New to this year's theme of "Turning Points in History"? Start by looking through the official 国史日 2024 Turning Points in History Theme Book 和 NHD Massachusetts 年度主题 Page.

Then begin exploring the many historical resources available at the Massachusetts Historical Society, the sponsor of NHD in MA. You can begin searching for inspiration anywhere in our og体育官网通过探索我们的 图书馆目录,我们的 在线资源,我们的 收集指南，或由 visiting us in person. Check out our prompts below for additional inspiration!

Have research questions?  Not sure where to start?  Our Library Reader Services are happy to help!  You can contact our librarians at 617-646-0532, by email at reference@stevejmole.com，或通过 live chat and virtual reference services 有问题吗?.

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Turning Points in History: Prompts Through The Eras

The 17th Century and Earlier

• Variolation and Vaccination: The Fight against Smallpox: 1721年，阿尼西母, an African man enslaved by Cotton Mather in Boston, 向马瑟介绍了在西非用来预防天花这种毁灭性疾病的接种技术. Mather campaigned for a program of smallpox inoculation 在波士顿，最初遇到了巨大的阻力，但最终得到了庆祝. Later, Edward Jenner's 1796 vaccine was promoted by doctors like Dr. John Van Surley DeGrasse, Boston's first Black 医生, who records vaccinating many children in his 帐 despite lingering suspicion of the vaccine. 在抗击天花并最终消灭天花的过程中有哪些重要的转折点? How do these discoveries represent turning points in medical history?
• The Salem Witchcraft Trials: In 1692, when witchcraft accusations, 试用, and executions roiled Salem, petitions flooded the Salem court 和 colonial government. In 1692, 39 of Rebecca Nurse’s neighbors, 不论男女, 作证说他们“从来没有任何理由或理由怀疑她现在被指控的任何事情。,” but she was found guilty and executed.  What role have the Salem Witchcraft Trials played in history and memory? What impact did they have on the practice of witchcraft 试用, 法律程序, 和 rights of accused? 

The18th世纪

• The Coming of the American Revolution:  自由和民主思想在政治思想中的转折点是怎样的? How did these new ideas spark a revolution among colonists? 不同的土著民族和被奴役的人是如何看待这些思想的?
• Elizabeth Freeman 和 Legal End of Slavery:  Elizabeth Freeman sued for her freedom in 1781, arguing that under the Bill of Rights of the Massachusetts Constitution, which reads "all men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, 至关重要的, and inalienable rights," slavery was no longer legal. 弗里曼案是马萨诸塞州废除奴隶制法律先例的重要组成部分. 伊丽莎白·弗里曼用什么法律策略来挑战马萨诸塞州的奴隶制? 她的案件如何成为马萨诸塞州及其他地区奴隶制和废奴史上的转折点?
• Debates on the Ratification of the Constitution 在马萨诸塞州: 马萨诸塞州宪法是如何成为自治的转折点的? 
• Petition of Prince Hall to the Massachusetts General Court:  In the 1770s and 1780s, 马萨诸塞的奴隶和自由民向殖民政府请愿, claiming that freedom was a right belonging to all men and women. These petitioners included Prince Hall, 他是波士顿著名的领袖和活动家，也是第一个黑人共济会的创始人. 霍尔和他的请愿同伴们为所有黑人的自由作了怎样的辩护? 他们成功了吗?? 他们的请愿是如何为后来的废奴运动开辟新天地的?  
• Early Drafts of the US Constitution: In this early draft of the US Constitution, it begins “We the People of the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts…” and lists all 13 colonies. 在最终的宪法草案中，宪法的开头是“我们美国人民”...” How does this shift in the Constitution represent a turning point in U.S. identity and government? What was the impact of the Constitution on U.S. and world history and government?

19世纪

• Anthony Burns and The Fugitive Slave Act: Following his self-liberation from slavery, Burns escaped to Boston. Due to the Fugitive Slave Act, 伯恩斯于1854年夏天被关进监狱，意图将他绑架回奴隶制, 养了一个巨大的 公众强烈抗议 在波士顿和其他地方. 安东尼·伯恩斯(Anthony Burns)的旅程如何成为马萨诸塞州反抗《og体育平台》(Fugitive Slave Act)的转折点? What was his impact on abolitionist movements and resistance to slavery? Learn more at the History Source.
• Sarah Parker Remond Protests Segregated Seating at Boston Theater: 萨拉·帕克·雷蒙德是一位国际知名的反奴隶制讲师, 医生, and activist campaigner for abolition and women's suffrage. In 1853, 雷德蒙因拒绝坐在隔离座位上而被暴力驱逐出霍华德·雅纳纳姆后，提出了人身攻击指控. Her case was an early effort to overcome segregation laws in Boston. 萨拉·帕克·雷蒙德的案件在挑战马萨诸塞州的种族主义法律方面发挥了什么作用? 她是如何通过她在废奴和妇女选举权方面的积极行动来影响变革的?
• Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment: 第54团是南北战争期间在北方组建的第一支由黑人士兵组成的军队. 第54团如何成为南北战争和黑人士兵争取平等权利斗争的转折点? 他们争取同工同酬的斗争以及他们在战场上的行动如何成为一个转折点?
• Invention of the Safety Bicycle: 19世纪90年代所谓的“安全自行车”的引入彻底改变了这个行业. 到1890年，大约有15万美国人——男人、女人和孩子——拥有自行车. 到1900年，数以百万计的美国人拥有自行车 威豪自行车俱乐部 contributed to the huge rise in popularity. 安全自行车如何成为交通、文化和体育的转折点? 自行车为不同年龄、性别和背景的人提供了多么大的机会啊? Learn more at the History Source.
• Stop-Action Photography, 1888: 这张本杰明·休厄尔·布莱克跳中的定格照片是由他的父亲弗朗西斯·布莱克拍摄的. 19世纪80年代中期, 布莱克设计了一种独特的快门，使他能够以极短的曝光时间拍摄照片. 定格摄影是如何成为新闻摄影革命的转折点的, making world events much more immediate?

20世纪

• The Wright Brothers launching the Wright glider, 1903: 威尔伯·赖特和奥维尔·赖特被认为是发明第一架机动飞机的人. 飞机的发明对国际关系的短期和长期影响og体育平台? On technological development and industry? og体育平台环境? Learn more at the History Source.
• Baseball's Boston Bloomer Girls: As baseball evolved into the sport we know today, men and women alike played the game as early as the 1850s. 从19世纪90年代到20世纪30年代，波士顿布卢默女子棒球队是全国众多女子棒球队之一，她们与男子棒球队比赛. 波士顿布卢姆女孩队和其他女子棒球队是否代表了女性体育史上的一个转折点? 为什么或为什么不? 他们是如何影响性别和体育文化的?
• Massachusetts Women and WWI: Women from Massachusetts played a wide range of roles during WWI. 有些人,像 诺拉Saltonstall, 伊迪丝卡维尔, or 玛格丽特•霍尔在欧洲国外当过救护车司机、护士或食堂工作人员. Others did volunteer work on the home front like 克拉拉制革匠, or campaigned for peace like 罗斯·达布尼·福特. 妇女参与第一次世界大战的努力在哪些方面代表了性别角色和文化的转折点, opening new doors for women? In what ways did it NOT represent a turning point?
• Nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll: 这些照片来自麻萨诸塞州州长(后来的麻萨诸塞州参议员)莱弗里特·索尔顿斯托尔，展示了二战期间对原子弹的测试. How was the atomic bomb a turning point in WWII history and beyond? 原子弹的存在自发展以来对世界政治产生了怎样的影响? 对比基尼和其他测试地点的当地社区有什么影响