The website, Digital History, is an American-focused digital history resource designed for both students and teachers. On the “front page” of the website, one can see that there is many American history topics to choose from, ranging from early American history all the way to the twenty-first century. Naturally, included in this broad range of subjects is the “Roaring Twenties“.
Historical Content
Primary Sources
In the section about the 1920s, there are several subsections that include relevant and useful primary sources. Under the music, film, images, and documents categories, there are audio clips with popular songs from the decade, images of paintings, magazines, and photographs, working links to film trailers, and excepts from important documents. For the images and movie trailers featured on the website, it is obvious where they came from. For images, the title, creator, media type, and year are all listed and credit is given to the source it was retrieved from. Similarly, for the movie trailers included on the site, the name, year, and a description of the film are listed directly above the trailer’s link. Likewise, once a particular one is selected, documents from the decade are properly cited and have an annotation from the author. However, the documents on the website are not in their original form, rather they have been typed up and some have been formatted to get directly to the point of the document. Surprisingly, the songs featured on the website and their corresponding audio clips are listed with very little information, only the song’s title is available to the viewer.
Secondary Sources
There are a number of essays featured on the “Digital History” website within the 1920s category and when combined, the essays cover almost all of the highlights of the decade. Starting at the very beginning of the 1920s with the postwar Red Scare and continuing all the way to the end of the decade with events such as the election of 1928, the essays provide the reader with an extensive outline. Before the more detailed essays, there is a general overview of the decade, giving the viewer a simple synopsis and the option to dive deeper into a specific topic of their choice. From the credits section of the website, it is implied that Steven Mintz, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin, is the author of all of these essays.
Along with the essays, there are also two episodes of Engines of Our Ingenuity, a radio program that seeks to tell the story of how culture is formed and influenced by human creativity, included in the 1920s section. Started in 1988 by John Lienhard, Engines of Our Ingenuity is still creating content and being broadcasted on public radio stations to this day. Each episode can be found on their website with a transcription and a link for the audio clip.
Creators
It is extremely easy to find the creators of this website, both the authors and the partners of the website can be found after clicking “Credit” and “Partners” at the bottom of any page on the website. Under “Credits”, there is first an explanation of the website’s goal and why it was created. After that, it lists the collaborative team that put everything together. As previously noted, Steven Mintz, the history professor, was in charge of all the historical content available on the website. Following Mintz, the next creator listed is Sara McNeil, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Houston, who designed the website and created its featured curriculum. The host of The Engines of Our Ingenuity, John Lienhard, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Houston, follows McNeil. Next is Grace Lin, an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii, who helped develop the database for the website, as well as help create the website’s codes. Lastly, credit is given to University of Houston’s Michael Rapp has been tasked with managing the website’s technical support needs.
Search Methods and Accessibility
It is extremely easy to navigate this website because on the main page of the website, there are four categories with links that take the visitor to exactly what they need. The four categories are eras, topics, resources, and references. In each overarching category, there are subcategories that further breakdown and organize the abundance of information. The 1920s section is located under the the “Eras” category.
Since the search feature on the website is enhanced by Google, several promoted websites and advertisements appear before the results from the website itself do. While this can be a little frustrating, the search feature does accomplish its intended job. On the same page as the search bar, there is an organized site map that is extremely helpful, as it includes everything on the website with embedded links.
Given that the website was created in 2018, its functionality and organization are fairly modern. It does, however, appear to be a work-in-progress because some sections of the website have a disclaimer at the top stating they are still being worked on.
Trustworthiness
In my opinion, this website is trustworthy because it has been written and created by professors at large and reputable universities. Furthermore, the website was supported by several important historical and educational organizations.
How can it be used for 1920s research?
All matters considered, this website appears to be extremely informative and would be useful for an individual looking to learn more about the 1920s. Given the wide range of topics included, the analysis of primary sources, the incorporation of different mediums such as timelines, radio episodes, and virtual exhibitions, and all of the other resources included on the website, there is almost everything someone could need to learn all about the 1920s in one spot. Not only would this website be beneficial for a student or a curious individual, but it also has resources and content for teachers.
Bibliography
- Mint, S. and S. McNeil. Digital History. 2018. Accessed March 2021. Retrieved from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/index.cfm.
Rachel is a junior at Ramapo College of New Jersey taking Discovering Digital History in the Spring of 2021. She is studying History and Education and is looking forward to becoming a teacher after graduating.
