Connecticut - History Day - Government Information Resources

Connect History Day

National History Day Affiliate

Connecticut History Day (CHD)

From "History Day in Connecticut" by Rebecca Taber-Conover. Connecticut History. Fall 2012. Volume 51, no.2, page 261.

"What Is History Day in Connecticut?
"History Day in Connecticut is a year-long academic program for middle and high school students in which participants choose a historical topic to research using primary and secondary sources. Working individually or in groups, students create a project of their own choice: a paper, exhibit, documentary, website, or performance. The projects are evaluated by teams of volunteer judges at District Contests in the spring. Students who place third or higher advance to the State Contest who place in the top two there advance to the National Contest held each June at the University of Maryland. Students not only learn history, they actually do history. Last year, over two thousand Connecticut students participated at the school, District, State and National levels."

Here are a few resources:

National History Day
National History Day is a non-profit organization that operates an annual project-based contest for students in grades 6-12. It has affiliates in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, South Korea, China, South Asia, and Central America.
Connecticut History Day
An affiliate program of National History Day, Connecticut History Day (CHD) is a Connecticut Democracy Center program in residence at Connecticut’s Old State House.
more...less...
CHD annually engages thousands of middle- and high-school students in historical research, interpretation, and creative expression through project-based learning. Support has been provided to CTDC through a CT Cultural Fund Grant from CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature. CHD is presented with support through a grant from the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area. Program support is also received from the New Haven Museum and the Franklin Foundation. For mor information, visit historydayct.org
Student Research (CHD)
Site: "There are lots of great places to go to research for your History Day topic. Great information can be found on numerous websites, as well as from organizations throughout Connecticut, who welcome your visit and are happy to help!"
Teachers (CHD)
CT History Day (CHD) section for teachers.
Connecticut History Day YouTube
CT History Day Facebook
NHD Connecticut Affiliate page
National History Day (NHD)
Connecticut History Day State Contest (NHD)
National History Day (NHD) portal for the CT State Contest.

Additional Institutions

The following are links to partners of CHD and/or resources for History Day.

Connecticut Resources (CHD)
CT History Day (CHD) has compiled a list of links to resources.
more...less...
Click the plus sign (+) to open the sections for Statewide Resources or Historical Societies, Libraries & Museums
Connecticut History Day (CSL)
The Connecticut State Library (CSL) research guide. Major overhauling of this guide is planned over the next few years.
more...less...
The guide focus on state, local, and federal resources. It previous focused on specific student research topics. The intent is to move towards a subject approach to meet the needs of a broader group of researchers.
UConnCTHistoryDay
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections
A broad array of digital materials from the Connecticut State Library, the Museum of Connecticut History, and the Connecticut State Archives.
Connecticut History
From the website: "Welcome to ConnecticutHistory.org, a project of Connecticut Humanities! In keeping with the internet’s dynamic nature and our evolving understanding of the past, ConnecticutHistory.org brings you new content and connections each and every week. Read the latest entries in an ever-expanding collection of high-quality essays and short reflections. Browse those stories by town, topic, or person." Site is also searchable by keyword."
Connecticut Digital Archive CTDA
The site is migrating to a new platform in 2024.
more...less...
Site: "The CTDA is part of the Digital Preservation Repository Program at the University of Connecticut. We serve the entire state and are dedicated to the maintenance, delivery, and preservation of a wide range of digital resources for educational and cultural institutions and State Agencies in Connecticut."
Witness Stones Project
Site: "The Witness Stones Project is a non-profit educational initiative whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities."
more...less...
The Witness Stones Project is a member of the Northeast Slavery Records Collaborative. Participating communities listed at https://witnessstonesproject.org/participating-communities/
Connecticut State Library newspaper title index
A tool to find newspaper titles of Connecticut by town and/or date and to determine if, and where, the Connecticut State Library has the newspaper. Covers 1758 to the present. Most of the newspapers are on microfilm and many of these can be viewed at local libraries through interlibrary loan from the State Library. (This is not a database of digitized newspapers.)
Connecticut's Archives Online (CAO)
Enables searching across the finding aids of many archival repositories across the state, including the State Archives at the Connecticut State Library, colleges and universities, historical societies, museums, and local libraries.
Governors of Connecticut
(Click on the picture of the Capitol building to access.) List of governors, searchable by name, year, town of residence, and political party; includes links to archival records guides and to biographies with portraits. From the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History.
Governors of Connecticut 1639-
This is a guide to materials available at the Connecticut State Library (CSL) about Connecticut’s Governors, past and present. Here you will find information about Executive Orders, Official Statements, Press Releases, Proclamations, Archival Records, and Biographical Sources. See also the Museum of Connecticut History’s web page.
Hartford, Connecticut Courant Index 1764 - 1799
According to the website, this database "contains thousands of entries searchable by Name, Town, or Subject taken from a slip index found in the History & Genealogy Reading Room of the Connecticut State Library. It includes advertisements by name of merchant or tradesmen, though not by individual items for sale. Names of specific articles offered for sale may be found under Merchants in (name of town). Druggists in (name of town), etc. ... This database is of great significance as it will likely display entries for articles not found in the scanned and indexed Historical Hartford Courant as the machine readable software used may not have correctly read the printed word as found on the original newspaper correctly."
Primo (Connecticut State Library catalog)
Search the holdings of the Connecticut State Library and other libraries.
Works Progress Administration (WPA) Architectural Survey: Census of Old Buildings in Connecticut
Also known as the "WPA House Survey," this 1934-1937 project described nearly 5,000 buildings and photographed most of those buildings. Some survey forms also included sketches of interior or exterior details and brief histories of the buildings. The database can be filtered by town, date, or building type. From the State Archives.

Debate and Diplomacy - CT

National History Day's 2022 Annual Theme: Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
Archived WayBack Machine page from Connecticut History Day organization with links to Theme Book, topic idea, rules, and more.
Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
"Idea Bank" from Connecticut Explored
Connecticut History Day 2022: Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
Archived CTHistory.org page in the WayBack Machine.

Turning Points - CT

Connecticut History Day 2024: Turning Points in History
From ConnecticutHistory.org. Highlights themes, with links to some of their resources. Check site for future years.

Rights & Responsibilities

These are just a few examples.

Tip: start with the linked research guides - as they will include many resources not repeated here.

Civil Rights & Human Rights - CT History Day
CT State Library's research guide on rights - with links to other CT State Library research guides for History Day