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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 the 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: Frontiers in History

To learn more and find additional resources visit the National History Day website and Maryland Humanities.

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.

Examples of Maryland Topics

  • Frontiers in Race
    • Joshua Johnson
    • Gloria Richardson
    • Lillie Carroll Jackson
    • The United States Colored Troops
    • The Afro-American Newspaper of Baltimore
    • Primary and Secondary School Integration
  • Women’s Frontiers
    • Claire McCardell
    • Anna Ella Carroll
    • Mary Katerine Goddard
    • Anna Catherine Green
  • Scientific Frontiers
    • Quilts and Occupational Therapy
    • Benjamin Banneker
    • Rachel Carson and the Environmental Movement
  • Exploring the Frontier
    • Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
    • Colonial Maryland and the Mason-Dixon Line
    • America in Miniature: The Evolving Economy of Colonial Maryland
  • Frontiers of Ideas and Identity
    • LGBTQ+ History in Baltimore/Maryland
    • Charles Wilson Peale: Curating American Identity
    • Francis Scott Key and the National Anthem
  • Indigenous Frontiers
    • The History of State Recognition of Indigenous Tribes & Nations
    • Indigenous Roles in the American Revolution
    • Indigenous Land and the Before and After the Civil War


Have a Question or Need Help with Researching?

Call 410-685-3750, ext. 324, or email darmenti@mdhistory.org.