“Leadership & Legacy in
History”
2015 National History Day in
Wisconsin Theme Guide
The Annual Theme
The Annual Theme
• Annual theme applies to everyone
• Topics must connect to annual theme
• Think about it: How does the theme connect
to the argument that you are making about
your topic?
Define
• Leadership & Legacy: What is happening in
your topic where someone is making a lasting
impact with their actions?
• Leaders could be political, military,
economic, humanitarian, etc.
• Make sure you address not only the leader
but also their legacy in your topic.
What Does Leadership & Legacy
Mean?
• Leadership is a position as a leader of a
group, organization, etc. It is the power or
ability to lead other people. Leadership can
also come from organizations and groups of
people.
• Legacy is the way leadership is remembered;
the impact it left for the future, or the example
that leaders gave to later generations.
In History
• You need to look at the significance of
your topic over time
• Topics should not be current events
• In general, try to base topics on events
that took place at least 20 years ago
Choosing a Topic
• One of the most important decisions you’ll
make for National History Day!
• Choose something you love!
HUGE Variety of Possible Topics
• Brainstorm! Don’t stop with just your first idea.
• Leaders can be found in all areas and time
periods of history.
• Think about the relationship between the topic
and the events that came before and after it:
– Why did it happen?
– What impact did it have?
Sample Topics
• These topics are not the only ones out there
– Just a few ideas from many areas of history
• Where can you find more ideas?
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Think about your interests
Talk to your teacher, parents, classmates
Look through your textbook
Visit the library or a museum
Narrowing Topics
Theme
Area of History
Broad Topic
Narrow Topic
Thesis
Take a big idea and narrow it to a
manageable size for National History Day
Science and Technology
Les Paul and the Electric Guitar
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Les Paul is known for innovations in the
world of music. More than just playing
guitar, Paul was responsible for the sound
of many forms of modern music, including
blues, alternative, and metal. He
developed the solid-body electric guitar
and also effects (such as multitrack
recording) to be used in sound recording.
How have Paul’s innovations in music
impacted the music we hear today?
Albert Einstein
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Albert Einstein revolutionized how we
see the world around us. His
breakthroughs in science changed the
way we understand things like gravity,
time, and light. His ideas are used
constantly by scientists today, but in
his time they were shocking.
Education
Charles Van Hise and the
“Wisconsin Idea”
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The Wisconsin Idea is based on the
philosophy that the universities in the
state should serve the people of the
state and improve the quality of life for
all those living within it. This idea
expanded beyond education to influence
politics and Progressive reforms. How
does this idea govern the state today?
Brown v. Board of Education
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Brown v. Board established equal
education for all races in the U.S. The idea
of integrating the schools of America was
a tumultuous time in our history. How did
Oliver Brown and the NAACP change how
African Americans lived in America?
Labor Movements
John R. Commons Advocates
Labor-Related Reforms
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John Commons supported and worked on
innovative legislation in labor, economics,
and social welfare. He helped make
Wisconsin workplaces safe, and advocated
unemployment compensation, among
other very important reforms. How did it
affect workers in the state and beyond?
Pullman Strikes of 1890s
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In the summer of 1894, the American
Railway Union and the employees of the
Pullman Palace Car Company fought for
rights which shut down much of the nation’s
freight and passenger traffic west of
Michigan. How did this strike differ from
others? What changed for future labor
workers because of this strike?
Environment
John Muir Inspires Conservation
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Gaylord Nelson Founds Earth Day
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Born in Scotland, Muir began his life in Wisconsin by working
on his family farm. Nearly going blind from a factory accident,
Muir walked from Indiana to Florida, trying to experience as
much nature as possible. It was in California that Muir began
working to preserve nature, founding the Sierra Club,
publishing articles, and promoting conservation, eventually
leading to the foundation of our National Parks Service. How
did Muir’s work impact the use and view of natural space in
this country?
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Nelson was a
Wisconsin native
who after serving
in World War II
and becoming a
lawyer, took on
political office.
From the state
senate, to
governor, to the
U.S. Senate,
Nelson served the
state of Wisconsin
for the majority of
his adult life. He is
well-known for
founding Earth
Day and creating
a following for the
conservation
movement.
Famous Figures
Frank Lloyd Wright
Lewis & Clark
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Wright’s architectural work and influence
extends far beyond the state of Wisconsin and
his hometown of Richland Center. More than
designing homes and buildings, Wright created a
whole new architectural style in which the
buildings harmonized with their environment.
How did the innovative architecture of Wright
change the way buildings were designed? What
legacy did this new style leave for other
architects?
