What is National History Day?
National History Day (NHD) is a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for teachers and students to engage in historical research. NHD is not a predetermined, by-the-book program but rather an innovative curriculum framework in which students learn history by selecting topics of interest and launching into year-long research projects. The mission of NHD is to improve the teaching and learning of history in middle and high school. The most visible vehicle is the NHD Contest.
Beginning in the fall, students choose a topic related to the annual theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances, websites, or documentaries. These projects are entered into competitions in the spring at local, affiliate, and national levels, where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates at the national competition held each June at the University of Maryland at College Park.
National History Day 2025 – Rights and Responsibilities in History
To continue the celebration of our 50th anniversary, NHD’s 2025 theme is Rights & Responsibilities in History. To study rights and responsibilities in history, we must ask questions. Who decides who has rights? Does everyone have the same rights? Who decides on the limits individuals should or should not have? Why? What led to establishing certain rights, and to whom were they given? How have people, governments, or institutions decided what parameters should be set to enforce responsibilities? How are such decisions justified?
The key to this theme is addressing BOTH rights AND responsibilities. These are two powerful forces in history, but one does not work without the other.
National History Day 2025 Resources for students:
- 2025 NHD Theme Video (Youtube)
- 2025 NHD Theme Sheet (PDF)
- 2025 NHD Theme Book (PDF)
- 2025 NHD Student Resources
Everything you need to know about the five project categories: Documentary, Exhibit, Paper, Performance, and Website,
Plus: How to Get Started, Student Resources, National Contest Info, and more. - National History Day Contest Rule Book (PDF)
National History Day New Hampshire
The National History Day New Hampshire (NHDNH) program has been hosted by Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH since 2003.
To read more about NHDNH, visit the NHDNH website.
National History Day New Hampshire Resources for students:
About the Shakers
Why should we be interested in the Shakers today? Well, consider that from the beginning, the Shakers have been practical idealists. They did not dream vaguely of conditions they would like to see realized; they went to work to make those conditions an actuality. The Shakers have always preached tolerance for all faiths and for all individuals. They could not abolish poverty from the world, but they could and did abolish it from their communities. The Shakers did not bluster or use violence; their courage was quiet, calm, and unyielding. They could not end wars, but they could and did keep out of them. In their business dealings with the “world’s people”, the Shakers are known for their upright dealing and strict honesty, individually and collectively.
It is a paradox that Shaker furniture and oval boxes are now being collected, and Shaker buildings and villages are admired, as contributions to American art, while the principles that the Shakers have valued so highly are not better known and more appreciated.
Shaker Resources for National History Day:
- Who Are the Shakers?
Read about the Shakers using primary and secondary online source materials. - Guide to Museums and Libraries for Shaker Research
Finding aids for museums and libraries with Shaker materials in many regions of the country.