California Youth Leadership Council Resources
Theme and Topic
What is a theme?
The National History Day competition focuses on a historical theme each year. NHD themes are broad ideas, so they do not limit what topics or historical events you can explore. The theme aims to give a starting point to the structure of your research and topic.
To succeed at NHD, it is important to relate the annual theme to your topic. How do the historical events connect to these wider subjects? How has your topic impacted the present, and why is this relevant?
Your project will be judged on how well it connects your historical subject matter to the broader annual theme. Throughout your work, continue to ask yourself the questions above.
What is a topic?
Your topic is the specific historical event, person, or movement you will be focusing on in your project. Connecting your topic to the theme is key, so focus on understanding your topic's impact on society and why it is important today.
NHD 2026 Theme:
REVOLUTION, REACTION, REFORM IN HISTORY.
What do Revolution, Reaction, and Reform mean in history?
Revolutions, reactions, and reforms in history often inspire and are a result of one another. Revolutions and reforms often inspire reactions, and revolutions often result in reforms. It is crucial to understand what each of these words means and how the topics affect each other in your topic to create a successful project.
Because revolutions and reforms are often large moments in history, it is best to focus on specific aspects or events within them. How did they affect certain groups? What caused them to occur?
Projects do not need to include all 3 subjects, but if your topic includes revolution, reaction, and reform, your project must address this.
What are revolutions?
Revolutions are defined as the overthrow of a system or a monumental change in how something functions.
What are reactions?
Reactions are the feelings, actions, or resistance in response to a situation or movement.
What are reforms?
Reforms are efforts to improve something by changing how it works, changing what it is made up of, or removing it.
*View the resources below for more information on the 2026 theme.
Choosing
Your Topic
You can choose any moment in history to focus your project on (as long as it's 20+ years old). Use this opportunity to explore a movement or subject matter you are passionate about!
How Do I Choose a Topic?
With so many possible topics, it can be overwhelming to decide what to focus on for your project. Begin by deciding what general themes or ideas you are interested in, and narrow down to specific events from there.
If your topic to too broad, it will be difficult to fit into your project, as there are time and content constraints on submissions! Be specific with what you include.
Make Your Project Your Own!
Make sure to choose a topic that relates to you! A topic you are genuinely interested in is a great motivation to complete the project, and your passion shows through your work and presentation. Your topic could reflect social movements you are a part of, your personal or family history, school subjects you are interested in, or even sports and hobbies you have.
For example, if you are an avid runner, you may consider a topic about the Boston Marathon. Just remember to narrow your ideas down!
Use the Topic Funnel to find a topic from your broad interests.
Organizing Your Topic
After deciding on a specific topic to focus on, determine the people, places, and ideas that made up the event. When and where did this event take place? What groups were involved? How did it affect these groups? Why is this topic significant?
Use the Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History Graphic Organizer to find key parts of your topic.
Creating a Research Question
The next step is to create your research question. This is what drives the research you will be doing on your topic. Your thesis will answer this question, so to have a strong thesis, you must have a strong driving question.
Do some research on your topic before creating your research question. Use the sites and databases linked to the right, as well as other trustworthy sources you find. Ensure you have enough knowledge on our topic to answer the following questions:
WHO: Who was involved? Who was affected?
WHAT: What was the main event?
WHERE: Where did it take place?
WHEN: When did it happen? Time period?
WHY: Why did it happen? What caused it?
WHY: Why is it important? What were the outcomes? Why do we care today?
While researching your topic, ask yourself:
- So what? (Does this topic matter today? Why?)
- How does this topic relate to the 2026 theme: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History?
Once you've crafted a strong research question, it's time to draft your thesis!
