Theme and Topics
Chicago Metro History Day
The annual National History Day® contest theme is designed to help you think of a topic from any aspect of local, regional, national, or world history. With this focus, you can begin to ask questions that your research will help you answer, including how your topic is significant in history.
2026 NHD Theme: “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History”
To coincide with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, NHD’s 2026 theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. The distinctions among revolutions, reactions, and reforms are sometimes blurred. Revolutions and reforms are often reactions to ideas, actions, or events. In turn, revolutions and reforms inspire reactions. Think of it as a domino effect—knock one down, which knocks the next one down, which knocks . . .
The first question that comes to mind is, “Do students have to focus on all three words—revolution, reaction, reform?” No, students do not have to focus on all three aspects of the theme. It depends on the topic. If the topic involves all three, then students should be sure to include all three.
Explore the Theme
- Theme Narrative (PDF, excerpted from 2026 NHD Theme Book) to start thinking about the theme
- 2026 NHD Theme Book (PDF)
- NHD 2026 Theme Brainstorm Sheet: Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History (PDF)
- 2026 NHD Theme Video: Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History
- The NHD Theme page has even more resources
- CMHD created a website with potential topics and starter sources for those topics. Visit to get ideas and start your project today!
*Please note that there is no contest requirement for CMHD projects to relate to local (Chicago or Illinois) topics. However, your teacher may put restrictions on what topics are acceptable at the classroom level.