Topics for National History Day
Held every year in College Park, Maryland, National History Day is a contest in which students create projects and are awarded prizes based on their merit and research. While the University of Maryland holds the national contest, students in grades 6-12 enjoy participating in these events across the United States. The program promotes the learning of American history as well as encouraging students to question their own past and the role of the country moving forward. Partially sponsored by the History Channel, the program boasts more than 600,000 contestants. Although the selection of a topic can be daunting, it is important to look at your areas of interest and things you will be passionate about exploring. Consider turning your topic into a documentary, play or oral report, although you can always do the traditional paper. While the topics presented are broad, you can cover the entire topic or narrow it down to an area of increased interest.
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Native Americans
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Native American history is a touchy subject for many in the United States and understandably so. Gather with your group and decide an area on which to focus. You can pick one tribe and discuss their history and how it got to where it is now, or you can discuss the forced assimilation into white U.S. culture. Discussing the Native American influence on U.S. popular culture is also another interesting aspect to explore.
Immigration
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The United States is a country of immigrants, so, of course, it seems logical to discuss immigration. Pick a group on which to report and discuss its trials and tribulations as a group assimilating into the U.S. culture as well as its contributions to society. If you want to make the project more personal, get personal stories from your family or research an ethnic group from your heritage.
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Civil Rights Movement
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The civil rights movement was a huge event in American history, and something many students do not extensively cover in K-12 classrooms. Devise a paper, play or documentary about the roots of discrimination in the United States, the role of "black music" in U.S. culture and civil rights as well as the measures that ended segregation and legal discrimination. Many other groups, such as the Jews, played key roles in the movement, which can also add another dimension to the project or be a topic by itself.
Women in the West
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Women in the "Wild West" made contributions to U.S. society long before their East Coast counterparts. They won the right to vote on the state level years before those on the East Coast and habitually defied gender roles and traditional dress. For your project, you can discuss how they influenced the greater women's movement in the United States and why these types of women were seemingly more progressive than those in the East.
Vietnam War
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The Vietnam War was a turbulent time in U.S. history. The country stood divided on whether the war was necessary and a forced draft was instituted to much protest. For a project, you can discuss the reaction to the Vietnam war, protest music and its role in the war and/or popular culture or the impacts of the draft. Since this was a relatively recent period in history, you can find veterans to interview by contacting your local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America or talking to a family friend. Don't forget to interview family members who lived through the era.
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