result in disqualifcation. Violations may include, but are not limited to, editing or deleting another student’s website, defacing or stealing elements of an exhibit, or purposefully causing disruption during a performance with the intent of distracting the performer. Rule 7: Annual Theme  Your entry must relate clearly to the annual theme. Rule 8: English and Translations  All entries for competition must be submitted in English unless otherwise approved by your Contest Coordinator. Other languages may be used, if translations in English are provided. When considering translated text for the purposes of word count, judges will count only the English translation. Rule 9: Copyright  The Fair Use doctrine allows for educational use of copyrighted materials for noncommercial purposes. For this reason, you must not place your project in a nonacademic public setting, such as a commercial internet site, without obtaining permission from the copyright owner. Read more here: copyright.gov/fs/f102.html. Rule 10: Reasonable Help  You are responsible for the research, design, and creation of your entry, but you may have reasonable help from others. See page 10 of the Rule Book for definitions about reasonable help. Rule 11: Supplying Equipment  You are responsible for supplying all props and equipment at each level of competition. Construct your entry with transportation, setup time, size, and weight in mind (e.g., foam board versus solid oak for an exhibit, folding table versus antique desk for a performance). You must provide your own equipment, including computers and software, unless the Contest Coordinator has specifed that certain equipment, such as projection screens for documentaries, will be provided at the contest venue. Check with your Contest Coordinator about available resources. Be prepared. Rule 12: Costumes  You are not permitted to wear costumes that are related to the focus of your entry during judging, except in the performance category. Rule 13: Prohibited Material  The following are not allowed in any competition venue: weapons of any kind, including real, toys, or replicas in any form; live animals with the exception of service animals; live cultures or organisms; and anything that could cause damage to the competition venue. Rule 14: Interview with Judges  Be prepared to answer judges’ questions about the content and development of your entry. However, you may not give a formal, prepared introduction, narration, or conclusion during the interview. The judges’ questions will guide the interview. Ultimately, your entry should be able to stand on its own without any additional comments from you. Rule 15: Written Material  Your entry must include the following written materials in the order presented below: a title page, process paper, and annoated bibliography. Rule 16: Title  Your entry must have a title that is clearly visible on the title page and on the project itself. Rule 17: Title Page  A title page is required as the frst page of written material in every category. Your title page must include onlythe title of your entry, your name(s), the contest division and category in which you are entered, and applicable word counts. Your title page is not included in the word count. Please see Figure 2 (p. 19) for examples of required title page elements for the paper, exhibit, performance, and documentary categories. View requirements for a website’s home page in Website Rule E4 (p. 34). Rule 18: Process Paper    A process paper is required for projects in every category. The process paper must be 500 words or fewer, and must not include quotes, images, or captions (Figure 4, p. 24). The process paper words are counted separately and are not part of the word count in the paper, exhibit, or website categories. Your process paper must answer the following questions: How did you choose your topic and how does it relate to the annual theme? How did you conduct your research? How did you create your project? What is your historical argument?In what ways is your topic signifcant in history?    Rule 19: Annotated Bibliography    An annotated bibliography is required for all categories. Your annotated bibliography must follow these requirements:List all sources that you consulted in developing your entry, combine photos or other materials from the same collection into a single citation, separate your bibliography into two sections: one for primary sources and one for secondary sources, do not attach primary or secondary materials to your annotated bibliography, do not include your annotated bibliography in the word count. Each citation must include a brief annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to provide information about your research process, not to provide analysis to circumvent the word count. Each annotation must be no more than two or three sentences. The annotation should explain the following:How you used the source, how the source helped you to understand the topic. Use annotations to explain your reasoning for classifying any sources that are not clearly primary or secondary. Classifying a source as both primary and secondary is inappropriate  Rule 20: Style Guides    Citations and bibliographic references must follow the most recent edition of one of the two permitted style guides below. Regardless of which manual you use, the style must be consistent throughout all written material. The Chicago Manual of Style by the University of Chicago Press or the MLA Handbook by the Modern Languages Association of America are both accepted.

Rule 21: Artificial Intelligence and your NHD Project: Guidance on how you may use (and may not use) AI tools when creating an NHD project can be found using  this handout  from NHD.

Exhibit Rules & Guidelines

Exhibits are displays of visual and written information. They are similar to exhibits found in a museum. People walking by should be attracted to an exhibit's main idea and, therefore, stop to learn more about the topic. To be successful, an exhibit must create an effective balance between visual interest and historical explanation.

The most common form of exhibit entry is a three-panel display. This style is the least complicated to design and build but is still a very effective way to present information.

• Exhibit Evaluation Form
• NHD Sample Projects
• NHDC Gallery

Paper Rules & Guidelines

A research paper is the traditional form of presenting historical research. Various types of creative writing (such as fictional diaries, poems, etc.) are also permitted, but must conform to all general and category rules. Your paper should be grammatically correct and well-written.

The written work should consist of four parts: 

• An introduction stating the thesis of the work 
• A main section addressing the theme
• A conclusion flowing logically from the thesis statement and body of the paper 

An annotated bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources

• Paper Evaluation Form
• NHDC Sample Projects

Website Rules & Guidelines

The Website category is the most interactive of all NHD categories. A website should reflect the students' ability to use website design software and computer technology to communicate the topic's significance to history. Your historical website should be a collection of web pages, interconnected by hyperlinks, that presents both primary and secondary sources and your historical analysis.

In designing the entry, students should include elements that actively engage the audience in learning about the topic. These elements do not have to be technologically complex, but they should let the audience participate in exploring the topic, rather than passively viewing information. The presentation should include primary source materials, but must also be an original production. To produce a web site, students must have access to appropriate software and equipment and be able to operate it. Students must submit their work on the NHD Portal for judging. All websites must be build on the NHDWebCentral platform!

• Website Evaluation Form
• NHD Sample Projects
• NHDC Sample Projects
• NHDWebCentral Website Building Platform
• NHDC WebCentral Tutorial

Documentary Rules & Guidelines

A documentary should reflect your ability to use audiovisual equipment to communicate your topic's significance, much as professional documentaries do. The documentary category will help you develop skills in using photographs, film, video audiotapes, and graphic presentations. Your presentation should include primary materials but must also be an original production. To produce a documentary you must have access to equipment and be able to operate it.

• Documentary Checklist
• Documentary Evaluation Form

Performance Rules & Guidelines

• Performance Checklist
• Performance Evaluation Form

Official NHD Rule Book

Disqualification, a project may be disqualified on three grounds:.

• Plagiarizing all or part of an NHD project. Please note that failing to give proper credit is plagiarism.
• Reusing , individually or as a group, a project (or research from a project) from a previous year, or entering a project in multitple contests or entry categories within a contest year.
• Tampering with any part of the project of another student.
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Preparing for National History Day

National History Day and National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar Medals.

"In history, a great volume is unrolled for our instruction, drawing the materials of future wisdom from the past errors and infirmities of mankind."  — Edmund Burke  

National History Day makes history come alive for students by engaging them in the discovery of the historic, cultural, and social experiences of the past. Our collection of resources is designed to assist students and teachers as they prepare their NHD projects and highlights the long partnership that has existed between the National Endowment for the Humanities  and National History Day . This Teacher's Guide provides resources for the current theme, tips and advice on conducting research to complete any NHD project type, and access to materials from previous themes and NEH/NHD programming. 

