The National History Day website:
"Each year, National History Day® frames students’ research within a historical theme. The theme is chosen for broad application to world, national, or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. The 2021-2022 theme is Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences."
These are just a few suggested resources. See also the specific topics on this guide and the Previous Topics guide.
These are a few suggestions that cover the board theme of Debate and Diplomacy
These are a few suggested topics. See links in the boxes above for other institutions' suggested topics (although we will incorporate their suggested topics if we have resources). Please contact us with other topics.
What makes a “patriot” and what makes a Loyalist and how did towns treat them?
Look at Loyalists/Patriots is RG000 Connecticut Archives, Revolutionary War Series. There are also records in the various county court records (there is an index online, RG003) and probate records (RG004).
See History Day guide page under Military > Revolutionary Period
The Great Compromise created the dual system of state representation in U.S. Congress. It is also called the Connecticut Compromise because Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth were Connecticut's delegates. The compromise addressed disputes between larger and smaller states - with the Senate having two members from each state and the House of Representatives having representation based on population. In determining how to count population, the Three-fifths Compromise said three-fifths of each state's population of enslave people would be counted.
See our guides on the U.S. Constitution as well.
Also called the New England Convention. December 15, 1814 through January 5, 1815, delegates from New England states met for several weeks to draw up amendments to the US Constitution. The delegate were Federalists and their opposition to the War of 1812 had repercussions for the Federalist Party. The Hartford Convention did not consider secession, but was accused of this. The Federalist Party's stance on the War of 1812 and the Hartford Convention impacted their political power and the Connecticut Constitution of 1818.
When Connecticut became a state, it did not adopt a constitution like the other former colonies. It continued to operate under the original charter, which gave broad powers to the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA). The Federalist Party's stance on the War of 1812 and the Hartford Convention impacted their political power.
From Section I of the Connecticut Register and Manual (see link below):
"Though the people of the state had long acquiesced under the form of government derived from the charter, and sanctioned by the legislature; yet it was considered by many that we had no constitution, as our government under the charter had never received the explicit approbation of the people subsequent to the declaration of independence. It was also considered to be inconsistent with the dignity of a free nation to hold their rights, even nominally by the tenure of a Royal Grant and that it was proper the powers of the government should be divided into separate departments, and individual rights be secured by a constitution that should control the legislature itself. It was therefore thought advisable to call a convention for that object. Accordingly, in 1818, a convention was assembled which agreed upon a constitution. It was submitted to the people, and approved by a vote of thirteen thousand nine hundred and eighteen in its favor and twelve thousand three hundred and sixty-four against its ratification. On the twelfth of October, 1818, Governor Wolcott issued his proclamation, at the request of the General Assembly, declaring that the constitution was thenceforth to be observed by all persons, as the Supreme Law of this State."
The Declaration of Rights, while overlapping with Federal Bill of Rights, provides additional rights such as explicit right to counsel (State v. Stoddard, 206 Conn. 157 - 1988). Equal protection under Connecticut law is broader (Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, 289 Conn. 135 - 2008).
The 1818 Constitution provided for free exercise of religion, and no longer allowed state taxes to support the Congregational Church.
See Law Desk's guides
See main History Day section:
See Privateers page in main History Day Guide:
How to record the history of John Mason.
Newspapers will be helpful about statues.
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