National History Day 2020-2021

National History Day (NHD) is a non-profit education organization established in 1974, that provides educational programs helping students and teachers influence the future through discovery of the past. The National History Day Contest is a year-long academic program focused on historical research, interpretation, and creative expression for 6th- to 12th-grade students. The experience ends with a series of contests at the local and affiliate levels and an annual national competition in the nation's capital in June. The 2020-2021 historical theme is “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.” Students select topics related to the annual theme, examine the historical importance, and create a presentation. (Source: National History Day )

GPO's History of Keeping America Informed

Established in 1861, the Government Publishing Office (GPO) produces the official publications of Congress, the White House, and Federal agencies. GPO's information dissemination programs provide public access to the official publications and information of the Government in both digital and printed formats through govinfo, a partnership with Federal depository libraries nationwide, and online bookstore sales.

• Keeping America Informed: 150 Years of Service to the Nation
• Keeping America Informed: A Legacy of Service to the Nation
• A Short History of GPO
• GPO Annual Reports 1859 to present
• GPO's online bookstore has thousands of publications from the Federal Government available to purchase.

Administered by GPO since 1895, the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by Congress to ensure the American public has access to its Government's information. The mission of the FDLP is to provide for no-fee ready and permanent public access to Federal Government information, now and for future generations.

• Federal Depository Library Program Publications
• Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government is designed to inform students, parents, and educators about the Federal Government.
• GPO's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) is the finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive information for historical and current publications as well as direct links to the full document, when available. The CGP also offers you the option to find a nearby Federal Depository Library that has a particular publication or that can provide expert assistance in finding and using related U.S. government information.

GPO's govinfo provides access to a wealth of official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government to assist students and educators with their project research. In addition to viewing the resources linked on this page, be sure to:

• Check out What’s Available to see publications by collection and examples of content, and
• Head to the Tutorials and Handouts page for information that will help guide students through the search process.

U.S. Government Communication

• Congressional Record – The official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. See issues prior to 1994 in the Bound Congressional Record.
• Congressional Hearings – A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law.
• Federal Register – Provides a uniform system for making available to the public regulations and legal notices issued by Federal agencies. The public can participate and impact Federal rules and regulations at www.regulations.gov.
• Senate Treaty Documents – Contain the text of a treaty as it is submitted to the U. S. Senate for ratification by the President of the United States.
• United States Courts Opinions – Provide public access to opinions from selected United States appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts.
• Congressional Directory – Includes short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district.
• The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation – Contains analysis and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution with in-text annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court.

Presidential Communication

• State of the Union and Other Addresses before Congress
• Other Speeches to Joint Sessions of Congress
• Washington's Farewell Address
• Wilson's 14 Points Speech
• Browse Presidential speeches, addresses, and more in the Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Public Papers of the United States.

Navajo Code Talkers

• President Trump's 2017 remarks honoring the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II.
• A 2004 Congressional hearing on the Contributions of Native American Code Talkers in American Military History.
• President Bush's 2001 remarks on Presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to Navajo Code Talkers. (image right)
• President Clinton's 2000 remarks to the People of the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico.

Related Resources

• 159th Anniversary of the Pony Express
• Panama Canal Related Publications
• Anniversary of the First Live Televised Presidential News Conference