Building A More Perfect Union Lesson Book

The National Endowment for the Humanities and National History Day created the  Building a More Perfect Union lesson book   as part of the NEH’s special initiative to advance civic education and the study of U.S. history and culture in preparation for the 250 th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The two essays and fifteen lessons include primary sources, compelling and guiding questions, inquiry-based activities, opportunities to consider multiple and competing perspectives, and supplementary materials available at EDSITEment. The complete Building a More Perfect Union  lesson plan book is available for free download here  and at NHD’s site for the 250th . EDSITEment's Building A More Perfect Union media resource page includes the essays and lessons, as well as supplemental materials, lessons, and resources for including themes related to "a more perfect union" across civics and U.S. history curricula. 

Guiding Questions

How has technology transformed how we communicate and what has this meant for history?

What have debate and diplomacy produced in history?

What qualifies an event as a turning point in history?

How have conflicts been transformed into compromises across history?

To what extent have those who have taken a stand inspired change?

What factors contributed to the event or action you are investigating?

National History Day began at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1974 and the National Endowment for the Humanities has funded and partnered with National History Day since 1976. Each year, the NEH awards special prizes, and top projects are recognized with a NEH/NHD Scholar medal. 

T he Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers Prize   is awarded in both the Junior and Senior divisions to an outstanding entry in any category that utilizes the newspaper resources that are available through  Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . EDSITEment offers research ideas and a feature on special collections included in Chronicling America at our Chronicling America Teacher's Guide .

The National Endowment for the Humanities produced  "In the Field" series included an episode on National History Day  to tell the story of how NHD began, and give students space to share why they enjoy the NHD competition and what they take away from participating. 

EDSITEment has also partnered with the Smithsonian Learning Lab to create collections of resources and questions to assist students with the relevant NHD themes and development of research skills. You will find collections from the past few years through the drop down menus below and at the Learning Lab Collections created for NHD .

For its outstanding work over the years and across the country, the National History Day organization received the National Humanities Medal in 2011 .

Each year at the National History Day competition the National Endowment for the Humanities awards the Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers Prize   in both the Junior and Senior divisions to an outstanding entry in any category that utilizes the newspaper resources that are available through the Chronicling America  database .

You may already know about  Chronicling America ,  the long-standing partnership between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provides free access to millions of digitalized pages of America’s historic newspapers. Users can search and view newspaper pages from 1770–1963 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690–present using the National Digital Newspaper Program.  EDSITEment offers research ideas and a feature on using special collections included within Chronicling America at our Chronicling America Teacher's Guide .

Curating Content for the Classroom: The Problem of Bias

Reading old newspapers opens a window into a world with a multiplicity of values, many of which are sharply different from ours. The unfiltered news and commentary of yesterday holds wonders but also requires a teacher’s sharp editorial guidance to be most effective. The existence of racial or gender bias in articles or advertisements that would have raised no concern back in the day, may make modern students or their parents uncomfortable. Be prepared to encounter such moments and to use them to help students understand their own beliefs and values, as well as to learn how complex an encounter with real history is. To assist you in this process, we have linked to  a short guide to teaching sensitive material .

Moreover, most historic papers were affiliated with a particular political party and consequently have a strongly partisan editorial policy, in the literal sense. Happily through the tools available, students can easily learn about—and from—the distinctive perspectives of these newspapers.  Chronicling America  makes it relatively easy to discover the history and political profile of the paper under examination by way of the “about” section that accompanies almost every newspaper title.

For example,  the “about” section of  The Toiler  gives a fascinating “biography” of the “Official Organ of the Communist Labor Party of Ohio.” Though short lived, it was merged with another title to form what became known as the  Daily Worker , the Communist Party of America’s national paper. For an introduction to the partisanship of 19th- and early 20th-century newspapers and an interesting argument about the positive side of this partisanship, see the article " The Fall and Rise of Partisan Journalism ."

Teaching Diverse Perspectives with Historic Newspapers

Special collections of newspapers serving particular identities and interests are an especially exciting and revelatory part of  Chronicling America.   Irish ,  Latin American , and  Jewish  newspapers have now been joined by a significant number of  German language  newspapers and newspapers serving Indigenous communities . 

Most impressively, there are now more that one hundred  African American newspapers  from thirty states and the District of Columbia. South Carolina alone is represented by eleven papers! These papers allow us to trace the daily lives and opinions of Black people from the days of Emancipation and Reconstruction through the establishment of Jim Crow, World War I, and the Great Migration.

A feature essay on using these newspaper collections and what the perspectives they bring to U.S. history provide is available at our Chronicling America Teacher's Guide . Or, you can go directly to Chronicling America and use the “All Digitalized Newspapers” tab in the search menu.

The “Golden Age” of Newspapers

The greatest concentration of  Chronicling America  material currently available online runs from 1900–1922, offering an unrivaled view of the heyday of what historian Doris Kearns Goodwin has called the “golden age of journalism.” Here one can immerse oneself in the Populist and Progressive Eras, the leadership of Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, and the return to “normalcy” under President Warren Harding. On the world stage, this is the period of the Great War, the Russian Revolution, and the worldwide influenza pandemic—all of which are covered in great and fascinating detail in these pages.

The date range and states included in  Chronicling America ’s  newspapers collection  are constantly expanding. You can begin to explore the riches of this database by simply  searching   Chronicling America  by keyword or by using the  suggested list of topics  arranged by subject, decade or large theme.

Teaching and Researching with Chronicling America

EDSITEment provides a robust collection of resources and lessons that incorporate  Chronicling America . Teachers and students will find these materials helpful in navigating the database, creating research questions on a given NHD theme or project topic, and incorporating historic newspapers into classroom discussions and projects. 

Chronicling and Mapping the Women's Suffrage Movement —This lesson brings together digital mapping and the  Chronicling America  newspaper   database as part of an inquiry into how and where the women’s suffrage movement took place in the United States.

Thomas Edison's Inventions in the 1900s and Today: From "New" to You! —Students can trace the history of Thomas Edison's inventions through EDSITEment's lesson plan and this fascinating article on the  history of the incandescent bulb  from  Chronicling America .

The Industrial Age in America: Sweatshops, Steel Mills, and Factories —Technological innovation isn't always entirely beneficial. Read  Upton Sinclair's first hand account  of the abuse that accompanied the industrial revolution while engaging in this lesson on the era of industrialization in the U.S.

Chronicling America : Uncovering a World at War —This lesson gives students the opportunity to interact with historical newspapers from the WWI era available through  Chronicling America  and engage in dialogue as they decide: Should the United States remain neutral or join the fight?

The National Endowment for the Humanities and National History Day collaborated to produce videos featuring NEH grant recipients for the benefit of students and teachers as they prepare their projects. The "Ask an NEH Expert" videos below offer advice from scholars and educators that can be applied to work on any NHD project topic and type.

NEH Project Skills and Resources

Each institution represented in this section was awarded a  CARES Act grant  by the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2020 to develop digital resources and expand access to their materials for schools and the public. 

Ask an NEH Expert: Wide Research —Jeffrey Ludwig, Director of Education at the Seward House Museum  (Auburn, New York), discusses the benefits of wide research when developing any project. The video includes examples of primary sources and other resources available at the Seward House that illustrate how wide research works. 

Ask an NEH Expert: Historical Significance —Shatavia Elder, Vice President of Education at the Atlanta History Center  (Atlanta, Georgia), offers advice on the importance of historical significance when writing about a topic, event, person, or era. The video includes materials available at the Atlanta History Center that show how researchers can evaluate historical significance across time. 

