By a Macalester student and ESFL intern who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
Written August 2025
Every year, thousands of middle and high school students across the US dive deep into history to not just understand the past, but to engage with its living relevance. This year we proudly celebrate the history coming to life at the ESFL, as well as nationally, as local students win the National History Day (NHD). Three of the young scholars who closely collaborated with ESFL in researching, building, and presenting their National History Day projects went on to become national winners. Their achievements highlight not only their hard work and creativity, but also the power of public spaces like the East Side Freedom Library in nurturing youth voices, research skills, and social understanding.
People working at the library like to think of the East Side Freedom Library as a place not only to access knowledge, through our collection of books and resources, but also to produce new knowledge. These young National History Day scholars create knowledge through their research and the creation of their projects. They add to the collective storehouse of knowledge that has been assembled about American history.
Since we started the East Side Freedom Library in 2014, we have assembled a team of mentors – from retired teachers to college students interns – to work closely with National History Day students. They help the students craft their thesis statements, develop their research strategies, engage with ESFL’s rich resources, and shape the forms of their final products – a performance, a documentary video, a story board, an interactive website, or a paper.
National History Day (NHD) is a nationwide program that challenges students to conduct original historical research centered on a yearly theme. This year’s 2025 theme “Rights and Responsibilities in History” encouraged students to explore and think about the historical tensions, struggles, and stories that define our day to day civic life. And think about how rights in history and the present are not only claimed but also protected and challenged, and how responsibilities often come alongside freedoms as movements.
The students picked and researched difficult histories and drew powerful connections to today’s world. Their work/projects ranged from analytical papers and websites to performances, exhibits, and documentaries, reflecting the diverse ways students learn and express themselves; their work represents months, often nearly a year of original research, writing, and creative presentation.
As part of our Library’s ongoing mission to celebrate storytelling, intergenerational learning, and social justice history, I spoke with those National History Day winners to better understand the meaning behind their research and how it has shaped their thinking.
This year, three students who worked closely with the East Side Freedom Library earned top honors at the 2025 National History Day competition. Their projects highlighted powerful stories of justice, activism, and community, each grounded in a deep commitment to exploring history that matters today.
One of these students is Lila Travis, an eighth grader at Sanford Middle School in Minneapolis, who took First Place in the Junior Paper category for her research project titled “The Strike for Better Schools: Fighting for Teachers’ Rights, Taking Responsibility for Public Education.”
Lila’s paper explores the 1946 St. Paul teachers’ strike, one of the first organized teachers’ strikes in U.S. history. It was sparked by years of underfunding, low pay, and poor working conditions; over 1,100 educators walked off the job to demand better schools and fair treatment.
Lila’s paper traces how the strike challenged social norms around women workers and public employees, how it galvanized community support in a time of crisis, and how it led to lasting reforms in school governance and labor rights. She has used rich primary sources, including interviews, newspaper archives, and school board records. Lila shows how this local event had national significance, inspiring a wave of teacher activism and helping redefine what teachers could demand and deserve.
When asked what drew her to the topic, Lila explained that it was a combination of personal experience, curiosity, and a passion for public education and labor history.
“I’m really interested in local history and labor and union history,” she said, “and also public education. So I wanted to incorporate all of that into a topic. And then my mom and the other teachers in my district went on strike a few years ago and I wanted to learn more about that.”
In her paper Lila mentions that the main inspiration for choosing the topic was because of its powerful local impact and personal relevance. As the daughter of a teacher and a student in the public school system herself, she has a deep interest in education. When she visited the East Side Freedom Library and saw a display about the strike, it sparked her curiosity.
Lila also mentions being drawn to the idea that teachers weren’t just fighting for their own pay and conditions, they were fighting for their students, for the dignity of their profession, and for the future of public education. The story felt historically important as it challenged traditional narratives about who could organize and what counted as a legitimate labor movement.
Researching a little-known but significant local strike came with its own set of challenges. Lila described how difficult it was to schedule interviews:
“It was mostly like—you contact someone and they either never write back, or they get back to you way too late,” she said.
