About the National History Club
What does the National History Club do?
The National History Club Inc. (NHC) inspires students and teachers to start history club chapters at high schools, middle schools, and within other student and community programs. Members of local history club chapters participate in local and national programs, and create their own projects and activities. The NHC also provides chapters with resources and services that will help them increase the activity and impact of their history club. To date, the NHC has founded history club chapters at more than 250 high schools and middle schools in 42 states.
Our History
The National History Club was founded in 2002 by The Concord Review Inc. (TCR), which publishes the only scholarly review of history essays written by secondary students. In October 2006, The Concord Review (TCR) board of directors voted to establish the NHC as an independent affiliate to accommodate its rapid growth. The new NHC board elected Niki Lefebvre as President and Robert Nasson as Executive Director. Both are former senior staff members at TCR. The NHC was awarded a seed and planning grant from the Argosy Foundation in the fall of 2006. The Argosy Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1997 by John Abele.
Why History?
History is the only topic taught in every secondary school that can engage students of any interest in understanding and tackling human problems in the real world. In history there is truly something for everyone. History is political, artistic, social, economic, military, athletic, scientific, cultural, religious, technological, literary, philosophical, geographic, ethnic, and mathematical. History can be as contemporary as yesterday and as ancient as Mesopotamia, as near as the city one lives in and as far away as Andromeda. History can be seen and touched, read and written, made and remembered. Everyone is a part of history.
Most importantly, the study of history builds the critical skills students need to become responsible citizens and effective leaders. Researching and discovering new information, as well as reading, synthesizing, and communicating that information effectively: these are the skills that make someone successful in business, civic life, and even science. Most professional employees are expected to write. More than half of all companies take writing skills into account in making promotion decisions.
Yet, the study of History is declining in secondary schools:
- In 2004, 71% of high school seniors wrote 3 or fewer papers of more than 5 pages in length during the academic year. Only 38% of high school students today are required to write a “long research paper.”
- Only about a third of seniors at the top 55 colleges and universities in the U.S identified George Washington as a general at the Battle of Yorktown. Nearly half of high school seniors in Kansas failed to correctly identify even three rights granted in the Bill of Rights.
- 90% of college professors surveyed by the Chronicle for Higher Education agreed that high school graduates were not very well prepared in their reading, writing, and research skills.
We are taking action to make the study of history a more important part of every student’s secondary school education.