New York State History Day

New York State History Day
Name	New York State History Day
Genre	Academic competition
Founded	1974
Organizer	National History Day in the United States
Location	New York

New York State History Day is an annual academic competition that selects student projects for the national National History Day contest. It engages middle school and high school students in primary source research, historical analysis, and presentation across categories such as exhibits, papers, performances, documentaries, and websites. Students work with teachers, local libraries, museums, and historical societies to produce projects that often link to broader subjects including American Revolution, Civil War, Women's suffrage, and Cold War.

Overview

New York State History Day brings together students from regions including New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse to compete for advancement to National History Day. The program emphasizes use of archives such as the New York State Archives, collections at the New-York Historical Society, and repositories like the Library of Congress. Judges evaluate projects on the basis of context, analysis, use of sources, and presentation, drawing parallels to events like the French Revolution, the American Civil Rights Movement, and the Great Depression.

History and Development

Originating from the national National History Day movement started by David Van Tassel and scholars at Case Western Reserve University and Earlham College influences, state affiliates established competitions during the 1970s and 1980s. New York’s program evolved alongside initiatives at institutions such as the New York State Historical Association, the New York Public Library, and university history departments at Columbia University, Cornell University, SUNY Albany, and Fordham University. Over decades the contest has reflected curricular shifts influenced by court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education and civic movements exemplified by Freedom Summer and Stonewall riots.

Organization and Structure

The New York State History Day affiliate coordinates with regional coordinators, volunteer judges drawn from American Historical Association members, archivists from the National Archives, and educators associated with the National Council for History Education. Organizational partners include the New York State Education Department, county historical societies such as the Dutchess County Historical Society and Onondaga Historical Association, and cultural institutions like the Museum of the City of New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Funding and sponsorship have come from foundations including the New York Community Trust and corporations active in philanthropy such as the New York Life Insurance Company.

Competition Format and Categories

Students enter in divisions correlated to grade levels and submit projects in categories used by National History Day: exhibits, papers, performances, documentaries, and websites. Regional contests held in areas like Westchester County, Erie County, and the Hudson Valley feed into the state final held in venues such as the Albany Convention Center or university campuses including Siena College and SUNY Binghamton. Projects often focus on topics tied to specific historical events or figures such as Alexander Hamilton, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and international subjects like the Treaty of Versailles or the Industrial Revolution.

Notable Projects and Winners

Over the years, New York State winners have produced projects on subjects ranging from local histories—Erie Canal, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire—to national and global topics like Vietnam War, World War II, Holocaust, and Soviet Union. Past state champions have advanced to national recognition by addressing themes tied to figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, and works like Uncle Tom's Cabin or events including the Boston Tea Party. Winning documentaries and performances have been mentored by scholars from institutions including Colgate University, St. John's University, and Vassar College.

Impact and Outreach

The program fosters partnerships with archival institutions including the New York Historical Society, the Museum of the City of New York, the American Museum of Natural History, and university archives at Columbia University. Outreach programs target underserved communities in boroughs such as Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island, and rural counties like Chenango County and Lewis County. Alumni have gone on to careers at organizations including the Smithsonian Institution, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Archives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and have pursued graduate study at Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and University of Oxford.

Participation and Eligibility

Eligibility criteria follow National History Day guidelines, with entry through schools, home-school associations, or youth organizations such as 4-H and Boy Scouts of America. Students represent middle school and high school divisions and are expected to adhere to rules concerning primary and secondary sources drawn from institutions like the New York State Library, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and county archives. Regional coordinators in areas including Nassau County, Suffolk County, and the Capital District manage deadlines, submissions, and judging criteria that determine advancement to the state final and potentially to National History Day.

Category:History competitions in the United States