Ultimately, she was able to interview just one person: Peter J. Rachleff, a retired professor, Co-Executive Director of the East Side Freedom Library, and labor historian.
“He really helped me understand the broader significance of the strike. His analysis gave me insight into what historians think about it and how it fits into larger labor movements.”
Another major hurdle was the limited availability of secondary sources.
“Most of what I found looked at the strike only from a local perspective,” she explained. “But I knew it had a national impact–other teachers around the country were inspired by what happened in St. Paul. It wasn’t really analyzed that way.”
To fill that gap, Lila relied heavily on primary sources, especially newspapers, which helped her trace the national ripple effects of the strike.
“Studying this strike helped me better understand the roots of teacher activism today,” she said. “It’s not just history, it still matters right now.”
Morgan Houser of St. Thomas More Catholic School in St. Paul earned Second Place in the Junior Individual Performance category for her project, “The Sedition Act of 1798: The Challenge to Free Speech.” Her powerful performance explores how fear and political conflict led the U.S. government to limit free expression just decades after the Constitution was written. Set in 1800, the script brings history to life through vivid characters. When asked about incorporating historical perspectives, Morgan explained how she used newspapers to give voice to different opinions of the time. “With my script, I found ways for people from that time to speak the facts,” she said. For example, she portrayed different characters representing the Democratic-Republican and Federalist parties’ views on the Sedition Act, including Matthew Lyon, who was prosecuted under it, and added a narrator to provide historical context. Houser skillfully showed how the Sedition Act silenced political opposition and tested the boundaries of the First Amendment.
Morgan shared what drew her to the topic:
“I decided to choose the Sedition Act of 1798 because I’ve always been interested in the idea of free speech and how the government tries to control it,” she said. “I also love the time period—the founding of our country—especially because I love Hamilton. And honestly, I wanted to wear one of those big dresses from that time, so the Sedition Act just checked all the boxes.”
When I asked Morgan why she chose to do a performance out of all the other means of doing the project, her answer was immediate and full of certainty: “I’m an actress, I love acting. It’s what I do.” From the very beginning, she knew that performance was the medium she wanted to pursue. As she began thinking about her topic, she realized that performance would allow her to truly bring characters and their stories to life. “I thought it was such a great way to tell the story,” she said.
Her favorite part of the project was, unsurprisingly, diving into the characters themselves. “Getting into character was so much fun,” she shared. “You have to think about who they are, why they’re fighting for what they believe in. The character isn’t just there, they have a story.” Morgan emphasized how important it was to go deeper, beyond just memorizing lines, in order to embody the historical figures and convey their convictions. “You can have a great script,” she said, “but the characters have to live in it.”
When I watched Morgan’s performance, I was genuinely impressed. She delivered her lines with such confidence and clarity that it immediately drew me in. The way she brought characters to life made the Sedition Act of 1798 not only easy to understand, but also deeply engaging. Her performance reminded me again of how powerful storytelling can be when it comes to learning history. And that’s exactly what we do at the East Side Freedom Library. Everyone brings their own stories, experiences, interpretations, and interests, and every single one is welcomed and celebrated.
While interviewing Morgan about her entire project process, I could really feel her passion for the topic. When I asked about writing her script, she said it was a lot of fun but also quite challenging.
“The script had to be under 10 minutes, so I had to be really careful about what information to include and how to use my time effectively. I went through a lot of editing and got feedback from several people,” she explained. I found her dedication inspiring, especially when she shared,
“I chose my topic in September and kept researching right up until about a week before the nationals. It was a long process but really rewarding.”
Her performance serves as a powerful reminder that even in uncertain times, the right to speak freely is fundamental, and always worth defending.
When asked how the East Side Freedom Library supported their work, both Lila and Morgan emphasized the pivotal role of mentors and resources in shaping their projects.
Lila shared, “The mentors were very helpful in talking through my project and helping me look at all of it in ways that I hadn’t looked at it before, opening up other areas to research.” She added, “There were lots of useful books and other resources there that I used as sources that helped develop my project a lot.”
Morgan shared a similar sentiment, stressing that the guidance she received from the library played a vital role in taking her project to the next level.
