how to write a thesis statement for nhd

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Here you will learn what a thesis statement is and what it is not. Use our tips and trick below to help you develop a solid thesis statement for your NHDI project!

Your project will consist of an argument that reflects your main idea – the message you want to get across to your audience that links the topic to the theme. The sentence(s) that capture(s) this argument in called your thesis.

Think of your thesis as an equation:

Thesis = Topic + Theme + Impact

A good thesis is short and sweet – no more than one or two sentences. You will explain and support your argument throughout the rest of your project.

A good thesis statement:

• Addresses a narrow topic.
• Is an informed opinion.
• Explains what you believe to be the historical significance of your topic.
• Connects the topic the the NHD theme.

A thesis statement is:

• Not a question.
• Not a list.

A thesis statement is not the same thing as a research question. Your research questions guide your research. Your thesis statement makes an argument about your topic using your research.

Writing a good thesis statement is a process. It will take time. This is the most important and sometimes most stressful part. Here are some key things to remember:

• It will continue to evolve as you research. You may even go back to change it…and that’s OK.
• It’s only set in stone once you have completed your project for the contest, and even then you will have an opportunity to improve it if you advance on to another contest.
• Make sure you’re getting feedback on your thesis from parents, teachers, friends or an NHDI team member.

Let’s look at an example below: We’ll use a previous NHD theme to give an example of how you might develop your thesis.

Theme: Conflict and Compromise Interest Area: Prisoners of war in World War I Your narrowed subject: Camp Atterbury POWs in WWII

Working thesis statement: During WWII, approximately 3,000 Italian POWs were held at Camp Atterbury in Indiana. They compromised with U.S. soldiers to build a chapel, making life there better for themselves.

• Take a look at the underlined section. Since it is stating a fact and introducing your topic, this information should be part of the your introduction.
• Remember, your thesis is an argument about your main idea.

Final thesis statement: The respectful treatment of Italian POWs at Camp Atterbury, along with the chaplain’s permission to buy their own chapel, created a long -lasting, positive relationship between the camp and the Italian soldiers once imprisoned there.

• Notice how the underlined section was added – this is the basis of your argument.
• You’re showing the impact of your topic and why it is important.

S.O.S. Method Worksheet

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Building a Project

• Project Examples
• Preparing for Your Contest
• Researching Your Topic
• Selecting Your Topic
• Organizing and Writing Your Research
• Selecting Your Project Type

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Research Rendezvous

Missed the live Mastering your Thesis event?  Watch the recording here, as Kayla Gabehart shows you how to form and revise your thesis. FAQs at the end answer students' questions about NHD in Colorado.

More information from  National History Day in Colorado

Thesis Statement

From NHD website:

Develop a Thesis Statement NHD projects should do more than just tell a story. Every exhibit, performance, documentary, paper and website should make a point about its topic. To do this, you must develop your own argument of the historical impact of the person, event, pattern or idea you are studying. The point you make is called a thesis statement. A thesis statement is not the same as a topic. Your thesis statement explains what you believe to be the impact and significance of your topic in history. Example:

Topic: Battle of Gettysburg Thesis Statement: The battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point of the Civil War. It turned the tide of the war from the South to the North, pushing back Lee’s army that would never fight again on Northern soil and bringing confidence to the Union army.

• Tackling the Thesis [PDF]
• Handout from Minnesota Historical Society [PDF]
• Thesis Creator Helpful template to guide you through your working thesis
• Thesis Organizer & Checklist [PDF]

Videos from NHD Affiliates

Process Paper

Form NHD website Rule 15 | Process Pape r

All categories, except historical paper, must include a process paper with the entry. It must describe in 500 or fewer words how you conducted your research and created your entry. The process paper must include four sections that explain: 1. how you chose your topic; 2. how you conducted your research; 3. how you selected your presentation category and created your project; and 4. how your project relates to the NHD theme.

You can view sample process papers at http://www.nhd.org/CreatingEntry.htm .

• Process paper rules [PDF]
• What is a Process Paper? [PDF]

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National History Day: Creating a Thesis Statement

• Theme for the Year
• NHD Libguides
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• Evaluating Sources
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• Primary Source Links
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• Additional Resources

Thesis Generator Links

• Thesis Generator Link from Univ Arizona
• Empire State University Thesis Generator
• Thesis Statement Creator: - John McGarvey

What's Your Theme and Thesis Statement

How to Write a Thesis Statement

Thanks also to RiLink at  https://guides.rilinkschools.org/c.php?g=1279504&p=9392184

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Get Started on Your Project

A National History Day ® (NHD) project is your way of presenting your historical argument, research, and interpretation of your topic’s significance in history. NHD projects can be created individually or as part of a group. There are two entry divisions: Junior (grades 6–8) or Senior (grades 9–12). After reading the Contest Rule Book and learning about the annual theme , you’re ready to dig in!