Ask an NEH Expert: Multiple Perspectives —Anne Petersen, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (Santa Barbara, California), addresses why multiple perspectives are important to developing a rich understanding of historical events and topics. The video includes how maps and primary documents available at the Santa Barbara Trust can be used to analyze multiple and competing perspectives in history.

NEH Project Skills

This set of "Ask an NEH Expert" videos focuses on the skills related to writing, researching, and editing that are applicable to all National History Day project categories and topics. 

Ask an NEH Expert: Building an Argument —Margaret Hughes,  Historic Hudson Valley 's Associate Director for Education, provides guidance on crafting an argument, and strategies for how to successfully incorporate that argument into a National History Day project. Margaret has also served as a judge for the Lower Hudson National History Day regional competition.

Ask an NEH Expert: Validating Sources —Leslie Hayes, the  New-York Historical Society 's Director of Education, offers valuable advice and questions students should ask in the process of validating primary and secondary sources for use in National History Day projects. Leslie is an NEH grant recipient and has led NEH summer institutes for K-12 educators, including  American Women, American Citizens: 1920-1948 .

Ask an NEH Expert: Writing and Editing —Dana Williams,  Howard University 's English Department Chair and professor of African American literature, shares her experiential insight and guidance for success in the writing and editing process for National History Day projects. Dr. Williams has received five NEH grants, and is currently completing a book-length study on Toni Morrison's editorship, which will be published by Amistad, a division of Harper Collins.

NEH Project Categories

These five videos—one for each project category—feature experts in the fields of documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, and websites. 

Ask an NEH Expert: Documentaries —Eric Stange, a documentary filmmaker, and Kevin Shirley, a NHD coordinator in Georgia, discuss successful practices for developing documentaries for the NHD competition. 

Ask an NEH Expert: Exhibits —Marci Raven of the New-York Historical Society and Whitney Olsen, a NHD coordinator in California, provide strategies and advice for designing and presenting successful NHD exhibits.

Ask an NEH Expert: Papers — Author and editor Christina Thompson provides expert tips on developing one’s voice as a writer, along with advice for organizing and revising your paper.  

Ask an NEH Expert: Performances — Jenny Inge is a performer and playwright and, in this video, she discusses how students can integrate their personal perspective into their performance as they portray the perspectives and events of history they have researched.

Ask an NEH Expert: Websites — Betsy Newman is an award-winning documentary and web-content producer and in this video, she provides a behind-the-scenes perspective on how to produce digital NHD projects.

The 2024 National History Day theme Turning Points in History invites students to explore how ideas, events, or actions cause change in direct and indirect ways. Through researching this theme, students will find that a turning point can be one individual’s personal decision, a mass movement, or anything in between. Students are asked to consider various consequences, from the tangible to the symbolic, the local to the global, and the immediate to the long-term. Many examples can be found within military history, political history, and legal history, but students are also encouraged to consider topics related to innovation and business, health and medicine, natural events and the environment, and science and technology.

This year’s theme narrative shares how the Chronicling America newspaper database can be used to explore debates around turning points in history. Using the examples of Hawaiian annexation and 1919's Red Summer, this essay encourages students to discover multiple perspectives through digitized newspapers. It prompts them to identify the goals and viewpoints of newspaper staff and to consider whose perspectives are highlighted, whose perspectives are missing or obscured, and how other current events shaped opinions. More resources can be found on the NHD Website as well as in this year’s theme book .

The National History Day theme video is a useful starting point for any topic and project.

EDSITEment Resources for Turning Points in History

• Nelson Mandela & South Africa  
• "Sí, se puede!": Chávez, Huerta, and the UFW  
• Places and People of the Civil Rights Movement 
• Latino Americans: War and Peace  
• I Remember: Japanese Incarceration During WWII
• Holocaust and Resistance
• Music of the Harlem Renaissance  
• The Mexican Revolution  
• Chronicling and Mapping the Women's Suffrage Movement  
• Hawai'i's Annexation and Statehood: How the Island Nation Became an American Frontier  
• Who Belongs on the Frontier: Cherokee Removal
• Arts of the Afro Atlantic Diaspora
• The Aztecs: Mighty Warriors of Mexico
• Galileo and the Inevitability of Ideas
• The Path of the Black Death
• The Cuneiform Writing System in Ancient Mesopotamia: Emergence and Evolution

The 2023 National History Day theme Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas  encourages students to investigate what it means to be a pioneer and where pioneers throughout history can be found. Students researching this theme will find that frontiers and pioneers can be found throughout history in some surprising places. Topics from military history abound, but students are encouraged to explore economic, social, scientific, and political frontiers as well.  

The theme narrative for this year explores Citizenship, Race, and Place through the study of Chinese labor on the transcontinental railroad and the Japanese American Internment during World War II. By examining the different ways Asian Americans have experienced frontiers, this essay asks students to think about how people have traversed and transcended frontiers throughout history. More resources can be found on the NHD Website as well as in this year’s theme book.    

The NHD theme video also provides students a useful place to start their research.  

EDSITEment Resources for Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas 

Trailblazers .

• Leonardo da Vinci: Creative Genius  

Adiós Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno  

Thurgood Marshall Before the Court  

Introducing Jane Eyre: An Unlikely Victorian Heroine  

BackStory: Hidden Figures - The People Behind the Story You Know  

Movements and Ideas 

The LGBTQ Community in American History  

Was There an Industrial Revolution? New Workplace, New Technology, New Consumers  

Afro Atlantic: Paths from Enslavement  

Women's Equality: Changing Attitudes and Beliefs  

The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement  

The Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad  

Images of the New World  

Dust Bowl Days  

“The Great Migration” by Minnie Bruce Pratt  

Places and People of the Civil Rights Movement

The 2022 National History Day theme  “Debates and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences”  invites students to explore how various disputes and attempts at resolution have had significant impact throughout history. Researching topics on this theme may take students into areas of political or cultural differences, moments of international crisis, or cooperative economic policies. Students will find ready examples of diplomacy—both successes and failures—in relationships among state actors, but they should be encouraged to consider the diplomatic actions of individuals or organizations as well.  

The theme narrative explores  Debate and Diplomacy in the Early Republic  through the papers of the  U.S. War Department . This essay offers examples for research and prompts students to weigh the rights of individuals against the security of the nation, a debate at least as old as the nation’s founding that continues today. More resources can be found on the NHD website and in  this year’s theme book .   

Students will also find the NHD theme video a useful place to start their research.  

EDSITEment Resources for Debates and Diplomacy in History 

The Papers of the War Department

The Crisis of American Diplomacy: 1793–1808  

Voting Rights for Women: Pro- and Anti-Suffrage  

The Battle Over Reconstruction  

Civil Rights and the Cold War  

Bring Your Classroom to Life Through Diplomatic Oral Histories  

The Monroe Doctrine: Origin and Early American Foreign Policy  

Women Aviators in WWII  

Voices of Democracy: Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Struggle  

The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: The Missiles of October  

The Origins of the Cold War, 1945-1949  

The Jazz Ambassadors  

The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations  

From Neutrality to War: The United States and Europe 1921–1941  

American Diplomacy in World War II  

The 2021 theme " Communication in History " offers students opportunities to explore how individuals and groups have shared information and the technological changes that have expanded how we communicate throughout history. The 2021 NHD theme narrative provides questions and examples for students to consider as they design their research projects. For instance, how do elected officials communicate with the public and why? How has technology shaped how we communicate? 

The National History Day theme video for " Communication in History " is a great starting point for any topic and project.