“I don’t think I would have been able to win second place at nationals without their help,” she said.
After the state-level competition, she worked closely with mentors to refine her historical argument.
“I had all these different pieces, and they really helped me piece them together into a strong, clear argument,” she explained.
Morgan also highlighted the value of the library’s collection and community. “I found quite a few helpful books there, and I’m so grateful for all the time they spent with me, suggesting sources and helping me dig deeper,” she said, noting that even a retired theater professor from Macalester College, Beth Cleary — a close friend of the library, co-founder of the East Side Freedom Library, and co-executive director from 2014 through 2022— offered insightful feedback on her performance.
Another winner was Nico Allen, from Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Nico earned 3rd place at the 2025 Minnesota State NHD Contest and went on to secure First Place at the 2025 NHD National Finals in the Senior Individual Website category for his project, “The Palmer Raids: Balancing National Security with Individual Rights.”
The central theme of Nico’s thesis explores the delicate tension between the government’s responsibility to protect national security and the protection of individual rights, especially civil liberties and due process during times of fear and unrest.
His website examines how the U.S. government responded to perceived threats during the First Red Scare, using mass arrests, deportations, and civil rights violations, actions that ultimately challenged constitutional protections. The project highlights key figures such as A. Mitchell Palmer and Louis F. Post, and uses both primary and secondary sources to explore the motivations behind the raids and their lasting consequences.
What stood out to me most was how interactive and accessible the website is. The historical narrative and its impact are broken down into clear, easily navigable sections, enhanced by quotes, photographs, newspaper articles, and even video clips from the era.
As someone who is international and not deeply familiar with U.S. labor history, I often find historical research overwhelming, especially when it involves visiting multiple dense and text-heavy websites. But Nico’s site offered a succinct and engaging overview of the historical significance of the Palmer Raids. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an introduction to this chapter of U.S. history.
His project is not only informative, but also an excellent example of how digital storytelling can make complex history both comprehensible and compelling.
Although we only had the chance to interview some of the many remarkable students who participated in this year’s National History Day, their projects, like so many other amazing ones, remind us that history isn’t just in the past, it’s something we interact with every day, something that continues to shape our present. When the youth are given the tools, the space, and the opportunity to explore history on their own terms, they bring forward fresh insight, deep care, and striking clarity and their work helps all of us see the past in new ways. The East Side Freedom Library is proud to have been a part of their journey and remains committed to being a space where stories, solidarity, equity, and social justice meet.
Finally these were some of the advice they gave for students like them who want to pursue NHD next year or coming years or doing similar projects,
Morgan offered thoughtful and practical advice. “One of the biggest things is to manage your time well,” she said. “Really think about your deadlines, break the project into chunks, and space it out. It can seem overwhelming at first, but if you plan it out, it becomes manageable.”
She emphasized choosing a topic you’re genuinely interested in – something I completely agree with. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘What topic will get me to Nationals?’ I was thinking, ‘What do I actually want to spend time learning about?’ You’re going to spend a lot of time with it, and you want to make sure you enjoy it.” She added that when you truly care about your topic, that passion naturally comes through in your final presentation.
Morgan also stressed the importance of historical significance: “Ask yourself—why is this important? Why should we remember it? That’s such a big part of the project”
She spoke with deep appreciation for the East Side Freedom Library as well. “They helped me so much, just their resources, their feedback, their perspective. I think anyone doing a project like this should really get connected with the library.”
When I asked if she’d do it again, she didn’t hesitate: “I would love to keep doing History Day. The Nationals were so fun. I love history, I love researching, so I’d absolutely do it again.
Lila shared a similar sense of enthusiasm: “Yeah, they should definitely do it. It’s super fun, and it’s important to study history. History can be a challenge—but it’s a great challenge. So yeah, just do it!” She also added that she wants to do it again.
Want to support more youth-led projects? Visit eastsidefreedomlibrary.org
References
Contest – National History Day
https://www.socialstudies.org/current-events-response/statement-national-history-day-program-funding
National History Day+2mn.nhd.org+2mo-msusrc.nhd.org+2