What is Massachusetts History Day?

Massachusetts History Day (MHD) is the state affiliate of National History Day (NHD), which is a highly regarded academic program for elementary and secondary school students.

Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews, and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances, and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state, and national level, where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park. In addition to discovering the exciting world of the past, NHD also helps students develop the following attributes that are critical for future success: critical thinking and problem-solving skills research and reading skills oral and written communication and presentation skills self esteem and confidence a sense of responsibility for, and involvement in, the democratic process More than 5 million students have gone on to careers in business, law, medicine, education and countless other disciplines where they are putting into practice what they learned through NHD.                                           2014 Theme     Rights and Responsibilities In History District Competitions: March 1, 2014 The Massachusetts State Competition: April 5, 2014 Location: Stoneham High School The Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest: June 15-19, 2014 Location: The University of Maryland/College Park

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