EDSITEment resources for "Communication in History"

"From Time to Time": Presidents and Communicating with the Public

Lincoln's First Inaugural Address: We Must Not Be Enemies

Media and Communication Technology in the Making of America

Chronicling America: History's First Draft

FDR: Fireside Chats, the New Deal, and Eleanor

FDR’s “Four Freedoms” Speech

The President's Roles and Responsibilities: Communicating with the President

President Madison's 1812 War Message

Celebrating Studs Terkel – Interviewer of America

BackStory: Behind the Bylines - Advocacy Journalism in America

Teaching Women’s History through Great Speeches

Winston Churchill on the Origins of the Cold War: The Fulton Speech

"I Have a Dream": The Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The 2020 theme  "Breaking Barriers in History"  offers students opportunities to explore how individuals and groups have overcome obstacles on their way to changing history. The NHD theme narrative provides questions and examples for students to consider as they design their research projects. For instance, who was responsible for constructing a barrier? How and why did barriers form? Are the barriers natural or human made? Were the barriers reduced, restructured, or removed? Are all barriers negative?

The National History Day theme webinar for "Breaking Barriers in History" is a great starting point for any topic and project.

You can also view acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns curate a Breaking Barriers playlist for ideas and inspiration.

EDSITEment Learning Lab Collections:

Breaking Barriers: Innovation and Industry

Breaking Barriers: Women's Suffrage

Breaking Barriers: United Farm Workers

Breaking Barriers: Race, Gender, and the U.S. Military

Breaking Barriers: The Reconstruction Era

EDSITEment resources for "Breaking Barriers"

Chronicling and Mapping the Women's Suffrage Movement

• Competing Voices in the Civil Rights Movement
• JFK, Freedom Riders, and the Civil Rights Movement
• Nelson Mandela and South Africa
• Was there an Industrial Revolution?
• The Transcontinental Railroad
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Perspectives
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-paper" and the "New Woman"

The 2019 theme of "Triumph and Tragedy in History" offers students opportunities to explore multiple sides of an event or issue to consider the short and long term ramifications in history. Was triumph a positive development for few, some, or many? Did people or places recover from the tragedy? Did a tragedy inspire triumphant actions and/or results in another time and place? 

EDSITEment resources for "Triumph and Tragedy"

• Triumph and Tragedy: American Immigrant Experiences
• Triumph and Tragedy: World War I
• Triumph and Tragedy: American Industry
• Triumph and Tragedy: Smithsonian Learning Lab Collections
• Triumph and Tragedy: Lincoln's Enduring Legacy

For National History Day students, the 2017/2018 academic year will be filled with research related to the theme of "Conflict and Compromise in History." This expansive theme allows students to choose from a generous range of topics, whether from the ancient world or the history of their own city. Students need to begin research with some reliable secondary sources in order to gain a broader context before progressing to the appropriate primary sources.  They will need to ask a series of questions about their chosen topic: What happened? How did it happen? Why did it happen? What were the consequences?

EDSITEment resources "Conflict and Compromise"

Learning lab collections.

Conflict and Compromise: Origins of the U.S. Constitution

Conflict and Compromise: The War of 1812

• Conflict and Compromise: Chinese Exclusion Act
• Conflict and Compromise: The Mexican Revolution
• Conflict and Compromise: Art and World War I
• Conflict and Compromise: The Vietnam War

EDSITEment Lesson Plans

• Understanding the Salem Witch Trials
• "The Stamp Act" The Coming of the American Revolution
• The Question of Representation at the 1787 Convention
• Washington and the Whiskey Rebellion
• The United States, France, and the Problem of Neutrality, 1796–1801
• The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions  (3 Lessons)
• President Madison's 1812 War Message 
• Evangelicalism, Revivalism, and the Second Great Awakening
• The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
• What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
• Battle Over Reconstruction
• Chronicling America: Chinese Exclusion Act
• Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion
• Chronicling America: Pullman Porters
• Topics in Chronicling America: Panama Canal
• Turning the Tide in the Pacific, 1941–1943
• Sources of Discord, 1945–1946

For National History Day students, the 2016/2017 academic year will be filled with research related to the theme "Taking a Stand in History." This expansive theme allows participants to choose from a generous range of topics, whether from the ancient world or the history of their own city. Students will all need to begin research with secondary sources, however, in order to gain a broader context before progressing to the appropriate primary sources. Their final argument will be constructed on this foundation and should address the effects that their research has uncovered on their chosen topic.

2017 NHD Documentary, 1st Place Senior Individual: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

EDSITEment resources for "Taking a Stand in History"

Taking a Stand: American Revolution and the Founder s

• Taking a Stand: Suffrage Movement 1848-1919 
• Taking a Stand: NAACP and the Birth of a Nation
• Taking a Stand: Brown v. Board
• Taking a Stand: Freedom Rides
• T aking a Stand: African American Civil Rights Movement
• Taking a Stand: Nelson Mandela and South Africa

The theme of National History Day 2016 "Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History" is broad enough in scope to encourage investigation of topics ranging from local to world history and across any geographic area or time period. Consider this theme an invitation to look across time, space, and geography to find examples in history of when people took a risk and made a change.

EDSITEment resources for "Exploration, Encounter, Exchange" 

Lewis and Clark: Exploring Uncharted Territory

• The Diplomacy Challenge
• The Jungle , Muckrakers, and Teddy Roosevelt
• Life in Babylonia: The Importance of Trade
• Trekking to Timbuktu: A Center of Trade

This year’s theme  “ Leadership and Legacy in History ”  offers a remarkable array of suggested topics for research projects .   Students may consider the following questions when investigating history and designing their projects: How should a leader be remembered? Who writes the history of leadership? How do we evaluate the short and long term influences of people and events? 

EDSITEment resources for "Leadership and Legacy" 

• Simon Bolivar  and Gran Columbia: Leading the Fight for Independence from Spain
• The Congress of Vienna : Legacy of Napoleon’s Downfall
• Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize
• Otto von Bismarck and the Unification of Germany
• The Three Leaders: Mazzini , Garibaldi , Cavour  and the Unification of Italy
• The Hudson River School : Leading an American School of Art
• Tecumseh  and the Western Confederacy: Leading the Battle against Westward Expansion
• Pierre de Coubertin and the Rebirth of the International Olympic Committee
• Linking Europe, Africa, and Asia: “ Ferdinand de Lesseps and the Construction of the Suez Canal
• Invoking the Power of the Federal Government: Grover Cleveland” and the Pullman Strike  of 1894
• The Legacy of King Leopold's Vision in the Congo
• William Howard Taft and Dollar Diplomacy
• Pancho Villa : Leading Northern Mexico
• Emiliano Zepata : Leadership for “Reforma, Libertad Ley y Justicia”
• Emmeline Pankhurst : Leading a Militant Struggle for Suffrage in Great Britain
• Eugene V. Debs ’ Leadership of the American Socialist Movement
• Vladimir Lenin ”: Leading the Russian Revolution
• Realpolitik : A New Form of Leadership
• General Billy Mitchell and the Development of the American Air Force
• George Crile , Harvey Cushing , and the Ambulance Americaine : The Legacy of Wartime Medicine
• The Mercator Projection : Leading How We View the World
• Theodore Roosevelt : Leading the Charge to Build the Panama Canal
• Leading Higher Education in America: Harvard , Yale , and William & Mary

The 2013-2014 National History Day theme is “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” Under this broad topic, students have opportunities to explore a variety of topics as they prepare their respective projects. A few research questions to assist with inquiry include: Are all rights equally protected? Are the rights of all people equally protected? What responsibilities do people have to uphold their rights? When and why have rights been restricted and expanded in history? What role does geography play in the expansion and protection of rights?

