Each year, National History Day selects an annual theme. The broad themes encourage students to research a wide variety of topics. Students should use the theme to frame their analysis and show why a topic is significant in history. On this page, you will find an overview of the annual theme and topic prompts and resources from the Massachusetts Historical Society to get you started!

Looking for a topic idea? Check out our Rights and Responsibilities: Topic Ideas Chart! Filter by local, national or international history; historical time periods;  topics and themes; and more. You'll find inspiration on all types of topic ideas related to this year's theme, no matter your interests.

NHD’s 2025 theme is Rights & Responsibilities in History. Projects can be about local Massachusetts history, U.S. history, or world history - but all projects must relate to the theme.

 

Theme Definitions

What are rights and responsibilities in history? 

Rights and responsibilities determine how individuals interact with one another, their communities, and their governments. 

Rights are freedoms or privileges that individuals possess as human beings or as citizens of a society

• Civil rights are nonpolitical rights of individuals that their governments are bound to protect through law (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of petition, and freedom of the press)
• Political rights are the rights of citizens to participate in their governments (right to vote, run for public office, and participate in the process)
• Social rights establish a basic standard of living and well-being for all members of society (right to an education, safe housing, and access to food and social services like healthcare) 
• Economic rights allow people to participate in their economy (right to own property, work, earn fair wages, and safe working conditions) 
• Human rights are universal and apply to all individuals, no matter who governs them and regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, or other identities (right to life, a fair justice system, and access to the resources of their community)

Responsibilities are expectations of individuals as members of society

• Legal responsibilities are the duty to maintain order and justice within society (obeying the law, paying taxes, and respecting the rights of others) 
• Civic responsibilities are the obligation to participate, whether directly or indirectly, in the functioning of the government (voting, staying informed about political issues, and engaging in community activities) 
• Social responsibilities are the commitment to treat others respectfully and to help those in need (volunteering in the community and establishing organizations that support others)  
• Ethical responsibilities are the charge to make morally sound decisions between right and wrong 

What to consider? 

• Does everyone have the same rights? 
• Who decides who has rights? Who decides on the limits individuals should or should not have?
• What led to establishing certain rights and to whom were they given? 
• How have people, governments, or institutions decided what parameters should be set to enforce responsibilities? How are such decisions justified? 
• How are rights and responsibilities shaped by political organizations, such as democracy, communism, fascism, socialism, or authoritarianism? What about monarchy, oligarchy, or anarchy? 

Theme Pages

These lists have been created by institutions to highlight parts of their collections that relate to this year's theme, "Rights & Responsibilities in History." Check out their resources for inspiration and for sources!

• Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies: *NEW*
• The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation *NEW*
• The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL *NEW*
• Boston Athenaeum
• National Archives
• National Museum of African American History and Culture
• White House Historical Association
• Digital Public Library of America
• Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center
• Harvard Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America

Massachusetts Historical Society Theme Resources:

At the Massachusetts Historical Society, the sponsor of NHD in MA, you can begin searching for inspiration anywhere in our collections: by exploring our library catalogs, our online resources, our collection guides, or by visiting us in person. You can also check out our Rights and Responsibilities: Topic Ideas Chart to explore topics that MHS has primary sources on. Check out our prompts below for additional inspiration!

Have research questions?  Not sure where to start?  Our Library Reader Services are happy to help!  You can contact our librarians at 617-646-0532, by email at reference@masshist.org, or via live chat and virtual reference services with any questions.

Interested in getting reproductions of materials that aren't digitized online? Learn about our reproductions policies on our website, or email reproductions@masshist.org with specific questions.

Rights and Responsibilities: Prompts through the Eras

The 17th Century and Earlier

 

 

 

• Variolation and Vaccination: The Fight against Smallpox: In 1721 Onesimus, an African man enslaved by Cotton Mather in Boston, introduced Mather to the technique of inoculation used in West Africa to protect against the devastating disease of smallpox. Mather campaigned for a program of smallpox inoculation in Boston, which first met with huge resistance but was eventually celebrated. Later, Edward Jenner's 1796 vaccine was promoted by doctors like Dr. John Van Surley DeGrasse, Boston's first Black physician, who records vaccinating many children in his account book despite lingering suspicion of the vaccine. How have vaccines and inoculations been tied to social and ethical responsibilities throughout history? How do we respect both individual rights and community rights when it comes to health and public safety? Who makes these decisions?
• The Salem Witchcraft Trials: In 1692, when witchcraft accusations, trials, and executions roiled Salem, petitions flooded the Salem court and the colonial government. In 1692, 39 of Rebecca Nurse’s neighbors, both men and women, testified that they “never had Any cause or grounds to suspect her of Any such thing as she is now Acused of,” but she was found guilty and executed.  What role have the Salem Witchcraft Trials played in history and memory? What impact did they have on the practice of witchcraft trials, legal processes, and the rights of accused? 

