Process Paper
Amira Elhafsi & Amanda Smith
Junior Division
Group Website Category
How we chose our topic:
We were very influenced and fascinated by the novel The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which we were reading in Literature class at the time. We found the cultural differences between society then and now very interesting and decided to research more on Puritan morals and belief and their lasting effects on America itself. In this broad research we discovered the root of several traditions and cultures that lasted in contemporary American society.
How we conducted our research:
We conducted our research in various ways, mainly through library books and reliable documents on the Internet. First, we checked out several books from the library written by primary sources such as Puritan leaders, preachers, and authors to grasp a wholesome idea about Puritan life dating back to the mid 1600s. We also searched for several documents and credible articles over the Internet to attain several facts about Puritan life and it’s possible impacts on America.
How we selected our presentation category and created our project:
We chose to display our project on a website because we enjoy working on computers and believed we could present the impact of Puritans on morality in America to it’s full extent through a website. We enjoyed the idea of being able to put together our own site and design it to the best of our abilities while still making the project interesting and informative.
How our project relates to the NHD theme:
This year’s National History Day theme was Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events. Our project on the Puritans separating themselves from the Church of England and travelling to America to perform religious and societal reform shows the major turning points in history that took place and affected America in numerous ways. The Puritans practiced worship, emphasized education, and brought religious diversity to New England in the 1620s after being discontent with the Church of England. Several Puritan traditions and ideas had a long lasting affect on America and carry on to this day.
We were very influenced and fascinated by the novel The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which we were reading in Literature class at the time. We found the cultural differences between society then and now very interesting and decided to research more on Puritan morals and belief and their lasting effects on America itself. In this broad research we discovered the root of several traditions and cultures that lasted in contemporary American society.
How we conducted our research:
We conducted our research in various ways, mainly through library books and reliable documents on the Internet. First, we checked out several books from the library written by primary sources such as Puritan leaders, preachers, and authors to grasp a wholesome idea about Puritan life dating back to the mid 1600s. We also searched for several documents and credible articles over the Internet to attain several facts about Puritan life and it’s possible impacts on America.
How we selected our presentation category and created our project:
We chose to display our project on a website because we enjoy working on computers and believed we could present the impact of Puritans on morality in America to it’s full extent through a website. We enjoyed the idea of being able to put together our own site and design it to the best of our abilities while still making the project interesting and informative.
How our project relates to the NHD theme:
This year’s National History Day theme was Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events. Our project on the Puritans separating themselves from the Church of England and travelling to America to perform religious and societal reform shows the major turning points in history that took place and affected America in numerous ways. The Puritans practiced worship, emphasized education, and brought religious diversity to New England in the 1620s after being discontent with the Church of England. Several Puritan traditions and ideas had a long lasting affect on America and carry on to this day.