sign in sign up
<<
Home , Communication, Writing

Communication in : The Key to National History Day 2020-21

This introduction was adapted from the National History Day Theme for the North Carolina audience.

National History Day chooses a different Types of theme each year to unite all National History Day projects. While your topic must connect Written Communication to the annual theme, the theme is broad You could explore . How were enough for you to pick a topic from any time letters used as a means of communication? period or place. It is designed to help you go What did people write about in letters? Did beyond the and dates in your they write to the government, family, or to finding the impact and friends? How does the change based significance it has had on the past and may on the recipient or the topic? Students might continue to have on the present and future. explore letters written by women during the

During the 2020–2021 school year, the annual American Civil War and investigate what theme is Communication in History: The Key they wrote about. What was the purpose of to Understanding. This theme asks you to the letters? To whom did they send these consider how people exchange letters? Why did they feel the need to voice and interact with each other. You have the their during the American Civil War? chance to explore how the methods and You could also research the of the modes of communication have changed press, and how it made mass- over time, and how they have shaped the producing written easier. How did the present. Major like the , mass production of and other printed the telegraph, and the stand out in materials help to shape society? On a more our as obvious examples of how regional scale, you could examine how it communication has changed over time. Yet, was not until 1749 that North Carolina gained communication is more than just these its first printer and . Several inventions. It is about how , thoughts, or decades prior, Lord Proprietor Sir William ideas are exchanged throughout history. Berkeley expressed his that North

Carolina had "no free schools and no The Act of Communication printing, and I hope we shall have none these hundred years." What does this quote tell us Merriam-Webster defines communication as about the power of communication? “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common of , , or If you are interested in global history or .” History is filled with stories about , you might look to the spread of people, groups or nations either telecommunication lines across the globe. In communicating or failing to communicate 1872, the development of Australia’s first with each other. To understand these stories, international telecommunication system we must go beyond common definitions of linked them to Asia. How did this shape communication and recognize the many international diplomacy? ways people communicate.

You can also research the importance of the in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. The radio provided a more accessible way to get updates on popular During World War I soldiers from the Eastern , weather, and daily . Band of Cherokee used the Cherokee as a method to safely transmit The invention of the television changed how important military despite we both communicate and learn about frequent interceptions from German troops. different events. How was press coverage of What impact did this key communication the Vietnam War different from that of have on the war and the second one to previous wars? What was television’s impact follow? on public opinion? Compare the footage of the 1968 Democratic and Republican Language does not always involve the Conventions. How did those broadcasts physical act of speaking. Developed in the influence the vote? early nineteenth century, American Language (ASL) helped individuals with Public Gatherings and hearing impairments communicate. What

Consider exploring how conventions, barriers did hearing-impaired individuals exhibitions, public gatherings, and speeches experience before the use of ASL? Similarly, helped people communicate ideas and the of has helped opinions with each other. World’s Fairs (also those with visual impairments communicate. known as World Expositions), in which nations Who invented it, and why? Did it break showed off their most recent advancements, barriers or create more challenges? exploded in the 1800s. Why might countries and imagery want to showcase their achievements? Why might that be important? You can explore how images and imagery can also be used for communication. They Another example is the use of conventions by can be used to express thoughts, opinions, or social activists to speak out on topics like ideas. Portraits, photographs, and art convey abolition, woman suffrage, temperance, . What do the photographs of and other social reforms. The Declaration of Durham’s Hugh Mangum tell us? What Sentiments address given at the 1848 Seneca about the of Bayard Wootten? Falls Convention revealed that suffragists wanted equality and voting rights. How did You could also look to the petroglyphs of the suffragists shape their arguments? Was Judaculla Rock in Jackson County, North the they conveyed well received, Carolina or the and drawings or did it lead to a broader discussion? created by Ancient Egyptians. What do those images convey about their societies? Locally, students might look to Jacob Henry’s Do they communicate what was deemed to rousing 1809 defending his seat in the be important whether it be about family, North Carolina House of Commons after a war, nature, or their culture in general? call for him to vacate was made due to his faith. How did he communicate his equal During World War I the poster was used as a standing and rights to his peers that would crucial in the war. How did different decide his seat’s fate? countries use imagery in their wartime posters to inspire military recruitment and financial Language support even if they were far removed from

