Research Suggestions Suggestions for New Jersey History Topics/National History Day Projects Using Primary Sources from The New Jersey Historical Society The topics below are NJ examples of the 2007 National History Day Theme. Information in parentheses is call numbers for primary sources in the Historical Society Library that are starting points for research. The library is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 12 noon to 5 pm. 2007 Theme – Triumph and Tragedy in History 1)In the early 1900s, women triumphed in gaining the right to vote. Explore how NJ women were involved in this pivotal point in US history. (Mary Philbroook Papers MG 572; New Jersey Women's Suffrage Association MG 770; Biography File, Alice Paul; WPA, Federal Writer's Project, New Jersey, Women's Archives Papers MG 830; Amelia Moorfield Papers MG 1051) 2)New Jersey was the last state to abolish slavery. Read more about efforts to stop enslavement of people in the state. (New Jersey Anti-Slavery Society MG134; Essex County Anti-Slavery Society MG 187; Horace Congar Papers MG 408; Vertical File, Slavery) 3)The Cherry Hill Mall opened in 1964 - the first in the state. Discuss the effects large shopping malls have had on New Jersey and its residents and store owners, and how it has changed the landscape of New Jersey. Triumph, or tragedy? (Vertical files on Cherry Hill, shopping centers; Teenage New Jersey 1941-1975) 4)Marion Thompson Wright (first African American woman to be trained as an historian) publishes her doctoral dissertation The Education of Negroes in New Jersey in 1941. Compare her historical findings and thesis to the present status of education in NJ and decide what are triumphs, and what are tragedies. (The Education of Negroes in New Jersey 371.974/W934; Freedom Not Far Distant 974.9/N4211) 5)In the 1960s riots and racial unrest occurred in many U.S. Cities as a contrast to the peaceful, non-violent tenets of the Civil Rights Movement. Explore the impact of this contradiction within the context of New Jersey. (Vertical File, Newark Riots; photographs: places Newark box 22 folder 6; MG 882 Black Power Conference, Trinity Cathedral, Bishop Leland Starks Papers; Oral History Interviews on 1967 Newark Riots) 6)Explore how highways such as the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike improved access to the state, created suburban neighborhoods, and created a culture of driving in the state. (Vertical file, New Jersey Highways; on-line exhibition "What Exit? New Jersey and its Turnpike" http://www.jerseyhistory.org/what_exit/index.html ) 7)Industries in New Jersey grew up along the state's rivers, for ease of transportation of raw materials and products. Water also powered factories, but factories polluted rivers with byproducts from manufacturing. Explore the triumphs and tragedies or industries in NJ. (Vertical files, NJ Rivers; Silk City: Studies in the Paterson Silk Industry 1860 – 1940 N974.91 P265; exhibition Ebb and Flow: New Jersey and Its Rivers) 8)New Jerseyan Dorothea Dix fought for mental health reform and better treatment of patients. How did New Jersey fare in treatment of patients with mental disabilities in the past, and what changes have been made as a result of Dorothea Dix's efforts? (Biography file, Dorothea Dix; Mental Disease in New Jersey NJ. Dept. of Institutions and Agencies, 1928 Npf)   Why Choose a New Jersey Topic? New Jersey History Award- An Additional award is given to the best project based on New Jersey New Jersey Social Studies Core Content Standards- This is a great way for students/teachers to fulfill New Jersey History requirements   New Jersey Topics 2008 Theme: Conflict and Compromise in History Coming Soon!