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Contact:
Naomi Ziller, (515) 281-6860
Sarah Oltrogge, (515) 281-4011
DES
MOINES, Iowa - The State Historical
Society of Iowa's National History Day program will
be encouraging students and teachers statewide to
participate in a new initiative announced Sept. 17 by
President George W. Bush.
"Our Documents: A National Initiative on
American History, Civics, and Service" is a
collaborative effort between National History Day (NHD),
the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA), the Corporation for National and Community
Service and the USA Freedom Corps in order to promote
public exploration and understanding of how our rights
and responsibilities as Americans have taken shape
over time.
"Our Documents" involves the creation of
a special Web site by NARA on which will be posted 100
milestone documents, beginning with The Lee Resolution
(1776) and culminating with the Voting Rights Act
(1965). The general public will be encouraged to read,
consider and comment upon the documents as they are
released (three per week as the school year
progresses), with a culminating "vote" on
the top 10 most significant documents.
"Our hope is for teachers and students in Iowa
to take part in the 'Our Documents' initiative as
plans for the 2003 National History Day get
underway," said Naomi Ziller, National History
Day in Iowa coordinator. "The documents to be
made available will fit in well with this year's
theme, 'Rights and Responsibilities in
History.'"
The goal of "Our Documents" is to engage
students, teachers, parents and the general public in
reading these historic documents and asking them to
vote for the ten they consider the most significant.
Through this process, Americans will explore the
nation's civic legacy and reflect on the meanings of
citizenship in a republican democracy.
National History Day is not just one day, but a
yearlong education experience
that makes history come alive through educator
professional development and active student learning.
The organization has received the National Endowment
for the Humanities Charles Frankel Prize for public
programming and is funded nationally by Cargill, The
History Channel, and other corporations, foundations
and individuals. The National History Day in Iowa
competition is sponsored by the State Historical
Society of Iowa, the State Historical Society, Inc.
and the American Legion. It will take place April 28
(junior division) and May 5 (senior division) at the
State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines.
Winners at the state level will advance to the
national competition, June 15-19 in College Park, Md.
For more information on "Our Documents: A
National Initiative on American History, Civics, and
Service," visit www.ourdocuments.gov.
For more information on National History Day in Iowa,
visit www.iowahistory.org
or www.nationalhistoryday.org.
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