National History

Audio Transcript Auto-generated

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  Hello everybody. Welcome to the National History Day Contest.

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  My name is Deborah

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  Vasilevich and I have served as an NHD judge at

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  the school county and state level for over 12 years.

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  I also assist in schools and provide one on one research help at the Elkridge branch

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  first. Congratulations.

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  You are about to embark on a journey that will equip you with lifelong skills

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  in communication,

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  project management

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  and critical thinking.

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  It teaches, prepares and inspires.

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  Yeah,

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  unlike many school assignments,

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  you will have control over the topic,

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  the presentation type

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  such as an exhibit,

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  a website, a paper,

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  a documentary

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  or

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  a performance.

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  Will you work independently or in a group?

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  What topic do you want to learn more about?

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  What are you interested in

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  this year's theme is broad. So whatever your passion,

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  this year's theme

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  will probably offer you a pathway to pursue it,

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  chase your curiosity and get creative.

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  You choose your argument with your teacher

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  and parent approval

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  and you choose which primary sources best defend it based on your analysis

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  and what you think they're saying about your historical topic,

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  rights

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  and responsibility

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  in history.

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  So the good news is that it is not a buy the book program,

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  you get to pursue one of your passions, satisfy a curiosity and get creative.

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  But there are Rules.

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  National History Day provides a theme every year to frame the research.

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  This year's theme is rights and responsibilities in history.

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  I'm going to break that down.

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  Let's see what that means.

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  Ok.

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  So the National History Day theme book defines rights as freedoms or privileges

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  that individuals possess

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  as human beings or as citizens of a free society.

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  Think civil rights, gender rights, political rights, social rights, education,

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  rights,

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  property rights, financial rights,

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  there's probably a right for that,

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  whatever the topic.

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  So look at activists seeking to acquire

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  or secure rights

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  or both.

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  And it's important to note

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  that just having a legal right does not mean it is easy to use that right?

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  Think of the Jim Crow era

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  and voting.

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  I also want you to think of the intersectionality of different kinds of rights

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  and parallel claims by different minority groups seeking them.

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  Are there e unequal outcomes to access?

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  Here I have suffrage

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  and think about different groups

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  that we're looking for. That

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  rights for one group or sector might be removed or limited in favor of another group.

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  Now, here we see a picture

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  in World War Two penicillin production became

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  a priority for the United States military.

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  So the US government took the responsibility

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  of lifting

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  different copyright protections and internal non-disclosure

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  communication and successfully

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  mass produced the antibiotic in time for D DAY.

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  So expectations of individuals as members of society

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  or a community.

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  So

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  think legal,

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  civic, social,

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  moral

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  or ethical responsibilities,

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  think of words like Judy,

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  obligation

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  expectations

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  and also their opposites

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  like liability,

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  untrustworthy

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  and unaccountable.

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  Who or what is responsible

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  do responsibilities change in times of war or crisis?

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  If so how

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  does the person or organization

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  have the agency to be held responsible?

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  What about accountability for results of past actions

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  such as reparations or tight climate change?

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  OK.

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  So projects must address rights and responsibilities.

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  The two are interconnected. Their relationship defines a society.

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  The in history refers to having enough time

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  a

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  to actually have evidence

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  enough to make an analysis.

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  So here's something that I would like you to think about.

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  What are the responsibilities of an individual government or group

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  to use their freedoms in a manner that respects the rights and well being of others.

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  So balance is a key to this

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  and here is a quick

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  fun way to do this.

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  So b for background,

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  that will be your historical background.

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  You need a right,

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  at least one leaders who are the leaders involved.

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  You need actions,

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  the responsibilities that are taken,

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  you need a new perspective,

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  there has to be a significant change.

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  What are the effects?

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  What happens because of this

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  and it has to be significant.

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  So your change will be your impact but your effects are, why should I care?

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  So I wish you good luck on your journey.

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  Come see us at the library or go online

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  to see our nhd history help web page or book one of the 10 ones we have at the branches

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  with a research specialist.

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  It's not cheating.

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  Goodbye.