As a key way that we communicate with the war’s frontlines? each other, language is another option for you to examine. What impact did The Key to Understanding geographic barriers and years of isolation have on the residents of Ocracoke, Harkers Communication, in and of itself, is defined by Island, and other communities along the the exchange of ideas, news, or information. North Carolina Outer Banks? Yet, there is another side to communication. Do we understand what is told to us? American Sydney J. Harris wrote, “‘information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” Information is extremely important, but if we fail communicate the information, it often Your History Interests (What) leads to unintended results. N.C. History, Colonial History, Native

American History, Exploration Important to Remember

As you hunt for topics, do not forget that the most important part is for your topic to be able to demonstrate why it matters today. As NHD likes to ask, “so what?” Did the Who communication or failure to communicate Early Explorers, Native Americans, Colonists have a lasting impact on society? Did it inspire future events that might not have otherwise been possible? Remember that all communication happens as part of a larger When story. Late 1500s, 1600s, and early 1700s Ultimately, the answers to these questions must be found through research. Keep an open as you search your sources and discover examples of communication. Where North Carolina Coast Narrowing Down a Topic

As you choose your topic, also remember not Narrowed Topic Ideas to be too broad. A topic such as, Manteo and Wanchese “Communicating the Horrors of Slavery: 19th- century American Slave ,” might John Lawson’s seem like a good choice at first, but it covers A New Voyage to Carolina way too much time, people, and places.

Broad topics like this one might make finding The Art of John White sources easy, but it will be that much harder to make a clear argument and stay within the word or time limits in your project category. Narrowing the topic down to something like, “Harriet Jacobs: Using Her See the next page for topic ideas in Story to Communicate the Horrors of North Carolina history. Slavery,” will help focus your research and the argument you would like to present.

The chart to the right shows how you can use

Who, What, When, and Where questions to narrow down your broad history interests into tight topic ideas.

N.C. History Topic Ideas

These topic ideas explore possible connections to this year’s theme within North Carolina history. Though sorted by type of history, many topic ideas fit into multiple sections so explore the list carefully. Some ideas will need to be narrowed down based on how you would like to approach the topic. A great place to start exploring many of these topics is on www.NCpedia.org.

African American History Native American History 1871 “Klan Hearings” Judaculla Rock African American Newspapers in N.C. Manteo and Wanchese David Walker’s Appeal Paint Rock in Madison County Elizabeth Keckly's Memoir , inventor of Cherokee Ernie Barnes WWI Eastern Band Cherokee “ Talkers” Freedmen's Conventions in 1865 and 1866 News & George Moses Horton Billy Borne (Political Cartoonist) Hannah Bond Charles Kuralt Harriet Jacobs Charlotte’s WBTV (Television) Lunsford Lane Edward Roscoe Murrow (Radio) Moses Grandy Harry Golden and the Carolina Israelite N.C. Colored Industrial Association Fair "Jesse Holmes, the Fool-Killer" Nina Simone Jesse Helms & Viewpoint (Television) ibn Said (or Omar ben Saeed) Joseph Gales Search for Family Lost in Slavery after the Civil War North-Carolina Gazette (N.C.’s First ) The Negro Motorist Green in N.C. Raleigh Register (N.C.’s First Daily Paper) Wilmington Race Riots Robert Lee Vann

Walter Hines Page’s “The Mummy Letters” Early Colonial History - American Revolution WBT Charlotte (Radio) 1669 Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina WUNC (Radio) A Pledge to Violate the Stamp Act Artwork of John White Committees of Correspondence Felix Walker and “Talking Buncombe” Halifax Resolves Hoi Toiders James Davis Hollerin’ Contest Legend of the Mecklenburg Declaration N.C. Crime Ballads Letter from "Atticus" to William Tryon N.C. Folklore Mecklenburg Resolves Postal in Colonial N.C. Political History The Dare Stones Jacob Henry Thomas Harriot N.C. Debates Evolution

Ratification of the Federal Constitution in N.C. Environmental or Agricultural History Helms-Hunt Senate Race John Lawson’s A New Voyage to Carolina Speaker Ban Law N.C. Agricultural Society & the State Fair Stanly-Spaight Duel NC Farm Bureau

North Carolina Exposition of 1884 , Technology, & Invention Progressive Farmer Development of the Bar Code The Discoveries of John Lederer Reginald Fessenden Wireless Experiments

Literary History X-Ray experiments in North Carolina

Carl August Sandburg Women’s History John MacRae Anna Julia Cooper’s A Voice from the South Maya Angelou Edenton Tea Party Thomas Wolfe Ella May Wiggins William Sidney Porter “O. Henry” Emeline Pigott

Janet Schaw

Mary Baryard Devereux Clarke

Mary Oates Spratt Van Landingham