Useful Digital History Sites
American Originals Part II
American Originals Part II is a website which presents some of the most important original documents in U.S. History. Documents such as General Lee’s demand for surrender. The documents are example of those stored by the National Archives and Records Administration. The web page organizes the documents chronologically and categorically. The pages include images and summaries of the documents along background information.
The website is extremely easy to navigate. The homepage contains links to all of its information in an easy to navigate format. The web page was made in order to entice a general audience to be interested in the National Archives. The most interesting part of the website are the images of the original documents. Reading the original documents gives the reader an intimate view of history. The website does not take full advantage of the technology available. It has not been updated since 1 July, 1998.
Digital History
Digital History is a website which presents the history of the United States. The website’s historical content was created by Steven Mintz, a director form the Columbia University using a wide variety of sources such as text books, primary sources, essays and films. It is presented by the University of Utah. I found this website to be credible.
The website is easily navigated. It is organized chronologically from the arrival of the first people to America to the 21st century. The information is further organized into categories, such as people, events, and music, through the use of tabs. I found this method of organization helpful. I could pick a time frame, such as the Great Depression, and learn about it navigating the different tabs. It even provides links to other sites that contains useful information about the topic. While the website quotes primary historical documents, it does not have images of those original documents. It appears that the website was written for students and any audience interested in American History.
Both websites are easily navigated, credible and useful. They are both clearly written and can be used for interest as well as research.
