The examples below offer a starting point for brainstorming about topics related to this year’s National History Day theme, Frontiers in History. Choosing one of these suggestions will not increase or decrease your chances of doing well at a National History Day contest.
Automobiles Create a New Frontier: The Growth of Suburbs
Post-Civil War Free Schools for Florida Blacks: A New Frontier in Education
Becoming a Frontier: The Loss of Importance of the Gulf Ports of Newport, Magnolia, and Apalachicola in Florida’s Big Bend Region
A Civil War Frontier: Salt Pans and the Home Economy of Civil War Florida
Space, the New Frontier: Cape Canaveral and the Space Race
Augustine and the Start of European Colonization of the New World
Jonas Salk and the Frontiers of Conquering Contagious Diseases
The Frontier of Hurricane Prediction: Early Warning and Preparation
The Everglades and the Frontier of Wetlands Preservation
The Push for Renewable Energy in Florida: On the Frontier of a New Industry
Cracker Cowboys: Florida’s Wild West Frontier
First Commercial Airline Flight: Florida as an Aviation Pioneer
Pan American Airline: The Beginnings of Commercial Aviation
Carrie Meek and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: Pioneering Florida Congresswomen
Hamilton Disston's Draining of South Florida: The Frontier of Land Development
Flagler's Railroad: Pioneering Efforts in Florida Development
Florida's Railroads: The Frontier Faces Development
European Cultures on the Frontier: Spanish, French, and English Influences in Florida
The Spanish Mission System in North Florida: The Frontier of the Spanish Empire
Marjorie Stoneman Douglas: Pioneer of Everglades Preservation
Florida Tourism: Recreated Frontiers
The Florida Citrus Industry: New Endeavor on the Frontier
Timber and Logging in Florida: From Frontier to Industrial Agriculture
Florida’s Cattle Industry: The Wild West No One Knows
The Beginnings of the Citrus Industry in Florida: From Backyard to Grove
Phosphate Mining: Pioneering Endeavor in Industrial Agriculture
Alligator Farms and Other Roadside Attractions in Florida: The Frontier of Florida Tourism
The Great Freeze of 1894–95: The Dividing Line Between Citrus as a Frontier Activity and a Modern Industrial Enterprise
Flagler's Railroad from St. Augustine to Key West: Pushing Back the Florida Frontier
Steamboating on the Rivers of Florida: A Frontier Mode of Transportation
The Equal Rights Amendment: Florida Women Working to Expand Their Frontiers and Secure Equal Opportunities
The Social Consequences of the Arrival of the Telephone on Rural Life in Florida: Bringing the Frontier Into the Mainstream
The Transformation of the Original Ecology of the Everglades by the Sugar Industry: Turning the Frontier into the Factory
Economic Origins and Social Effects on Florida of the 1920s "Land Boom" : The Selling of the Florida Frontier
The Effects of a Military Base on a Local Community: The Frontier Forts of Florida
On the Frontiers of Racial Justice: Florida’s Persecutions of Minorities
Immigrants to Florida: The Rise of Immigrant Unions/Clubs in Florida, specifically Ybor City at the Turn-of-the Century
Intellectual Frontiers: The Role of Environmental Activist Marjorie Stoneman Douglas in Changing People's Perceptions of the Value of Wilderness Areas in Florida
The American Cowboy and Cattle Industry: Its Impact on the Development of the West and America's Economy in the Early and Mid-19th Century
Thomas A. Edison's Legacy of Inventions and Their Impact on the Nation and/or the World
Jacqueline Cochran: Opening a New Frontier for Women Pilots during World War II
On the Frontier of Sailing Technology: Development of the Ships that Enabled Europeans to Travel to Florida
Television Comes to Florida: Jackie Gleason Moves to Miami
Sponge Divers in Florida: Greek Immigrants and a New Life in Tarpon Springs
Although you can select a topic dealing with any time or place in history, excellent subjects often are found by investigating local or statewide history. The availability of firsthand informants, historic sites, and documents and records provides many research options, although your search for information about any topic should extend far and wide. Be sure to look at the Florida Research Directory on the FHD website for repositories in Florida. The State Library and Archives of Florida has many online resources in their collections that relate to Florida topics which can be accessed by clicking on the links below.