EDSITEment resources for "Rights and Responsibilities" 

• Why Spinoza was Excommunicated
• "After the Mayflower" We Shall Remain
• “John Locke”: Natural Law, Natural Rights, and American Constitutionalism
• Religion in 18th-Century America
• Britain, Napoleon, and the American Embargo 1803-1808
• Who Were the Foremothers of American Equality?
• "Mary Church Terrell" Tennessee Encyclopedia
• “ John Muir, Nature’s Witness”  Humanities  Magazine
• The Storm that Swept Mexico
• The Mexican Revolution, November 1910
• Philip Randolph for Jobs and Freedom  (NEH-supported film)
• "W.L Shirer on Nazi Germany" Annotations: the NEH Preservation
• "Desegregation of Central High School" Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Building Suburbia: Highways and Housing
• "American Originals"  Humanities  Magazine
• Why Treaties Matter
• Making the History of 1989

Related on EDSITEment

Chronicling america: history's first draft, investigating local history, oral history as an educational experience, using historic digital newspapers for national history day, ask an neh expert: multiple perspectives, ask an neh expert: historical significance, ask an neh expert: wide research, race and ethnicity keyword thesaurus for chronicling america.

Educator Resources

National History Day Online Research Tools

Learn about National History Day resources from the National Archives! Explore DocsTeach in support of your NHD project for this year's theme- Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.

Search these Resources for History Topics Across Historical Eras

• Primary Sources for this Year's Theme on the  DocsTeach National History Day Page
• The Presidential Timeline
• The National Archives Online Catalog of Primary Sources
• Historic Video Footage for this Year's Theme

Check these Resources for Topics and Time Periods

American revolution.

• Founders Online , Searchable Archive of the Correspondence and Writings of Six of the Founding Fathers
• The American Revolution on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to the Louisiana Purchase on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to the Abolition of Slavery on DocsTeach

Civil War & Reconstruction

• The Civil War on DocsTeach

Industrialization and Immigration

• Primary Sources Related to Immigration on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to the Progressive Era on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to Women's Rights  on DocsTeach

The Spanish-American War and World War I

• Primary Sources Related to the Spanish-American War on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to World War I on DocsTeach
• Commission for the Relief of Belguim (CRB) and the Bonus March from the Hoover Library
• Harry Truman's World War I from the Truman Library
• From Soldier to Senator: Harry S. Truman, 1918-1941 from the Truman Library

The Great Depression

• Hoover and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• Stock Market Crash on the Presidential Timeline
• First 100 Days (PDF) from the Roosevelt Library
• Primary Sources Related to the New Deal on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to Fireside Chats on DocsTeach
• Roosevelt and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• Tuskegee Airmen (PDF) from the Roosevelt Library
• Search the Roosevelt Library's Online Historical Documents Page

World War II

• World War II Documents (PDF) from the Roosevelt Library
• Primary Sources Related to World War II on DocsTeach
• Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor on the Presidential Timeline
• Primary Sources Related to Pearl Harbor on DocsTeach
• Japanese-American Internment (PDF) from the Roosevelt Library
• Japanese-Americans During World War II from the Truman Library
• Primary Sources Related to Japanese-American Internment on DocsTeach
• The Holocaust (PDF) from the FDR Library
• Primary Sources Related to the Holocaust on DocsTeach
• Search Online Documents from the Truman Library
• Search Online Photographs from the Truman Library
• Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb from the Truman Library
• Primary Sources Related to the Atomic Bomb on DocsTeach
• War Crimes Trials at Nuremberg  from the Truman Library
• Marshall Plan from the Truman Library
• Primary Sources Related to the Marshall Plan on DocsTeach
• The Point Four Program  from the Truman Library
• The United Nations, 1945-53: The Development of a World Organization  from the Truman Library
• Migratory Farm Labor from the Truman Library
• The Truman Administration's Policy Toward Native Americans from the Truman Library
• President Truman's Fight for National Health Insurance from the Truman Library
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization from the Truman Library
• Truman's 1948 Presidential Campaign from the Truman Library
• Truman and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• U.S. Recognition of Israel from the Truman Library
• Oil Crisis in Iran, 1950-52 from the Truman Library
• Alaska Statehood from the Eisenhower Library
• Eisenhower and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• Eisenhower's Farewell Address from the Eisenhower Library
• Hawaii Statehood from the Eisenhower Library
• International Geophysical Year from the Eisenhower Library
• Interstate Highway System from the Eisenhower Library
• People To People from the Eisenhower Library
• Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine from the Eisenhower Library
• Women in the 1950s from the Eisenhower Library

Civil Rights

• Rights in America  on DocsTeach
• Truman and Civil Rights  from the Truman Library
• The President’s Committee on Civil Rights from the Truman Library
• Desegregation of the Armed Forces from the Truman Library
• Civil Rights Act of 1957 from the Eisenhower Library
• Brown vs. Board of Education from the Eisenhower Library
• Citizens' Letters on the Little Rock Crisis from the Eisenhower Library
• Government Reports and President Eisenhower's Personal Views from the Eisenhower Library
• The Emmett Till Case from the Eisenhower Library
• Little Rock School Integration from the Eisenhower Library
• Little Rock School Integration on the Presidential Timeline
• Primary Sources Related to Martin Luther King, Jr. on DocsTeach
• Integrating Ole Miss from the Kennedy Library
• Leaders in the Struggle for Civil Rights from the Kennedy Library
• President Clinton, Civil Rights and the Little Rock Nine on the Presidential Timeline

The 1960s–1970s

• The Peace Corps on the Presidential Timeline
• Search the Kennedy Library's Digital Collections
• Johnson and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• The Vietnam Conflict Online Exhibit from the Johnson Library
• Search the Johnson Library’s Online Photo Archive
• The Johnson Library’s Telephone Conversations from the Miller Center
• A Record of President Johnson’s Appointments, Phone Calls, and Activitiesin the Daily Diary from the Johnson Library
• The Johnson Library’s Oral History Collection
• The Johnson Library’s Video Collections on YouTube
• The 1970s , including environmentalism, on DocsTeach
• The Nixon and Ford Years on DocsTeach
• Explore the Nixon Library Virtual Library
• Memoirs v. Tapes: Nixon & the December Bombings from the Nixon Library
• Richard Nixon and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• The Twenty-Sixth Amendment on the Presidential Timeline
• Watergate Trial Conversations from the Nixon Library
• Primary Sources Related to Watergate on DocsTeach
• Ford and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• Intelligence Community Investigations and Reforms, 1975-1976 from the Ford Library
• The Swine Flu Immunization Program of 1976 from the Ford Library
• Jimmy Carter and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• Partner of the President (Rosalynn Carter) on the Presidential Timeline
• The Camp David Accords After Twenty-Five Years from the Carter Library
• U.S. Embassy in Tehran is Seized by Iranian Terrorists on the Presidential Timeline
• Panama Canal Treaties on the Presidential Timeline
• Primary Sources Related to the Middle East on DocsTeach
• 444 Days: Understanding the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis on the Presidential Timeline

