The Dolley Madison Controversy
The Time Travelers history club is chartered by the North Carolina Museum of History and are a part of their Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, which gives them the opportunity to participate in events and competetions run by the Mueum. Every spring, the Museum holds a competition for historical work by students. Students can compete in many different ways: by building an exhibit, creating a documentary, exploring historic markers and monuments, taking photographs of artifacts, writing a magazine article, and more. Because our goal is to learn and share history, three Time Travelers' students decided to create a documentary about a fascinating (and somewhat hidden) part of Person County history for the 2019 competition.
The nation's first First Lady, Dolley Madison, was born somewhere in North Carolina, but the exact location is unknown. Historians have narrowed the options down to two possibilities based on research: Person or Guilford County. In their short documentary, the Time Travelers' students present evidence from both sides of this North Carolina controversy and invite the viewer to come to their own conclusion.
Making this documentary was a new experience for us. It took a lot of research, time, and patience. Not only did we explore this topic from all angles and sources to present it in the truest possible light, but we also learned how to use many different kinds of technology to make our presentaion visually interesting. The Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough, NC, was very generous in letting us borrow one of their computers, their space, and their very talented librarian and tech expert, Jason Richmond. Over the winter of 2018/19, The Time Travelers' dug deep to discover both sides of the story (Person and Guilford) and put pictures, videos, and primary sources together to form an educational and professional documentary for the 2019 Junior Tar Heel Competition.
After completing their video and bibliography, we submitted it to the NC Museum of History for the judging process. Finally, the journey ended on April 26th, 2019 at the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association Annual Convention at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh. Following the day's classes and workshops based around the theme of North Carolina in the '60s, the Time Travelers' attended the awards ceremony, where it was annouced that The Dolley Madison Controversy placed second in the middle school documentary category. The documentary is currently on display on the third floor of the museum and will be there until April of 2020.
We hope that you enjoy learning about this little-known controversy that is still taking place in North Carolina over the official birthplace of Dolley Madison! We loved every bit of our journey to learn, preserve, and share this interesting story.
The nation's first First Lady, Dolley Madison, was born somewhere in North Carolina, but the exact location is unknown. Historians have narrowed the options down to two possibilities based on research: Person or Guilford County. In their short documentary, the Time Travelers' students present evidence from both sides of this North Carolina controversy and invite the viewer to come to their own conclusion.
Making this documentary was a new experience for us. It took a lot of research, time, and patience. Not only did we explore this topic from all angles and sources to present it in the truest possible light, but we also learned how to use many different kinds of technology to make our presentaion visually interesting. The Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough, NC, was very generous in letting us borrow one of their computers, their space, and their very talented librarian and tech expert, Jason Richmond. Over the winter of 2018/19, The Time Travelers' dug deep to discover both sides of the story (Person and Guilford) and put pictures, videos, and primary sources together to form an educational and professional documentary for the 2019 Junior Tar Heel Competition.
After completing their video and bibliography, we submitted it to the NC Museum of History for the judging process. Finally, the journey ended on April 26th, 2019 at the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association Annual Convention at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh. Following the day's classes and workshops based around the theme of North Carolina in the '60s, the Time Travelers' attended the awards ceremony, where it was annouced that The Dolley Madison Controversy placed second in the middle school documentary category. The documentary is currently on display on the third floor of the museum and will be there until April of 2020.
We hope that you enjoy learning about this little-known controversy that is still taking place in North Carolina over the official birthplace of Dolley Madison! We loved every bit of our journey to learn, preserve, and share this interesting story.
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