History Day Previous Topics

National History Day 2023 Theme: Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas

These are a few suggested databases - many of which will require a card specifically from the Connecticut State Library (CSL) (they will have an icon of a blue library card). See also our complete list of databases.

Click the info icon (black circle with an "i") for a description of the database. Contact us if you need help with databases - best to get your CSL card first.

A Few Suggestions:

Newspapers

Tip:

• Try various spellings and language of the time. 
• Names can have abbreviations
• Newspapers usually use OCR (optical character recognition) for searching. Older newspapers are hard for OCR software to read. Again, try various spellings or alternative keywords.

These are just some suggested ideas.

Additional topics and text from the Connecticut History Day Topic List 2022-2023. Document above. This content is indicated with "*CTHD 2022-2023"

• Impact on Indigenous peoples already occupying the "frontier"
  • Connecticut - John Mason; Pequot Wars; 
  • Westward Expansion - Serial Set; Smithsonian; War Department (I need to double check the date range)
• Space - FDLP NASA items; JFK administration, and other administrations
• Western Frontier - Serial Set, older federal documents
• Undersea - Serial Set, NOAA, Nautilus and/or submarines; Smithsonian publications
  • Jacques Cousteau, Ballard
  • First submarine, first nuclear sub
• Mapping and Explorations of USA - Serial Set maps; H&G maps
• Internet - more World Wide Web open to public.

Connecticut

*CTHD 2022-2023

USA

For various topics, such as the Dawes Act, Treaty of Fort Laramie, etc., these databases may be of help. Some will include analysis as well as primary sources. Many require a library card specifically from the CT State Library. They will have a blue card icon next to them.

Ocean/Water as a Frontier

No matter the time period you choose, water was a frontier for many cultures - whether an actual frontier to explore (above and below) or a transportation means to a frontier.

Connecticut State Library

Check CT State Library catalog and databases - especially for Connecticut State and Federal government publications.

Connecticut

Check the Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium, UConn Avery Point, University of Rhode Island (a sea-grant school) for resources.

Other Institutions

Search our catalog and archives finding aids.

see also:

The Connecticut State Library has Congressional hearings on this topic - both in print and online. Some online access may require a library card specifically from the Connecticut State Library.

The Connecticut State Library has numerous historic congressional publications on food safety and the meat packing industry.

The Connecticut State Library has Congressional hearings and documents on the passage of the law, as well as current and older items from the Department of Justice.

The Connecticut State Library has federal documents relating to International Relations - from Congress, the State Department, The Office of the President, and other agencies.

See also Cold War and Space Race sub-pages on main History Day guide.

The Connecticut State Library has information on various topics, including Griswold v Connecticut.

See also Griswold and Roraback entries under People page.

• 1923 -  Connecticut Birth Control League (CBCL) founded
• 1935 July - CBCL opened birth control clinic in Hartford, serving married women, who already had at least one child, for medical health. Over the next four years, nine clinic were established across the state.
• 1939 Waterbury clinic raided, staff arrested
• 1940 CT Supreme Court of Errors ruled law had no medical exemption. 

Resources

These are only a few examples.

Law

Court Cases

November 1, 1961, Estelle Griswold and Dr. C. Lee Buxton opened a birth control clinic in New Haven.

1965 - case reached U.S. Supreme Court. June 7th, 1965 decision said Connecticut law violated constitutional right to marital privacy.

Articles

We have a trial for a database - but you will need a card from us.

We have resources on Supreme Court cases.

See our page on Demographics > Deaf as well as our pages on Education and Helen Keller, and other people.

The CT State Library has many resources from various federal agencies - FEMA, public health, congressional hearings and more.

We will have many older federal government documents on Food and Drug Administration

We have the congressional hearings and other documents related to the passage of this legislation

We have many resources.

Books, Documents, etc.

Other Institutions