Published: September 6, 2023
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 to12th-grade students. The experience ends with a series of contests at the local and affiliate levels and an annual national competition in D.C in June.
To celebrate their 50th anniversary, NHD’s theme "Turning Points in History," invites students to consider questions of time and place, cause and effect, change over time, and impact and significance. Students select topics related to the annual theme, examine the historical importance, and create a presentation. (Source: National History Day® )
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.
Samples of Content on GovInfo Related to This Year's Theme
United States Congressional Serial Set
The United States Congressional Serial Set, commonly referred to as
the Serial Set, is a compilation of all numbered House and Senate reports and documents, including executive reports
and treaty documents, issued for each session of Congress. Documenting events of the U.S. Congress over the years,
the Serial Set is one of the Nation’s most treasured publications. The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), in
collaboration with the Law Library of Congress, has started a large multi-year effort to digitize and make
accessible volumes of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set back to the first volume, which was published in 1817. Check
out the U.S. Congressional Serial Set - Browse
by Topic page for a wide selection of publications related to this year's theme.
Actions
- Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States - Presidential writings, addresses, and public remarks
- Congressional Bills - Congressional bills are legislative proposals from the House of Representatives and Senate within the United States Congress.
- Congressional Reports - Congressional reports originate from congressional committees and deal with proposed legislation and issues under investigation.
- Public and Private Laws - Public and private laws are also known as slip laws. A slip law is an official publication of the law and is competent evidence admissible in all state and Federal courts and tribunals of the United States. Public laws affect society as a whole, while private laws affect an individual, family, or small group.
- United States Statutes at Large - The United States Statutes at Large, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress.
- Statute Compilations - The Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives maintains a corpus of Statute Compilations of public laws that either do not appear in the U.S. Code or that have been classified to a title of the U.S. Code that has not been enacted into positive law. Each Statute Compilation incorporates the amendments made to the underlying statute since it was originally enacted.
- United States Code - The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. S. Doc. 116-3 - Constitution of the United States with Index and the Declaration of Independence, Pocket Edition
- Federal Register - Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) , the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
- Code of Federal Regulations (Annual Edition) - The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
- Kappler’s Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties - Compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler, this historically significant, seven volume compilation contains U.S. treaties, laws and executive orders pertaining to Native American Indian tribes.
- Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives - This collection contains four series of volumes of precedent: Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives (2017 series), Deschler’s Precedents (1936-2013), Cannon’s Precedents (1907-1936), and Hinds’ Precedents (1789-1907).
- Riddick's Senate Procedure - Named after Senate Parliamentarian Emeritus Floyd M. Riddick, this Senate document contains the contemporary precedents and practices of the Senate.
Ideas
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Publications - The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
- 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.
- Congressional Documents - The Congressional Documents collection consists of House Documents, Senate Documents, and Senate Treaty Documents.
- Congressional Committee Prints - Congressional Committee Prints are publications issued by Congressional Committees that include topics related to their legislative or research activities, as well as other matters such as memorial tributes.
Events
- 175th Anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, - Also known as the Women’s Rights Convention, the Seneca Falls Convention addressed inequalities women faced.
- 45th Anniversary of Women Admitted to West Point
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg , A collection of documents and resources in memory of the U.S. Supreme Court Justice
- Jeannette Rankin , 100th Anniversary of the First Woman to Serve in the United States Congress
- Susan B. Anthony , Icon of the Women's Suffrage Movement Susan B. Anthony was an anti-slavery activist and became a trailblazer in the women’s suffrage movement
- Helen Eugenie Anderson , Anniversary of the Appointment of the First Female U.S. Ambassador appointed by President Truman in 1949
- Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Sally Ride , Anniversary of the First American Woman to Fly in Space
- Amelia Earhart , Anniversary of the Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
- Panama Canal Related Publications
- Anniversary of the Opening of the Panama Canal
- Historical Publications about the Panama Canal
- Featured Legislative Branch Publications - Featured Legislative Branch Publications contains select documents published by agencies in the legislative branch
- Anniversary of the New Madrid Earthquakes
- Launch America, Milestone in NASA's Commercial Crew Program
- Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Spaceflight and Man's First Moon Walk
- 50th Anniversary of the Man on the Moon
- 159th Anniversary of the Pony Express
- Centennial of Grand Canyon National Park
- Anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862 - The Homestead Act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture - The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened to the public September 24, 2016
- Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington
Other Resources
External resource sites