Your Guide to Getting Started

Choose your topic .

A topic is the part of history you want to study. Choose a topic that is interesting to you, that fits the annual theme , and that is not too big and not too small. Studying the entire American Revolution is probably too big. At the same time, studying one decision made by General George Washington on one day in the Revolutionary War might be too small. Just like Goldilocks, find a topic that is “just right.”

Can I select any topic I want?

Absolutely! NHD encourages you to explore historical topics ( local , regional, national, or global ) from any time period. Start by checking with your teacher. Teachers might have certain guidelines specific to their classrooms. All topics also need to be approved by your parent or guardian.

How old should my topic be?

Your topic must be old enough that historians are writing about it. Historians tend to wait until enough time has passed that the topic feels complete and they can answer the “So What?” question about the topic; i.e., why is the topic important to know about? You will answer the same question about your topic. 

If you are interested in something that is happening currently or very recently, consider exploring that topic in history. For example, you might be interested in how people today are coping with a dwindling water supply. Look back to struggles over access to water in the past. You might find a great topic that way!

Start Your Research

Once you select a topic, you are ready to begin your research by finding out what was going on before and during the time that your topic occurred. This is called historical context and it’s where historians begin.

Historians use these and other terms when talking about the study of history. Refer to the Student Glossary as you come across historical terms and concepts.

Historical context sets the stage for your topic. To learn about historical context, historians use two key types of resources: primary and secondary sources. Remember to keep track of your research sources so you can create your bibliography.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources tell, analyze, or interpret events. Historians create secondary sources based on their reading of primary sources. Secondary sources are usually written decades, if not centuries, after the event occurred by people who did not live through or participate in the event. 

Begin your research with secondary sources to help you build your knowledge of the big picture surrounding your topic. To understand the connections between your topic and the time period, ask yourself:

• Why did my topic happen at this particular time and in this particular place?
• What were the events that came before my topic?
• How was my topic influenced by the economic, social, political, and cultural climate of the time period? 

Primary Sources

Primary sources are the most exciting part of history. These are the sources created during the time that the event took place. Be sure to look at primary materials created by as many people as you can. Looking at various viewpoints will help you develop multiple perspectives.

Examples of primary sources include: documents, artifacts, historic sites, songs, or other written and tangible items created during the historical period you are studying.

While it can be tempting to jump right to the primary sources, the historical context of your topic that you learn from secondary sources will help you make sense of the primary sources that you find.

Conducting Interviews

Interviews are not required for an NHD project. Requests to interview historians or other secondary sources are inappropriate. Historians do not interview each other. Instead, you might conduct oral history interviews of those who were eyewitnesses to the events. Oral histories are primary sources. Learn more about g uidelines for conducting interviews and the difference between oral histories and interviews with experts.

Develop a Historical Argument

NHD projects must do more than just tell a story. Historians create a historical argument to state what they will prove through their writing. The historical argument is a clear and specific two or three-sentence statement that contains the how and why of what historians found in their research.

After you do your research and analyze your sources, your ideas about the significance of your topic in history will take shape. Then it is time for you to develop your historical argument.

Your research provides the evidence to support the argument you wish to make.

Example Topic: Battle of Gettysburg

Historical Argument: The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the U.S. Civil War. It turned the tide of the war from the South to the North. After the battle, Lee’s army would never fight again on Northern soil and the Union army gained confidence.

Select a Contest Category

NHD offers five creative categories in each division (Junior: grades 6–8, or Senior: grades 9–12). The documentary, exhibit, performance, and website categories offer both individual and group participation options. The paper category allows individual participation only. Groups may include two to five students.

Documentary

A documentary is a ten-minute film that uses media (images, video, and sound) to communicate your historical argument, research evidence, and interpretation of your topic’s significance in history. 

A documentary should reflect your ability to use audiovisual equipment to communicate your topic’s significance. The documentary category will help you develop skills in using photographs, film, video, audio, computers, and graphic presentations. Your presentation should include primary source materials and also must be an original production. To produce a documentary, you must have access to equipment and be able to operate it.