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Lewis & Clark originally crossed the
continent to document the landscape. What
right did they have to explore? What was
their responsibility to document what the
discovered?
Military History
Cordelia Harvey
Courtesy WI Historical Society
Cordelia spent much of her life fighting for
better medical facilities to soldiers in the Civil
War. She asked President Lincoln to open 3
hospitals in Wisconsin to give soldiers the
proper care they deserved. How did this
spark more rights for injured soldiers?
Red Cross
Courtesy WI Historical Society
The Red Cross was the first organization
to fight for the right to give aid oversees
and be an organized membership to
provide services for military personnel.
How did this change in medical care
change wartime?
Politics and Government
“Fighting Bob:” Robert M. LaFollette
La Follette developed his
fierce opposition to corporate
power and political
corruption as a young man. A
Republican almost his entire
career, went from Congress
to WI governor to the U.S.
Senate. His support for
progressive reforms, rousing
oratory, and frequent clashes
with party leaders earned
him the nickname “Fighting
Bob.” He supported
measures that doubled the
taxes on railroads, broke up
monopolies, preserved the
state’s forests, protected
worker’s rights, defended
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small farmers, and regulated
lobbying to end patronage
politics. What impact did this
one man’s ideas have on
progressive politics in the
early 20th century?
Constitution of the U.S.
As the foundation of the United States this
document set up the rules and practices of a
new nation. If you choose this topic, you
could focus on one signer and their impact
on the Constitution, or you could focus on
the Constitutional Convention as a whole.
What effect did the constitution have on the
developing country? Today? How did it effect
other governments at the time?
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Social Issues
Mathilde Anneke: Forty-Eighter
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Anneke was born in
Germany but came to
call Wisconsin home,
just as other "FortyEighter" immigrants
to the United States.
Once here, pursued
the ideal of freedom,
including women's
rights and opposition
to slavery. She
published a suffragist
newspaper and
founded a girls'
school in Milwaukee.
How did Anneke's
past in Germany
influence her actions
in the United States?
What legacy did
Anneke and other
"Fourty-Eighters“
leave in the United
States?
Title IX
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Title IX allowed for equal access to
sports in schools for women. How have
sports programs in schools changed
since 1972?
Transportation
Harley-Davidson Motorcycles
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Harley-Davidson produced the first motorcycle
with founders and friends William Harley and
Arthur Davidson in the early 1900s. After their
first model was built in 1903, the company saw
increased demand for their machine with the
unique V-twin shaped engine. How did this
machine change transportation? What was the
impact on the Wisconsin economy then and
today? How did the company transform into the
modern motorcycle-manufacturing leader we
know today?
Montgomery Bus Boycotts
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Throughout the Civil Rights Movement, the
bus system was used as a way for African
Americans to speak their voice. They
boycotted in Montgomery to oppose the
segregation that lived on the bus system.
How did this way of protesting affect the Civil
Rights movement?
Women in History
Golda Meir: Israel’s First Female
Prime Minister
Women’s Suffrage
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In 1907, Golda Meir was one of the many new
immigrants to Milwaukee. Although her time in
Wisconsin was brief, it was influential in her later
quest to establish a homeland for Jews in Palestine.
She moved there in 1921 with her husband, and was
active in many Zionist organizations and the Israeli
government. She was elected as Israeli Prime
Minister in 1969 and served until 1974. How did her
role as the first woman in that position change the
mold of leadership? What difficult political decisions
did she have to make and what was her legacy?
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Following the passage of the
19th amendment in 1919 women
had the chance to vote. How did
their fight for years before create
a turning point for all women with
this law?
Arts & Literature
Lynn and Alfred Lunt
Harriet Beecher Stowe and
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
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Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are largely considered
the most influential acting team from America. At the
peak of their careers they both took major pay cuts
because they believed their art was more important than
their salary. This allowed them more control over their
contracts, and with this freedom they were able to
experiment with acting the way they wanted. The led the
way from oratory theater to a new style of naturalism.
What kind of legacies can celebrities leave? How can a
person or a group lead an art movement?
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an
abolitionist in a time when slavery was
still widely accepted in the United
States. Her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
described slavery in a very realistic
way. The second-best-selling book of
the 18th century, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
helped change how many people
viewed slaver, and helped strengthen
the abolitionist cause. How can an
author change a culture? Is a writer a
leader?
Where can I find more ideas?
• Sample topic lists from NHD and NHD in
Wisconsin
• Talk to your parents, teachers, friends
• Pick an area of history that interest you
and explore the library
• Email us:
historyday@wisconsinhistory.org
Thank You!
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