PRESENTING "FDR" AS LIVING HISTORY
The Museum of American Armor offering LI college and high school seniors a D-Day essay challenge:
A trip to Normandy during next year’s 80th anniversary of the historic invasion.
The founder and president of the Museum of American Armor, Lawrence Kadish, has announced a contest that will challenge Long Island college students and high school seniors to submit an essay on the legacy of the historic World War II invasion, the winner being provided with a trip to Normandy, France, during 2024 that marks the 80th anniversary of history’s largest amphibious assault. The award is being offered by Beaches of Normandy Tours, an internationally acclaimed travel agency that specializes in military history tours in Europe.
Mr. Kadish noted, “A survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that a quarter of Americans didn’t know that D-Day occurred during World War II and less than half knew that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president during that time.
With such basic historic facts unknown to many college students, there is little surprise that few appreciate how our geo-political world is defined by the courage, valor, and sacrifice of Americans who answered the call of freedom over seventy-five years ago.”
Essay essentials
Essays will be accepted by the Museum of American Armor until March 30, 2024.
They may be of any length and in any medium.
They may be mailed, emailed, or delivered by hand.
The email address is: Info@MuseumOfAmericanArmor.com
Our address is: The Museum of American Armor, 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, New York 11804.
The essays will be judged by members of the Armor Museum board and recognized educators.
The winner must be over 18 years of age and will be responsible for having a valid passport.
If a high school senior is chosen, he or she will be accompanied by parent or guardian at the expense of the Armor Museum.
The Armor Museum will provide air and ground transportation and appropriate accommodations on the Cotentin Peninsula, France, that is near the historic Normandy beaches.
The decision of the judges will be final and all essays will become the property of the museum for the purpose of creating a permanent online archive of the submissions.
A winning essayist will be selected in the Spring of 2024.
Criteria for judging D-Day Essays
Historical Argument (Thesis or Claim)
● The thesis is clearly stated.
● The thesis is imaginative, creative, and analytical.
Historical Accuracy
● The thesis is imaginative, creative, and analytical.
Historical Accuracy
● Information is consistently accurate.
● Information is without critical omissions.
● Student analysis is consistently clear and balanced between their own words/ideas and supporting evidence.
Primary Sources
● Primary sources and secondary sources are used to develop the thesis or claim.
● Primary sources are analyzed and support the thesis.
Historical Context
● Information is without critical omissions.
● Student analysis is consistently clear and balanced between their own words/ideas and supporting evidence.
Primary Sources
● Primary sources and secondary sources are used to develop the thesis or claim.
● Primary sources are analyzed and support the thesis.
Historical Context
● Relevant connections to the time and place are analyzed.
● Connections are consistently made.
Wide Research
● A bibliography is included using proper format.
● Bibliography includes a wide variety of sources.
● Citations consistently credit quotations and paraphrased information.
● Connections are consistently made.
Wide Research
● A bibliography is included using proper format.
● Bibliography includes a wide variety of sources.
● Citations consistently credit quotations and paraphrased information.
Significance
● The impact of the topic
● The importance of the topic
Some Ideas to consider include:
● The importance of the topic
Some Ideas to consider include:
● The Legacy of D-Day
● Heroism of D-Day
● Leadership and the success of D-Day
● Sacrifice and D-Day
● D-Day and the meaning of Freedom
The Museum of American Armor to offer LI college students a D-Day essay challenge: a trip to Normandy
during next year’s 80th anniversary of the historic invasion.
(Old Bethpage, NY) On the 79th anniversary of D-Day, Tuesday, June 6 th , at 10:30 a.m., the founder and president of the Museum of American Armor, Lawrence Kadish, announced a year-long contest that will challenge Long Island college students to submit an essay on the legacy of the historic World War II invasion, the winner being provided
with a trip to Normandy, France, during 2024 that marks the 80 th anniversary of history’s largest amphibious assault.
The announcement took place at 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, during a ceremony before the Armor Museum’s D-Day landing craft that will include the laying of wreath on its bow ramp. Mr. Kadish will remind, “A survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that a quarter of Americans didn’t know that D-Day occurred during World War II and less than half knew that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president during that time. With such basic historic facts unknown to many college students, there is little surprise that few appreciate how our geo-political world is defined by the courage, valor, and sacrifice of Americans who answered the call of freedom over
seventy-five years ago.”
The Armor Museum’s contest is a partial response to a recent campaign by Long Island social studies teachers to prevent what they see as an erosion of the amount of class time assigned to history under evolving state educational guidelines. “Without being anchored to our history, we are a nation adrift,” continued Mr. Kadish.
In 2010 the New York Regents eliminated social studies tests in fifth and eighth grades,
suggesting the state lacked funds for assessments.
Gloria Sesso, co-president of the Long Island Council for the Social Studies and a advisor to the Armor Museum says those tests were never restored. Sesso is among those educators who sent a letter of protest to Betty A. Rosa, the state's
Education Commissioner, warning that the state planned changes for social studies curriculum could pose a "danger to democracy"; by lessening the amount of class time schools spend on the subject. “This essay contest will potentially incentivize a generation of college students to study this era, making up for considerable educational deficit they experienced due to the loss of state mandates,” explained Sesso.
Essay essentials
Essays will be accepted by the Museum of American Armor for the next ten months.
They may be mailed, emailed, or delivered by hand. The email address is Info@MuseumOfAmericanArmor.com
Our US mail address is The Museum of American Armor, 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, New York 11804.
The essays will be judged by members of the Armor Museum board and recognized educators. The winner must be over 18 years of age and will be responsible for having a valid passport. The Armor Museum will provide air and ground transportation and appropriate accommodations on the Cotentin Peninsula, France, that is near the historic Normandy beaches. The decision of the judges will be final and all essays will become the property of the museum for the purpose of creating a permanent online archive of the submissions. A winning essayist will be selected in early 2024.
Open year round, the Museum of American Armor is in its ninth year of annually welcoming thousands of visitors who inspect its collection of nearly fifty operational military vehicles acquired for the purpose of honoring our veterans and telling their story.