The Cold War

• The Cold War, 1945-1991 on the Presidential Timeline
• Primary Sources Related to the Cold War on DocsTeach
• Berlin Airlift from the Truman Library
• Ideological Foundations of the Cold War from the Truman Library
• Truman Doctrine and the Beginning of the Cold War from the Truman Library
• Immigration Policy: President Truman's Veto of the McCarran-Walter Act from the Truman Library
• Korean War and Its Origins from the Truman Library
• Primary Sources Related to the Korean War on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to General Douglas MacArthur on DocsTeach
• Aerial Intelligence during the Cold War from the Eisenhower Library
• Atoms For Peace from the Eisenhower Library
• President Truman's Confrontation with McCarthyism from the Truman Library
• McCarthyism from the Eisenhower Library
• The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) from the Eisenhower Library
• Primary Sources Related to NASA on DocsTeach
• Sputnik and the Space Race from the Eisenhower Library
• U-2 Spy Plane Incident from the Eisenhower Library
• Americans in Space from the Kennedy Library
• The World on the Brink: John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis from the Kennedy Library
• Preparing for Press Conferences from the Kennedy Library
• Primary Sources Related to the Space Race on DocsTeach
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution on the Presidential Timeline
• LBJ and the Space Age on the Presidential Timeline
• Vietnam, the "Pentagon Papers" Report
• Ping Pong Diplomacy: Nixon's Trip to China on the Presidential Timeline
• Nixon in China on the Presidential Timeline
• End of the Vietnam War on the Presidential Timeline
• Vietnam War Final Months and Aftermath from the Ford Library
• Helsinki Accords on the Presidential Timeline
• The Vladivostok Summit Meeting on Arms Control, November 23-24, 1974 from the Ford Library
• Confronting the Nuclear Threat on the Presidential Timeline
• The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall on the Presidential Timeline
• The Fall of the Berlin Wall on the Presidential Timeline
• A Europe Whole and Free: The Fall of the Berlin Wall November 9, 1989 on the Presidential Timeline
• Primary Sources Related to the Berlin Wall on DocsTeach
• The Dissolution of the Soviet Union on the Presidential Timeline

The 1980s–Present

• Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on the Presidential Timeline
• Reagan and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• George H. W. Bush and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• The Persian Gulf Crisis and War on the Presidential Timeline
• The Persian Gulf War: In-Depth International Perspectives on the Presidential Timeline
• William J. Clinton and the Supreme Court on the Presidential Timeline
• Search the Clinton Library's Digital Library Page
• 9/11 Resource Guide from the George W. Bush Library
• Primary Sources Related to 9/11 on DocsTeach
• Primary Sources Related to Hurricane Katrina  on DocsTeach

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Exiting nps.gov

National history day guide, resources for students & teachers participating in national history day.

National Historic Trails are full of topics waiting to be researched! From the Pony Express to the forced removal of American Indian tribes from their homelands, National Historic Trails tell stories of communication, movement, conflict, perseverance, and change. This guide provides a starting point for researching trails and trail sites. You will find information about place-based research, examples of potential research projects, and suggested sources for research.

Place-Based Research

Discover the national historic trails, project ideas: communication & national historic trails, old spanish trail, santa fe trail, el camino real de tierra adentro, what is national history day.

National History Day is a nonprofit organization that encourages middle and high school students to engage in primary historical research projects through year-long academic programs and contests. Over 500,000 students participate in the National History Day Contest each year, which invites historical research projects in the form of research papers, performances, documentaries, exhibits, and websites. Visit the National History Day for more information.

Part of a series of articles titled National History Day .

Next: Place-Based Research

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Last updated: September 14, 2021

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Sample Projects

When viewing sample projects, please remember, they are just samples and they have been through many layers of revision to get to this stage.  There is no magic formula for a perfect History Day project.

Documentary   |   Exhibit   |   Paper   |   Performance   |   Website

Documentary

• Junior Individual Documentary:   The Hormel Strike, 1985-1986 .  Allison Knoebel (Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake), 2022 National History Day competition.
• Junior Group Documentary:   The Abraham Lincoln Brigade and the Spanish Civil War . Sam Dale-Gau, Bjorn Holm, and Eli Sage-Martinson (Open World Learning Community, St. Paul), 2014 National History Day competition.
• Senior Individual Documentary:   Out of the Close and Into the Streets: Frank Kammeny and the Mattachine Society of Washington D.C.   Maddie Love (Century High School, Rochester), 2013 National History Day competition.
• Senior Individual Documentary:  Don’t Believe Your Eyes: How Falsified Visual Media Built the Cult of Stalin . Sasha Allen (Eden Prairie High School, Eden Prairie), 2021 National History Day competition. 
• Senior Individual Documentary:   Fight for Our Wilderness: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act . Abigail Peters (Roseville Area High School, Roseville), 2022 National History Day competition.
• Senior Group Documentary: Ella Baker: A Legacy of Grassroots Leadership .   Siena Leone-Getten and Paying Lor (Open World Learning Community, St. Paul), 2015 National History Day competition.

• Junior Individual Exhibit: The Boundary Waters Treaty: Sustained Diplomacy . Camille Balhorn (Robbinsdale Middle School, Robbinsdale), 2011 National History Day competition.
• Junior Individual Exhibit: C. Walton Lillehei .   View this as a Virtual Exhibit sample here.  Annika Hellmark (Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake), 2020 National History Day competition.
• Junior Group Exhibit: "Breaking Barriers of Space:" Apollo 11 . Isaac Sheard, Blaze Geiger (Fairmont Junior Senior High School, Fairmont), 2020 National History Day competition:
• Senior Individual Exhibit: Rolling Stone: Exploring the Boundaries of Music Journalism . Kate Mahonen (Forest Lake Senior High School, Forest Lake), 2016 National History Day competition.
• Senior Individual Exhibit: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: Where Compromised Health Created an Ethical Conflict . Kathleen Grube (Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis), 2018 National History Day competition.

• Junior Paper: Native People in a Pacific World: The Native Alaskan Encounter and Exchange with Native People of the Pacific Coast (PDF) .  Gabriel Chang-Deutsch (Barton Open School, Minneapolis), 2016 National History Day competition. 
• Junior Paper: Có Chí Thì Nên: Vietnamese Immigrants Explore a New Home in Minnesota After the Fall of Saigon (PDF) .  Noah Rice (Friends School of MN, St. Paul), 2016 National History Day competition. 
• Junior Paper:  Weeks v. Southern Bell: Breaking Discriminatory Employment Barriers for Women in the Workforce (PDF) .  Julianna Velgersdyk (Avail Academy, Edina), 2020 National History Day competition.
• Senior Paper: Incubator Baby Shows: A Medical and Social Frontier (PDF) .  Hannah Lieberman (South High School, Minneapolis), 2001 National History Day competition. 
• Senior Paper:   The Black Death, an Unforeseen Exchange: Europe's Encounter with Pandemic Sparked an Age of Exploration (PDF) .  Camryn Franke (Washington Technology Magnet School, St. Paul), 2016 National History Day competition. 
• Senior Paper:  Too Strong for a Woman: How Bernice Sandler Created Title IX to Break Barriers for Female Faculty in Higher Education (PDF) . Natalie Miller (East High School, Duluth), 2020 National History Day competition.

