Maryland History Day
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| Maryland History Day | |
|---|---|
| Name | Maryland History Day |
| Formation | 1974 |
| Type | Nonprofit educational program |
| Headquarters | College Park, Maryland |
| Region served | Maryland |
| Parent organization | National History Day |
Maryland History Day is a statewide affiliate of National History Day that organizes an annual historical research competition for middle and high school students. It connects students, teachers, and volunteers across Maryland through regional contests and a state-level championship, emphasizing primary-source research, critical analysis, and public presentation. The program draws participants from public school districts such as Montgomery County Public Schools, Baltimore County Public Schools, and Prince George's County Public Schools, and partners with higher education and cultural institutions including the University of Maryland, College Park, Johns Hopkins University, and the Maryland Historical Society.
History and Origins
Maryland History Day traces its roots to the broader National History Day movement founded by David Van Tassel and Edward P. Flanagan at the University of Maryland, College Park in the 1970s, adapting the national theme-based contest model to Maryland classrooms. Early state contests involved partnerships with the Maryland State Department of Education and area historical societies such as the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the Maryland State Archives. Over the decades the program expanded alongside curricular initiatives in the Common Core State Standards Initiative and state-level standards administered by the Maryland State Board of Education, hosting competitions on campuses like St. Mary's College of Maryland and at sites such as the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Notable historical anniversaries celebrated in Maryland competitions have included topics tied to the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Organization and Structure
Maryland History Day is administered by a state coordinator and advisory board drawn from university history departments, public library systems like the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and institutional partners such as the Maryland Humanities council. Governance involves collaboration with county-level coordinators in jurisdictions including Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and Carroll County. Funding and sponsorship have come from organizations such as the Annapolis Maritime Museum, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and private foundations including the Mellon Foundation and local community foundations. Logistics for the state contest typically use venues on campuses of institutions like the Towson University and Salisbury University.
Competition Format and Categories
The contest follows the National History Day annual theme and offers five project categories: Individual or Group Documentary, Individual or Group Exhibit, Individual Performance, Individual or Group Historical Paper, and Individual or Group Website. Students create entries grounded in primary sources housed at repositories such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Maryland State Archives, and collections at the Peabody Institute. Judging rubrics reflect standards used by scholars at institutions like American Historical Association-affiliated programs and incorporate criteria from the National Council for History Education. Regional contests feed into the state contest, where entries are evaluated by volunteer judges drawn from higher education and museums including staff from the National Museum of American History and the Historic Annapolis Foundation.
Participation and Eligibility
Participation is open to students in grades 6–12 enrolled in Maryland public, private, parochial, and home school settings. County-level fairs take place in school districts such as Baltimore City Public Schools and Frederick County Public Schools, with registration managed through county coordinators and teachers. Eligibility rules follow guidelines promulgated by National History Day, including original research requirements and limits on previously entered work. Mentorship and teacher professional development are provided through workshops at venues like the Maryland Historical Society and summer institutes linked to university history departments including Frostburg State University.
Awards and Advancement
At the state contest winners receive medals, certificates, and cash awards sponsored by organizations such as the Maryland Humanities and corporate donors; top projects advance to the National History Day finals held at the University of Maryland, College Park and other national sites. Special awards include recognitions from museums and archives like the Banneker-Douglass Museum, the National Colonial Farm, and the Maryland State Department of Education for outstanding use of primary sources or exemplary interpretation. Judges often include faculty from institutions such as Goucher College, Morgan State University, and Loyola University Maryland.
Impact and Educational Programs
Maryland History Day has contributed to historical literacy in the state by promoting archival research at institutions like the Maryland State Archives, the University of Maryland Libraries, and the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The program supports teacher training through collaborations with the Maryland Council for the Social Studies and curricular resources aligned with the Maryland Social Studies Framework. It has fostered partnerships for fieldwork and internships with historic sites including Antietam National Battlefield, Fort McHenry, and the Thomas Stone National Historic Site, and has served as a pipeline for students into undergraduate programs at University of Maryland, College Park, Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, and Salisbury University.
Notable Projects and Alumni
Alumni of the program have pursued careers in public history, museums, academia, and law, with participants attending institutions such as Georgetown University, Princeton University, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Distinguished projects have covered subjects including Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman, Caleb Cheeshahteamunch, Perryville Campaign, William Paca, Cecilius Calvert, Magruder Family, Chesapeake Bay schooners, USS Constellation (1854), Fort McHenry, Baltimore riots of 1968, Annapolis Convention (1786), Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Dorchester County lynchings, Harriet Rowley, Eubie Blake, Rachel Carson, John Wilkes Booth, Edward Lloyd (governor), Samuel Chase, John Hanson, John Carter Brown, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, James McHenry, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Philip Barton Key, Thomas Stone, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Eli Whitney, Maryland Line (Revolutionary War), Dred Scott, Roger B. Taney, John Brown, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Thaddeus Stevens, Frederick Law Olmsted, Isabel Hampton Robb, Annie Dillard, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Aaron Copland, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Museum of African American History and Culture.