The18th Century

• The Coming of the American Revolution:  How were ideas of freedom and democracy turning points in our understandings of the rights and responsibilities of the government to its citizens, and vice versa? How did these new ideas spark a revolution among colonists? How did different Indigenous nations and enslaved people view these ideas?
• Elizabeth Freeman and the Legal End of Slavery:  Elizabeth Freeman sued for her freedom in 1781, arguing that under the Bill of Rights of the Massachusetts Constitution, which reads "all men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and inalienable rights," slavery was no longer legal. Freeman's case was an important part of the legal precedent for abolishing slavery in Massachusetts. What legal strategies did Elizabeth Freeman use to challenge the institution of slavery in Massachusetts? How did her case help establish rights for enslaved people in Massachusetts and beyond? Learn more at the History Source.
• Debates on the Ratification of the Constitution in Massachusetts: What rights and responsibilities did did the Massachusetts Constitution put into place? How was a constitution of self-government different from the rights and responsibilities that came before?
• Petition of Prince Hall to the Massachusetts General Court:  In the 1770s and 1780s, groups of Massachusetts enslaved people and freemen petitioned the colonial government, claiming that freedom was a right belonging to all men and women. These petitioners included Prince Hall, a prominent Boston leader and activist and founder of the first Black Freemasonry Lodge. What arguments did Hall and his fellow petitioners make on behalf of the rights of freedom for all Black people and the responsibilities of the Massachusetts government? Were they successful? How did their petitions break new ground for later abolitionist efforts?  Learn more at the History Source.
• Early Drafts of the US Constitution: In this early draft of the US Constitution, it begins “We the People of the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts…” and lists all 13 colonies. In the final draft, the Constitution begins “We the People of the United States...” How does this shift in the Constitution represent the new rights and responsibilities of the U.S. government and U.S. identity? What has been the impact of the Constitution on U.S. and world history and government?

The 19th Century

• Anthony Burns and The Fugitive Slave Act: Following his self-liberation from slavery, Burns escaped to Boston. Due to the Fugitive Slave Act, Burns was jailed in the summer of 1854 with the intent to kidnap him back into slavery, raising a huge public outcry in Boston and beyond. How was Anthony Burns’ journey a turning point in the resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act in Massachusetts, and the defense of the rights of Black Americans who lived there? What was his impact on abolitionist movements and resistance to slavery? Learn more at the History Source.
• The Development of Braille: Louis Braille, a 15-year-old student at the Paris School for the Blind, developed a reading and writing system of raised dots to replace the that was much more convenient for blind students to use than the previous method of raised type. For many years, sighted educators resisted transitioning to Braille since raised type was easier for them to read, but blind advocates like Hellen Keller and students at Perkins Institute for the Blind were eventually successful in promoting the use of Braille instead. How are accessibility rights determined, and who makes those decisions? How have people with disabilities advocated for their rights throughout history? What responsibilities do communities have to provide access for all community members?
• Sarah Parker Remond Protests Segregated Seating at Boston Theater: Sarah Parker Remond was an internationally prominent anti-slavery lecturer, physician, and activist campaigner for abolition and women's suffrage. In 1853, Redmont filed assault charges after being violently removed from the Howard Athenaeum for refusing to sit in segregated seats. Her case was an early effort to overcome segregation laws in Boston. What role did Sarah Parker Remond's court case play in challenging racist laws in Massachusetts? How did she advocate for rights through her activism in abolition and women's suffrage?
• 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment: The 54th Regiment was the first military unit consisting of Black soldiers to be raised in the North during the Civil War. How does the 54th Regiment represent a turning point in both the Civil War and the battle for equal rights for Black soldiers? What responsibilities did the U.S. government have to Black soldiers? Why was taking on the civic responsibility of the military important to Black men who enlisted? Learn more at the History Source.

The 20th Century

• Massachusetts Debates a Woman's Right to Vote: For over a century Americans debated whether women should vote. Women on both sides of the debate wondered: was voting compatible with women’s rights and responsibilities? How did the pro-suffrage movement advocate for how the vote would improve civic rights and responsibilities of women? How did anti-suffragists argue the same? How did people whose voices and experiences were marginalized in the fight for women's suffrage advocate for their own rights? Learn more at the History Source.
• The Wright Brothers launching the Wright glider, 1903: Wilbur and Orville Wright are credited with inventing the first motor-operated airplane. How has air travel influenced the rights and responsibilities of travel and migration, international relations, or the environment? Learn more at the History Source.
• Baseball's Boston Bloomer Girls: As baseball evolved into the sport we know today, men and women alike played the game as early as the 1850s. The Boston Bloomer Girls baseball team was one of many female teams that criss-crossed the nation from the 1890s into the 1930s playing baseball against men's teams. Did the Boston Bloomer Girls and other women's baseball teams represent a change in the history of women's rights to play sports? Why or why not? How did they impact the culture around gender and sports during and after their time?
• Massachusetts Women and WWI: Women from Massachusetts played a wide range of roles during WWI. Some, like Nora Saltonstall, Edith Cavill, or Margaret Hall, served abroad in Europe as ambulance drivers, nurses, or canteen workers. Others did volunteer work on the home front like Clara Currier, or campaigned for peace like Rose Dabney Ford. In what ways did women's participation in WWI efforts represent a change in the rights and responsibilities of women in wartime, opening new doors for women? In what ways did it NOT effect change to those rights and responsibilities?
• Nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll: These photographs from MA governor (later MA Senator) Leverett Saltonstall show testing of the nuclear atomic bomb during WWII.  How has the existence of the atomic bomb shaped world politics since its development? How has it impacted the rights of humans around the world? What was the impact on local communities of Bikini and other testing sites? What did the creators of the atomic bomb see as their responsibilities, and what are the responsibilities of countries that own atomic weapons since?