National History Day | NHD



Enterprise, Alabama: Rising from the AshesGrayson MorganJunior DivisionIndividual DocumentaryProcess Paper: 500 wordsThe topic I chose for my National History Day project is Enterprise, Alabama, and the boll weevil. One day while riding in the car with my dad listening to his favorite radio station, Talk Radio, a historical topic came on. It was talking about how a small town in Alabama had a statue thanking an insect. This peeked my interest so I continued listening. This small town was Enterprise and the statue was thanking the boll weevil. I learned that the boll weevil destroyed their staple crop, cotton, but it also caused the people of Enterprise to work together to find a solution to this tragedy. The next day at school, we began talking about National History Day and I knew exactly what I wanted to do my project on, Enterprise, Alabama, and their triumph over the boll weevil. Another reason I chose this topic was the fact that my home state of Alabama was celebrating its bicentennial anniversary. I felt it was important to have my topic based on something that happened in Alabama history.Researching this topic proved to be a bit of a challenge. There were few books specifically about Enterprise, Alabama. I did not want to give up on this topic, so I searched harder. It took many hours searching through books and websites to gather the research needed to complete my project. The Mobile Public Library, the Local History and Genealogy center, and the internet proved to be valuable resources for both primary and secondary sources. With these resources I was able to better understand what life was like in the rural south in the early 1900’s.This year I chose to present my National History Day project in a documentary format. For last years’ competition I produced a documentary as well. I enjoyed it very much, but it was also challenging at the same time. I feel that with a documentary I can better express my topic than I can with any other presentation format. To me, videos are more appealing to the eye. I believe people can better relate to something if they can hear it and see it, opposed to reading it. The 2019 National History Day theme is Triumph and Tragedy in History. In the early 1900’s, Alabama’s economy was based on agriculture, primarily the growth of cotton. Tragedy struck in 1910 when a cotton eating insect known as the boll weevil was found in the state. The small town of Enterprise was hit especially hard. The town lost over 60% of their cotton crops and knew something had to be done. The boll weevil caused them to look for solutions to the crisis they were in. The townspeople tried many things, including pesticides, but found crop diversification had the best outcome. They began growing peanuts and ended up with profits greater than they ever had with cotton. The boll weevil brought both tragedy and triumph to Enterprise. This is how my National History Day project relates to the 2019 theme.Annotated BibliographyPrimary SourcesBooks-McLaurin, Melton A., and Michael V. Thomason. The Image of Progress: Alabama Photographs, 1872-1917. University, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press, 1980This book contained many detailed photographs documenting life in the rural south in the 1900’s. From life on the farm, planting and harvesting crops, to life in the cities. It provided me with pictures that showed the struggles cotton farmers, both black and white, faced during the time of the boll weevil infestation.Thomason, Michael V.R., Trying Times: Alabama Photographs, 1917-1945. University, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press, 1985.This book contained many detailed photographs documenting life in the rural south in the 1900’s. From life on the farm, planting and harvesting crops, to life in the cities. It provided me with pictures that showed the struggles cotton farmers, both black and white, faced during the time of the boll weevil infestation.Photographs-Southern U.S. cotton picking. Photograph. 1920. Library of Congress. provided me with a great photograph of people harvesting and collecting cotton in Alabama.Women and children in cotton field. Photograph. 1900-1910. Library of Congress. provided me with a great photograph showing both women and children working in the cotton fields for my documentary.Websites-“Boll Weevil 1910.” Library of Congress. Accessed: January 14, 2019. website provided me with multiple newspaper articles from the time of the boll weevil infestation. They provided me with a detailed look into how the insect was devastating the nation.Annotated BibliographySecondary SourcesBooks-Atkins, Leah, William Rogers, and Robert Ward. An Alabama Legacy: Images of a State. Virginia Beach, Virginia: The Donning Company, 1995.From this book I was able to gather pictures and information about Enterprise, Alabama, and their struggle with the boll weevil. It contained pictures of the Boll Weevil Monument and documented the success area farmers had with crop diversification and growing peanuts.Bridges, Edwin C., Alabama: The Making of an American State. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press, 2016.This book provided detailed information on how important cotton production was to the economy of the state of Alabama. It provided images of the life of tenant farmers and those that worked to harvest cotton from the fields.Duncan, Andy. Alabama Curiosities. Connecticut: Morris Book Publishing, 2005.This book detailed unique attractions throughout each region of the state of Alabama. It gave me facts about the Boll Weevil Monument, as well as a photograph. Hersey, Mark D. My Work Is That Of Conservation: An Environmental Biography of George Washington Carver. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2011.This book provided me with important information about the life, research, and accomplishment of George Washington Carver. It also contained additional pictures of his life and career, and quote I added to my documentary.Hollis, Tim. See Alabama First: The Story of Alabama Tourism. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2013.This book provided informative stories of Alabama tourism. It detailed many of the wonderful parks and tourist destinations the state of Alabama has to offer, as well as information about the Boll Weevil Monument.Shirley, David, and Joyce Hart. Alabama- Celebrate the States. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009.This book provided information on the history, people, economy, and landmarks of the state of Alabama. I was able to gather key facts about how important cotton production was to the states’ economy.Vella, Christina. George Washington Carver: A life. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2015.This book provided me with detailed information about the life and struggles of George Washington Carver, and how his research helped the rural south.Williams, Horace, and Christine Garrett. The Alabama Guide: Our People, Resources, and Government 2009. Montgomery, Alabama: Alabama Department of Archives and History, 2009.This book contained photographs and information detailing the boll weevil infestation, and the importance of cotton to the southern economy.Photographs-100 Boll Weevil Centennial- Enterprise. Photograph. May 15, 2019. Downtown Enterprise- Home of the Boll Weevil. source provided me with an image showing that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Boll Weevil Monument.Websites-Berntson, Ben. “Boll Weevil Monument.” Auburn University. Last Modified: June 7, 2013. Accessed: November 5, 2018. article/h-2384.This website provided me with information on the Boll Weevil Monument as well as a picture of the monument, of which I used in my documentary.Boissoneault, Lorraine. “Why an Alabama Town Has a Monument Honoring the Most Destructive Pest in American History.” Smithsonian Magazine. Last Modified: May 31, 2017. Accessed: November 5, 2018. website provided me with information on the Boll Weevil Monument, as well as multiple pictures of the monument and the boll weevil, of which I used in my documentary.“Boll Weevil.” Britannica. Accessed: November 5, 2018. website provided me with descriptive facts and images of the boll weevil.Garvin, Casey. “Enterprise celebrates 100th anniversary of Boll Weevil Monument.” . Last Modified: January 22, 2019. Accessed: January 3, 2019. website provided me with how the city of Enterprise will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Boll Weevil Monument this year.“History of Enterprise.” Accessed: November 11, 2018. website detailed the city’s history and their struggle against the boll weevil.“History of the Eradication Program.” Accessed: January 11, 2018. tech/pest/bollweevil/eradication2.cfm.This website provided me with a picture of cotton as well as a little bit of information about the migration of the boll weevil. Smith, Ron. “Boll Weevil in Alabama.” Auburn University. Last Modified: December 3, 2018. Accessed: November 11, 2018. article/h-1436.This website provided me with valuable information on boll weevil, boll weevil eradication, the Boll Weevil Monument, and great pictures to go with each of those topics.“The Cotton Foundation.” Accessed: May 18, 2019. website provided me with an additional picture of cotton crops. ................
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