Documentary Resources

Documentary project checklist, documentary evaluation form, documentary project example 1: baseball diplomacy, documentary project example 2: aiming for a diplomatic future.

An exhibit is a three-dimensional physical and visual representation of your historical argument, research evidence, and interpretation of your topic’s significance in history.

Exhibits use color, images, documents, objects, graphics, and design, as well as words, to tell your story. Exhibits can be interactive experiences by asking viewers to play music, look at a video, or open a door or window to see more documents or photos.

Exhibit Resources

Exhibit project checklist, exhibit evaluation form, exhibit project example 1: black studies now, exhibit project example 2: the radium girls.

A paper is a written format for presenting your historical argument, research evidence, and interpretation of your topic’s significance in history.

A paper is a highly personal and individual effort, and if you prefer to work alone this may be the category for you. Papers depend almost entirely on words to tell the story, and you can usually include more information in a paper than in some of the other categories. Various types of creative writing (for example, fictional diaries, poems, etc.) are permitted but must conform to all general and category rules.

Paper Resources

Paper project checklist, paper evaluation form, paper project example 1: women strike for peace, paper project example 2: soil conservation service, performance.

A performance is a dramatic portrayal of your historical argument, research evidence, and interpretation of your topic’s significance in history.

The performance category is the only one that is presented live. Developing a strong narrative that allows your subject to unfold in a dramatic and visually interesting way is important. Memorizing, rehearsing, and refining your script is essential, so you should schedule time for this in addition to research, writing, costuming, and prop gathering.

Performance Resources

Performance project checklist, performance evaluation form, performance project example 1: caroline chisholm, performance project example 2: debate over the bill of rights.

A website is a collection of interconnected web pages that uses multimedia to communicate your historical argument, research evidence, and interpretation of your topic’s significance in history.

A website should reflect your ability to use website design software and computer technology to communicate your topic’s significance in history. To create an NHD website project, you must use NHDWebCentral ® .

Website Resources

Nhdwebcentral ® instructions, website project checklist, website evaluation form, write your process paper & annotated bibliography.

All NHD projects have two required elements in common—a process paper and an annotated bibliography.

Process Paper

A process paper is a description of how you conducted your research, developed your topic idea, and created your entry. The process paper must also explain the relationship of your topic to the contest theme. You’ll find these and further information about writing your Process Paper in the Contest Rule Book .

Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a formatted list of the sources that you used in your research. The main goals of an annotated bibliography are to:

• Give credit to the original authors, avoiding plagiarism
• Show the value of a source to the research
• Reflect varied perspectives with different types of sources
• Provide the source information so that readers can explore those sources on their own

An annotated bibliography is required for all categories. Read the Contest Rule Book to learn about the detailed requirements.

NoodleTools: NHD and NoodleTools partner together to help you organize your research sources. NoodleTools can help you track your sources, take notes, organize your ideas, and create your annotated bibliography. Your teachers can sign up and receive account access for all of their students for one year. The program allows teachers to see the progress their students have made and offer direct electronic feedback.

Find Your Local Contest

National History Day competition begins at the local level. Registration, contest dates, submission deadlines, and further supporting materials are available through each affiliate’s local contest website.

Project Examples

Get inspired by NHD projects submitted in previous years’ contests.

Create an Entry

Resources to help you start and complete your NHD entry

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National History Day: Thesis

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Thesis Statement Definition

Thesis Statement -  a short  statement , usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by  means  of examples and evidence.

Thesis Helpful Hints

The following links will help you with writing a strong thesis statement.

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

• Thesis Generator    Use this on-line tool to practice writing a thesis statement.

      Before developing your thesis statement, conduct some research and ask the following questions:

      Why  did my topic happen at this particular time and in this particular place?

     What  were the events or the influences that came before my topic?

      How  was my topic influenced by and how did it influence the economic, social, political, and cultural climate of the time period?

Thesis Examples

Thesis Statement Example One:

• State your claim and summarize the impact and/or significance of your topic

The International Olympic Games offer athletes an opportunity to be exposed to new cultures, ideas and people.

Thesis Statement Example Two:

• State your claim about your topic, followed by example(s) of exploration, encounter and exchange.

The Olympic Games offer the participants the ability to  encounter  new cultures,  explore  new countries, and  exchange  ideas.

Thesis Statement Example Three:

• Introduce a brief counter claim, followed by your claim and the impact or significance of your topic ​

Although hosting the Olympics leaves many countries in debt, the Olympic games offer host citizens exposure to new cultures, ideas and people.

What's Your Point?

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