What are views and how can I use them? Views are interpretive visual collections built around a historical question. They are packaged either for you to use in class and walk through with links out to key documents or for you to direct students to start their investigation. The idea is that the view provides a jumping off point. But they also are like demo packets--for a lesson on the Strike of 1877 a teacher can lecture or present the view in sequence asking students along the way what they see and think. We want the views to be useful in regular classroom use. Because teachers do not have time to click from one thing to another or to assemble the view on their own time, we have tried to conveniently assemble visually appealing and useful materials for overhead classroom demonstration. The views are also images that are not primary source but derived from primary source data--in this way they are compilations impossible to get through looking at just one primary source. They are built from different tools but packaged for you to use in the classroom as examples.
What primary sources are in this site and how are they organized? We have collected a wide array of primary sources on railroads and the social, cultural, economic, and political transformations that surrounded them. The Topics index gives students a clear set to work with. In each topic we try to arrange the materials to enhance student learning by offering comparative categories. The Land Sales, Migration, and Immigration Topic, for example, breaks down our documents for students into different perspectives: speculators, women on the frontier, land agents, and so on. Our overall data set of documents will continue to grow as we add more relevant materials. This is the one site where a comprehensive and integrated collection of these primary sources will be available, rather than the records of a particular library or railroad.
What documents are selected for the site and why?
We select specific documents from a wide variety of archives and libraries. We have included material from the National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of Congress, the Newberry Library, the University of Nebraksa, the Nebraska State Historical Society, the Library of Virginia, Yale University, and other institutions and personal private collections. Because railroads kept huge archives, we cannot digitize everything and libraries are digitizing many of these collections. Our goal in this digital history project is to assemble a thematic research collection otherwise inaccessible to you and to give you the tools to work with these documents in ways you cannot do in the archive. Our criteria for selection is intentionally wide in scope--we include any documents related to railroads as a system and network in American life.
What is text analysis and can students use it? We have implemented Token X in some of our Views so that students of all levels can conduct research on selected sets of materials. We find that students enjoy making word clouds, assessing language, and investigating the meanings and significance of words. Using our site, students can search, compare, and play with every speech William Jennings Bryan gave on his railroad tours in the 1896 presidential campaign. This tool allows students to see the full set of Bryan's speeches and explore the language of his campaign, comparing states or railroad trips using the Bryan 1896 Campaign Topic.
Can students comment on the blog? Yes. This is an ideal place for students to get engaged with arguments and anlysis and a good place for them to try out ideas based on their research in the site.
What are the highlights in the site for teaching? Check out our teaching ideas section.
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