Cameron Smith’s NHD Project Carries Personal Meaning

Cameron Smith’s award winning individual website project that captured honors in this year’s National History Day initiative was more than just mere historical research. Titled “Historic Trauma & Unresolved Grief: The Indian Removal Act of 1830,” the website and the research behind it was personal as it explored an important aspect of the heritage of the Huntington High School sophomore’s father.

“When you look in the mirror, what do you see?,” wrote Ms. Smith the process paper that accompanies the website. “For as long as I can remember, I have been taught to see nothing less than the beautiful diversity that lives inside of me. I am, what some would refer to as, mixed race or mixed ethnicity as my mother is Caucasian and my father is African American and Native American. Growing up, the lessons on race that have been shared with me have been both engaging yet daunting. Chronicled are the stories of family hardships, historical events of intolerance and injustices, and the countless lessons of discrimination. Yet within this dark retelling of history there are stories of triumph, success and perseverance. It is within the space between these contrasting stories that my life´s lesson and purpose begins to take shape.”

The teenager said that last year along with her sister Haleigh and brother Zackary, she applied for and received status as a member of the First Nations People. “We now join my father and the rest of the family in being recognized as Indigenous People of Canada,” wrote Ms. Smith in the process paper. “With this application, I have solidified my place in both the history and future of the First Nations Peoples.”

The process of securing the designation left Ms. Smith “wanting to know more about how my African American ancestors, who were descendants of slaves, blended with my Chippeqas and Iroquois descendants in Canada.” So she began to explore the migration of the Native Americans northward.

The teenager’s exploration tied in perfectly with this year’s National History Day theme of “Turning Points in History.” Ms. Smith’s website can be viewed at this link: https://site.nhd.org/17354074/home.

“These are the moments, events, and cases that mark a pivotal change in the course of history,” wrote Ms. Smith in the process paper. “So although my first thought was to examine the migration of the Native American north through Michigan related treaties, I soon realized the real turning point was the forced migration of the Native Americans in the south. Thus leading me to The Indian Removal Act of 1830.”

Once Ms. Smith was fully engaged research for the website project, she discovered that the Indian Removal Act of 1830 had “profound and lasting effects” on tribes spread across North America.

“Displacement, loss of culture, socioeconomic challenges, intergenerational trauma, land rights and sovereignty struggles are all part of the legacy of this act,” wrote Ms. Smith in the process paper. “Through my years of education, I learned about the westward movement of whites, settlements and expansion. These were the positive stories of a growing nation. However, what we can see today is that such economic prosperity and growth came at the heavy cost of Native Americans. As a result, Native Americas today face the devastating reality of historical trauma.”

Ms. Smith quickly knew she wanted to fully explore the topic and develop it into a National History Day website project. “I felt it was the perfect way to provide for a visual representation chronicling the history of Native Americans leading up to, during, and following the passage of The Indian Removal Act of 1830,” she said. “Impacted by the limited number of student generated words allowed for website submissions, these projects require a tremendous amount of research and the blending of primary and secondary sources to help narrate the topic. Therefore, in my opinion the information found on the website can be viewed more objectively than if the topic were presented as a performance or exhibit, where personal creativity and abstract thinking may be celebrated.”

Ms. Smith said the completed website project reflects her “personal preference” for how she wants to learn about her own deep ancestral history through a lens of objectivity.

“By conducting one’s own research one can explore and learn historical events which have helped shape our understanding of cultural groups,” wrote Ms. Smith in the process paper. “However, it becomes the responsibility of the student to further their understanding by making meaning of, and applying lessons learned, from these studies to their own life. For me, meaning comes with the hope of preserving, revitalizing, and ensuring that my cultural heritage endures, and that I, through personal life choices, can add to the stories of triumphs for people like me.”