Process Paper

            When choosing a History Day topic, we wanted to select one that was original and also interesting to learn about. We wanted a topic that no one else would choose, so we had to think outside the box. There were many topics that we considered, but we felt that the credit card was not only unique, but one that continues to impact us today.

          Conducting research was not easy for such a unique topic. We searched high and low for primary sources. The librarian from St. Pete College library was extremely helpful in teaching us to use the online library for sources. We checked out numerous books from our local library. We found the internet to be a helpful source.  Through the internet, we found a credit card collector’s website. We emailed the site asking for information.  A board member replied and sent us images of old forms of credit payment that we used in our project.  The amount of information we obtained was overwhelming at first, so we had to narrow our focus to remain within the NHD word count guidelines.  After receiving feedback from the county competition, we added a video interview from a credit card industry expert.  We also added two video interviews from people who lived through WWII and the early years of credit cards.  Their oral histories helped us to get a feel for what it was like living at that time.  After the state competition, we added quotes from email interviews from a Secret Service agent and a professor/historian of consumerism, audio from one of President Obama's speeches, and pictures to make a more complete presentation. We feel that all of these changes strengthened our website.

          We chose a website as our presentation because one of our brothers had previously participated in NHD and did a website which seemed like fun.  We thought we could be creative by using pictures, videos, and music to make it exciting.  We liked the idea of having an interactive presentation that was easy to edit.  We spent numerous hours working together and separately on this.  We had some helpful motivation from our mothers.  Thus, we worked incredibly hard to create the best possible website we could.

          The invention of the credit card relates to this year’s History Day theme because it was a turning point in history in 1949.  The credit card evolved because of the many restrictions placed on consumers during WWII.  After the war, production of consumer goods increased and consumers wanted to buy, even if the items were not necessary. This was the start of the credit boom.  The credit card was invented, opening new possibilities for the consumer, crime, and technology. It has grown from one card with 27 restaurants to an endless number of cards worldwide.