This Week in NHD: 4Cs Theme Analysis



This week featured a deep dive into this year's theme utilizing a graphic organizer (entitled "The 4Cs") from the National History Day organization. We were fortunate to have Ms. Amy Bradfield, Education Services Manager with the Historical Society of Michigan, observe part of 5th and all of 6th hour Tuesday. Ms. Bradfield helped us all (myself included) enhance our understanding of the theme and I'm truly grateful for her knowledge and expertise! 

The Cs refer to Conflict, Compromise, Context, and Change. The first two, Conflict and Compromise, represents the lens all students must view their topic in History through. Students do not have to represent the conflict and the compromise of a topic equally, it's perfectly acceptable to have an uneven representation of the two, as long as both are reflected in the thesis, document selection, and persuasive justification. Students need to clearly state the problem of the situation and the give-and-take involved in the compromise. 

Another interesting take on this theme, as Ms. Bradfield pointed out to students, is that it doesn't matter which part comes first. Some situations, like the build up to the US Civil War, demonstrate many compromises that occur (the Great Compromise, for example) before the conflict (the war itself). Other situations, such as the Great Depression, occur when the conflict takes place first (the Stock Market Crash) and then the compromises happen (FDR's New Deal Programs). This flexibility enables students to tackle the theme based on their own interests and the unique complexities of various topics.

Context is an incredibly important historical skill to master and is crucial to deeply understanding the topic in this project. When students understand what is happening locally (this includes Michigan History), nationally, and globally to impact their topic their understanding of the subject increases significantly. Student Historians can use context to help articulate why their topic matters (see Change) and what makes it so critical to US History. It will also help students to "step inside" their subject matter and connect with the historic people and events they're learning about.

Change is the 4th C to analyze. As Ms. Bradfield explained, students must articulate the "So What?" aspect of their topic. Being able to clearly and persuasively state why their topic is important is the key to bringing the significance of their study full circle. 

Student Historians will reflect on their 4C graphic organizer throughout their research, thesis development, and project creation. This tool is sure to become an indispensable part of their NHD journey.





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