Research Guides: National History Day 2019-2020: Breaking Barriers: Home

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Start your archival research for National History Day 2019-2020: Breaking Barriers with this guide.

A barrier can be many things - it could be a physical obstruction (a wall), a natural obstruction (an ocean), or a theoretical obstruction (laws or societal beliefs). The collections listed in this guide may help you develop or support your National History day project. Some of the collections have been digitized and can be accessed online, others will require an in-person visit. Please contact us with any questions!

Use the menu on the left to discover the Schlesinger Library's archival collections related to Breaking Barriers. This guide highlights people, organizations, and social and political movements within the United States that are relevant to the 2019-2020 National History Day theme.

Take Note

Many of our collections are stored offsite and/or have access restrictions. Be sure to contact us in advance of your visit.

Personal Stories

While most of the other collections in this guide deal with larger social and political issues and events, the collections on this page are focused on individual life stories.

Julia Child (1912-2004)
Julia Carolyn McWilliams Child, an author of French cookbooks, teacher, and television personality, was born in California and graduated from Smith College . She served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II, married Paul Cushing Child in 1946, and studied at the Cordon Bleu while he was in Paris with the U.S. Information Agency. Her television series The French Chef first aired in 1963, launching a revolution in cooking and eating in the United States. It was followed by later programs, including Julia Child & Company , Julia Child & More Company , and Dinner with Julia . Her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking (written with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle) and many subsequent cookbooks and articles demonstrated methods and recipes of classic French cooking in a manner accessible to home cooks. See also the Additional Papers of Julia Child.
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937)
Amelia Mary Earhart, who disappeared during a flight around the world, was the first woman to fly, and to fly solo, across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1928 and 1932 respectively. This collection includes extensive correspondence of Earhart's sister, Muriel (Earhart) Morrissey, concerning investigations of Earhart's disappearance; numerous photos of Earhart, her family, and her husband George Palmer Putnam; and genealogies of the families of her parents Edwin S. and Amy (Otis) Earhart. See also the Papers of Amy Otis Earhart. Both of these collections are digitized and available through the finding aids.
Helen Keller
Helen Keller was a writer and advocate for people with disabilities. At the age of nineteen months, due to an attack of scarlet fever, Helen Keller lost her senses of sight and hearing. She entered Radcliffe in 1900; with the aid of Anne Sullivan and other tutors, she took a full program and graduated cum laude in 1904. After college she worked extensively on behalf of the blind, and for refugees and the disabled after World War II. Keller was a prolific writer and among her works were two autobiographies: The Story of My Life (1902) and Midstream--My Later Life (1929). See the Helen Keller subject guide for more information on her collections.