Steps to Becoming a Historian

1. Steps to Becoming a Historian

2. Step 1I Wonder Why… Asking questions, Finding a Topic ? ? ?

3. Approaches to Finding Topics • What broad topics interest you? Immigration, politics, labor, business, technology, arts, sports, race or ethnic issues, rights, women’s issues… • What’s going on in your community? In the U.S.? In the world? • What part of history is most intriguing to you? • What do you wonder about: How do the arts change society? How do people get and share power in a democracy? What happens to people, communities, nations in times of war? How did my community get this way? What do people do when the economy changes?

4. Where to look for ideas… • Encyclopedia of Chicago, other Chicago-based publications • Newspapers, magazines • Your history textbook! • Archives, special collections • Talk to people, look around your own community and city—you may find stories all over the place!

5. It’s historically significant. It can be argued – interpreted. It’s History – happened in the past, and shows change over time. It’s connected to Chicago. My History Fair Topic It’s Got Soul! YOU CARE ABOUT IT! It has sources. It uses the NHD theme for analysis.

6. Who is important in your own life? • How do YOU want to make a difference in the world? • If you could change one thing in the world, what would that be? • Is being famous and important the same thing? • How do individuals make, change, or contribute to history? • What did they do that they are so important that we remember them today? Why did they do it? Start by thinking about you and your world – this will help you explore topic ideas and think about the big historical questions related to this year’s theme.

7. When making decisions about your topic, you need to choose an individual that will have enough sources for you to research: • Causes and effects • What changed over time? • Why and how did events develop as they did? • So what? -- Why did this person make an impact in history? • How does this topic connect to the “big picture”?

8. Step 2 –How do I find stuff? The Research Journey

9. Research is a journey. You start it when you seek a topic and research question. You then continue the research journey as you develop your thesis and argument.

10. What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance? Always the “big questions” of history. Research!! INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC — ask a lot of questions!!

11. What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance? Always the “big questions” of history. A specific aspect of history to analyze. 2009 Theme: “The Individual in History: Actions & Legacies” Research!! INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

12. What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance? Always the “big questions” of history. A specific aspect of history to analyze. Women’s rights are important to me. “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies” BROAD TOPIC Research!! INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

13. What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance? Always the “big questions” of history. A specific aspect of history to analyze. Women’s rights are important to me. Mabel Vernon – the photograph really intrigued me to find out more! “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies” BROAD TOPIC Research!! Narrowed Topic INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

14. What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance? Always the “big questions” of history. A specific aspect of history to analyze. Women’s rights are important to me. Mabel Vernon – the photograph really intrigued me to find out more! What was Mabel Vernon’s strategy in gaining the right to vote and why did it make a difference? “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies” BROAD TOPIC Research!! Narrowed Topic Historical Question INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

15. Always the “big questions” of history. A specific aspect of history to analyze. Women’s rights are important to me. Mabel Vernon – the photograph really intrigued me to find out more! What was Mabel Vernon’s strategy in gaining the right to vote and why did it make a difference? Mabel Vernon took the suffrage campaign out of the parlors and into the streets which forced the public to see women as forceful, intelligent, and political citizens that deserved the right to vote. What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance? “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies” BROAD TOPIC Research!! Narrowed Topic Historical Question Working Thesis MAIN RESEARCH!

16. WHOA – that’s a lot! Where do we start? • Our first step is brainstorming topic ideas: 1st: Think of BROADtopic areas that interest you! (politics, medicine, army, etc.) 2nd: Focus on these broad areas and NARROW them down to specific individuals! This will involve doing some research!!!!

17. What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance? Always the “big questions” of history. A specific aspect of history to analyze. Miss K likes basketball! George Ireland – integrated Loyola University’s team by allowing more than 3 blacks to play at one time. “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies” BROAD TOPIC Research!! Narrowed Topic INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

18. Next Time • Once you have a NARROWED topic, we will work on creating a Historical Question!