Performance

• Junior Individual Performance: The Falkland Islands War: Failure of Diplomacy, Success of Debate . Iona Heddle (Avail Academy, Edina), 2022 National History Day competition. 
• Junior Individual Performance: Strength in Numbers: Exploring the Role of Industrial Unions . Strom Norcross (Lakes International Language Academy, Forest Lake), 2016 National History Day competition.
• Junior Group Performance: Kate Warne: No Time for Diplomacy .  Allison Parker, Amelia Larsen, and Lucy Peltier (Murray Middle School, St. Paul), 2022 National History Day competition.
• Senior Individual Performance:  Leadership and Legacy of the Morrill Hall Takeover . Faith Barron (North Community High School, Minneapolis), 2015 National History Day competition.
• Senior Group Performance: John Paul II's Apostolic Journey to Poland .  Kateri Schmidt, Maggie Schmidt, and Carly Zimmerman (St. Clare Academy, Mendota Heights), 2013 National History Day competition.

• Junior Individual Website:  “The Greatest Adventure in Advertising”: How the Committee on Public Information Sold War to the American People and the World . Nico Allen (Central Middle School, Eden Prairie), 2021 National History Day competition.
• Junior Individual Website:  Oyama v. California: Confronting Alien Land Laws . Thanhtruc Mai (Columbia Academy, Columbia Heights), 2020 National History Day competition.
• Junior Group Website:  The "Unbought and Unbossed" Shirley Chisholm: Breaking Barriers for Minorities and Women . Sarah Ragoonanan and Lilly Smith (Folwell Community School, Minneapolis), 2020 National History Day competition.
• Senior Group Website:  Horace Mann and the Common School Movement . Mani Chadaga, Simon Mulrooney, Akshay Nambudiripad, and Kalid Ali (Central High School, St. Paul), 2020 National History Day competition.
• Senior Group Website:  Gloria Richardson: Breaking Racial Barriers in Cambridge, Maryland . Emma McCarthy and Aiko Mattie (Open World Learning Community, St. Paul), 2020 National History Day competition.

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The Donut Club

Exclusively for IHS members

Start your day with coffee, donuts and a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Indiana Historical Society.

The month of May means racing in Indiana. The IHS Library has some wonderful treasures that document the rich history of racing in Indiana. Join Suzanne Hahn, vice president, Library and Archives to explore some of the unique items from the collection that help.

Wedding dress, 1929 the story of Indiana's racing history.

Don't forget to bring your Donut Club card or become a bona fide member that morning. Remember, five punches and club members receive their own Donut Club mug! There are only 25 spaces available for this free member exclusive program. Reserve your spot by calling (317) 233-5658. Mark your calendar, the next Donut Club will meet on the last Friday of September.

Whether you have been creating NHDI projects for a while or are looking at creating your very first project, we have all the tools you need for success. We will guide you through the steps of creating a project, from learning about the annual theme, to research, to designing your project and presenting at a regional contest. You can also take a look at some example projects from previous contest years. See what Indiana students have created in exhibits, performances, documentaries, websites and papers. Use them for inspiration, explore your interests, then begin your own project!

Senior Division

“Propaganda Posters in the Chinese Cultural Revolution” – Chelsea Moran, Carmel High School, 1st Place State Winner

“A Not-So-Silent Spring: How the Concerns Expressed in One Novel Flourished into a Movement” – Claire Swigart and Greta Heyl, Carmel High School, 2nd Place State Winner, Top 20 in Nation at Nationals, Showcased at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History via the Smithsonian Learning Lab

Junior Division

“The Christmas Truce of 1914: How Enemy Soldiers Let Peace Prevail in the Midst of WWI” – Colin Cabellon, Sycamore School, 1st Place State Winner

“Triumph out of Darkness: The Legacy of Louis Braille “, Process Paper , Annotated Bibliography – Raquel Brouwer, Lakeview Middle School, 3rd Place State Winner

“Japanese American Internment: Our Homeland Tragedy” , Process Paper , Annotated Bibliography – Hannah Bradford and Grace Friedberg, Lakeview Middle School, 1st Place State Winners

“The People of the Titanic” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Jonathan Rogers, Presley Brugh, Ava VanDamme and Cassandra Gamboa, John Young Middle School, 2nd Place State Winners

“Yu Gwan Sun and the March First Movement: The Triumph and Tragedy of Peaceful Resistance” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Chloee Robison, Brown County High School, 1st Place State Winner

“Doctor Jonas Salk and the Triumph of the Polio Vaccine” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Rachel Doyle, Warsaw Community High School, 2nd Place State Winner

“Playing God with People’s Lives: Leilani Muir” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Morgan Ye and Nanditha Kolur, Carmel High School, 1st Place State Winners, 4th in nation at Nationals

“September 11th: The Policies that Changed America” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Helen Rumsey and Ashley Niebrugge, Columbus North High School, 2nd Place State Winners, exhibited at National Museum of American History

“The Impact of Thermopylae” – Sam Winkler, Eastwood Middle School, 1st Place State Winner

“Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World” – Kaylee Ochoa and Rachel Doyle, Lakeview Middle School, 1st Place State Winners

“Hamilton’s Plan” – Elena Sullivan, Abby Rahn and Hannah Shapiro, Lakeview Middle School, 2nd Place State Winners

“Compromise for Comfort Girls” – Chloee Robison, Brown County High School, 1st Place State Winner

“WWI: Silent Night” – Joshua Brinkman, Carmel High School, 2nd Place State Winner

“The Nigerian Civil War: The Consequences of Imperialism”  – Abigael Mullens and Olivia Krall, Carmel High School, 1st Place State Winners, exhibited at National Museum of American History

“Cicero, Indiana: Ryan White’s Advocacy for Acceptance and Truth” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Rebecca Piñero, Shortridge High School, 1st Place State Winner, Indiana Local History Prize – Senior Division at State, 10th in Nation at Nationals

“Communicating Roles: The Television Housewife” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Samantha Ackley and Erin Balaska, Triton Central High School, 1st Place State Winner

“The Freedom Rides of 1961: Makers of Good Trouble” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Keller Bailey, Ryun Hoffert, Jason Benyousky, Robinson Hoffert and Finn Bailey, Edgewood Middle School, 1st Place State Winners, Top 20 in nation

“Imagine: John Lennon’s Legacy” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Madeline Steck and Emily Guerrero, DeKalb High School, 1st Place State Winners

“The Conflicts and Compromises of Writer and Civil War Soldier Ambrose Bierce” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Keller Bailey, Jason Benyousky, Ryun Hoffert and Geoffrey Hochstetler, Edgewood Middle School, 1st Place State Winners, national Civil War History Prize recipients

“The Underground Railroad” – Kelsie Clay, Benjamin Gallher, Alex Hartmann and Francis Miller, Helfrich Park STEM Academy, 2nd Place State Winners

“The Treaty of Versailles: Problematic Compromise Leads to Greater Conflict” , Annotated Bibliography – Grace Zerbel, John Young Middle School, 1st Place State Winner, National Outstanding State Entry Junior Division

“The Missouri Compromise of 1820: The Compromise that Aggravated an Already Impending War” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Kathryn Habel, John Young Middle School, 2nd Place State Winner

“A Fight for Educational Rights: The Ruby Bridges Story” – Jasmine Bennett and Lata’vian Simmons, Early College High School, 2nd Place State Winners

“Virginia Hall: The Remarkable Woman Who Turned the Tides of World War II” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Mavis Cropp, Eliza Smiley, Maggie Webber, Center for Inquiry #84, Outstanding State Entry, Junior Division

“Singing for Change: The Power of Music in the Civil Rights Movement” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Finn Bailey, Caleb Duel, Robinson Hoffert, Wyatt Stapleton, Edgewood Middle School, 1st Place State Winner, 2nd in Nation at Nationals, Showcased at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture

“Sweeping the Clouds Away: How Sesame Street Revolutionized Children’s Television” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Steve Hackwelder, Sycamore School, 1st Place Winner at State, 10th in Nation at Nationals

“Zitkala-Ša: The Red Bird Who Called for Change” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Faith Austin, Carmel High School, 2nd Place State Winner, 7th in Nation at Nationals, Eiteljorg Museum Prize for Native Americans at State, Native American History Prize recipient at Nationals

“Flowers and Explosions: How One TV Advertisement Changed the Course of the Political Advertising” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Ben Boyce, Carmel High School, 1st Place State Winner, Top 20 in Nation at Nationals, Outstanding State Entry Senior Division at Nationals

“Operation Cowboy”, Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Sophia Winters, Zionsville Middle School, 1st Place State Winner, 6th in Nation at Nationals, Outstanding State Entry Junior Division at Nationals

“Yesterday, Today…Tomorrow? The KKK in America” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Lily Nault, Zionsville Middle School, 2nd Place State Winner

“The Triumphs and Tragedies of Title IX: The First Notre Dame Women Athletes” , Title Page Annotated Bibliography Process Paper  – Abrielle Flick, Ana DeVries and Sarah Burns, John Young Middle School, 1st Place State Winner, Top 20 in Nation, selected to present at National Museum of African American History and Culture

“Triumph and Tragedy: The Challenger Disaster” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Charlotte Burbedge, Caroline Johnson, Audrey Wise and Michelle Yuan, Discovery Middle School, 3rd Place State Winner

“Lewis Hine: How One Man Used Photography to Combat Child Labor in America” – Laura Jannetta, North Central High School, 2nd Place State Winner, 8th in Nation at Nationals

“Ernest Shakleton: Overcoming Adversity Through Great Leadership” , Process Paper and  Annotated Bibliography – Faith Austin, Carmel High School, 1st Place State Winner, Outstanding State Entry Senior Division at Nationals

“Carole Lombard: The Hoosier Tornado that Swept Through the Nation” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Emelia Koester and Natalie Suding, Brown County High School, 2nd Place State Winner

“Loving v. Virginia, 1967: The Case that Changed History” , Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography – Tori Harper, Northview Middle School, 2nd Place State Winner

“RFK in Indianapolis: Subverting Conflict with Compassion” – Annadel Benedict and Iris Jordan, Zionsville Middle School, 2nd Place State Winner, selected to present at National Museum of African American History and Culture

“The Evansville Prohibition Conspiracy” – Houston Rogers, Mercutio Reynard, Early College High School, 2nd Place State Winner

“Brown vs. The Board of Education: Communicate to Desegregate” – Arianna Balinnang and Meishara Bohannon, Discovery Middle School, 1st Place State Winner

“Father Theodore Hesburgh: Bridging Communication Barriers for Civil Rights” – Bailey Shidler and Isaac Rentschler, Columbia City High School, 1st Place State Winner, Top 30 in Nation at Nationals

“The Quadruplex Telegraph: Increasing Bandwidth Before the Internet” – Robert Nies, Carmel High School, 1st Place State Winner, Top 20 in Nation at Nationals

A School That Unified a City – Emmett Tuason, Eastwood Middle School, 1st Place State Winner, 10th in Nation at Nationals

The Radium Girls: Triumph and Tragedy in Worker Safety – Rayna Moiz, Sycamore School, 2nd Place State Winner

The Creole Slave Revolt of 1841 – Janani Eswaran, Carmel High School, 1st Place State Winner, 5th in Nation at Nationals

Frances Hamerstrom: Saving the Greater Prairie-Chickens – Grace Hong and Jessica Zhang, Carmel High School, 2nd Place State Winner, 7th in Nation at Nationals

Dorothy Stratton, Leader of the SPARs – Amelia Ringor, Lafayette Central Catholic School, 1st Place State Winner

“Forced to Endure: The Tragic Communication of Actions the Americans Conveyed with the Japanese” – Ishita Masetty, Discovery Middle School, 1st Place State Winner

“How World War II Affected Women in the Workplace” – Sophia Runyan, Discovery Middle School, 2nd Place State Winner

“Shackling Sermons: How the Pseudo-Christian Communication of Proslavery Preachers Fueled the South’s Defense of Slavery” – Abigail Rahn, Warsaw Community High School, 1st Place State Winner, 3rd in Nation at Nationals

“Revolutionary Communication: Thomas Paine and the Forging of a New Political Language” – Hanqi (Steven) Su, Culver Academies, 2nd Place Winner at State

“A Woman and Therefore Not a Citizen” – Fighting for Women’s Suffrage in Indiana – Elisabeth Porter, St. Richard’s Episcopal School, 1st Place State Winner, Top 20 at Nationals

Tragedy and Triumph on the Track: The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race – Sabrina Ackley, St. Richard’s Episcopal School, 2nd Place State Winner

Reporting on the G.I. Joe: Ernie Pyle as America’s Eyewitness to World War II – Josephine Fields, Brown County High School, 1st Place State Winner

William Wilberforce: Triumph Over Britain’s Slave Trade – Abigail Rahn, Warsaw Community High School, 2nd Place State Winner

The Speech that Calmed a City – Liam Eifert, Our Lady of Lourdes, 2nd Place State Winner, 9th in Nation at Nationals

“Do No Harm or Injustice” – Margaret Robinson, North Central High School, 1st Place State Winner, 8th in Nation at Nationals, winner of National Library of Medicine’s History of Medicine Prize

Beyond the Quota: U.S. Policy Towards Jewish Immigrants and Refugees Throughout WWII – Emily Schwartz, North Central High School, 2nd Place State Winner, 5th in Nation at Nationals

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Building a Project

• Preparing for Your Contest
• Researching Your Topic
• Selecting Your Topic
• Organizing and Writing Your Research
• Selecting Your Project Type
• Developing Your Thesis

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How to Create a Historical Paper Workbook

This how-to workbook takes you through the process of creating successful National History Day papers.

Related Resources

Documentary Project Example 4: Wade in the Water: How African Americans Got Back Into the Pool

Documentary Project Example 3: “¡Sί Se Puede!” How the United Farm Workers Grape Boycott Broke Barriers for Social Movements

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National History Day: Thesis

• Theme and Topic Suggestions
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Thesis Statement Definition

Thesis Statement -  a short  statement , usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by  means  of examples and evidence.

Thesis Helpful Hints

The following links will help you with writing a strong thesis statement.

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

• Thesis Generator    Use this on-line tool to practice writing a thesis statement.

      Before developing your thesis statement, conduct some research and ask the following questions:

      Why  did my topic happen at this particular time and in this particular place?

     What  were the events or the influences that came before my topic?

      How  was my topic influenced by and how did it influence the economic, social, political, and cultural climate of the time period?

Thesis Examples

Thesis Statement Example One:

• State your claim and summarize the impact and/or significance of your topic

The International Olympic Games offer athletes an opportunity to be exposed to new cultures, ideas and people.

Thesis Statement Example Two:

• State your claim about your topic, followed by example(s) of exploration, encounter and exchange.

The Olympic Games offer the participants the ability to  encounter  new cultures,  explore  new countries, and  exchange  ideas.

Thesis Statement Example Three:

• Introduce a brief counter claim, followed by your claim and the impact or significance of your topic ​

Although hosting the Olympics leaves many countries in debt, the Olympic games offer host citizens exposure to new cultures, ideas and people.

What's Your Point?

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