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National History Day

With over 7 million documents and 10 exhibitions on Maryland history, the Maryland Center for History and Culture is the perfect place to research your National History Day project.

Researching Your Topic at MCHC

Finding sources for your National History Day project can be challenging. The Maryland Center for History and Culture wants to make it easier. Watch the video and read the guide below to learn more about researching at the MCHC.

National History Day Theme: Turning Points in History

possible Maryland topics:

  • School Segregation and Integration
  • The Civil Rights Movement
  • Charles Wilson Peale and Collecting Early American History
  • Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
  • LGBTQ Civil Rights and Marriage Equality in Maryland
  • Francis Scott Key and the National Anthem
  • The First Landing in Maryland
  • Resisting Enslavement in Maryland
  • Western European Immigration to Maryland
  • The Revolutionary War (various topics)
  • The Civil War (various topics)
  • The War of 1812 (various topics)
  • Claire McCardell and The New American Look
  • Ratifying the Treaty of Paris
  • Suffrage Movements: Voting Access for Women and African Americans
  • Indigenous Peoples of the Chesapeake Bay: Treaties and Forced Migration

Watch these videos to learn how to research a topic:

Follow these steps to begin your research:

  1. Explore the Library Catalog, Digital Collections Portal, and Research Guides to gather information on documents you want to see.
  2. Make an appointment using the Special Collections Appointment Request form.
  3. On the day of your appointment, complete a registration form.
  4. Before you enter the library, put away your backpack and any food or drinks in the free lockers. You may only bring a pencil and a notebook, computer or tablet into the library.
  5. When you enter the library, an MCHC staff member will have you sign in.
  6. Find a table and let the staff member know what item you want to look at first.
  7. When you are done looking at an item, let a staff member know, and they will come and take the box from you and give you your next item.
  8. After researching, make sure you sign out at the library front desk.
To learn more and find additional resources visit the National History Day website and Maryland Humanities.


Have a Question or Need Help with Researching?

Call 410-685-3750, ext. 359, or email mconnor@mdhistory.org.