Web Journal

Doing History in DoHistory: An Evaluation

DoHistory http://www.dohistory.org/. Created by the Film Study Center at Harvard University. Reviewed September 21, 2003.

A major advantage of having historical content online is the ability of readers to "do" the history themselves. By interacting with the websites historical content, visitors can create for themselves understanding about the historical narrative that unfolds through primary and secondary sources. The site Do History strives to make the visitor the principle historical investigator, and in doing so ensures that history belongs to everyone and should be practiced with a keen eye and a mind for fun.

Created and maintained by the Film Study Center at Harvard University, Do History uses the diary of a midwife named Martha Ballard as the centerpiece of its exploration in historical interpretation and evaluation. Ballard, a "midwife" who assisted in the delivery of 812 children during her lifetime, kept a diary for more than 27 years. Do History has transcribed and made searchable every diary entry from January 1, 1785 to May 12, 1812.

The manner in which the site introduces Ballard's diary and the techniques it uses to expose visitors to historical interpretation makes students and teachers the site's principle audience. The site contains a vast ammount of resources to help visitors interpreted historical documents, ask critical questions, and think about life in late 18th- and early 19th-century America. The History Toolkit, for example, helps web visitors with the structure of a historical research project, using primary sources, and reading Martha Ballard's diary itself, among other things.

One fascinating aspect of DoHistory is its invitation to read two perspectives on a particular 18th-century rape case. Visitors read the "official" story from the Supreme Court, and then Martha Ballard's version from her diary entry. The result is a fun exercise in historical interpretation, one that teaches visitors important lessons about the way historians create stories from incomplete, and conflicting, primary sources.

While the site draws almost exclusively from Lauren Thatcher's book A Midwife's Tale, DoHistory also lists other sources that visitors can examine to broaden their understanding of early American history. The Bibliographies section contains lists that cover "The Lives of Women during the American Revolution," "General U.S. Women's History," Religion, Sexuality, and Material Culture. These lists might benefit from a more thorough discussion of the respective books' interpretations and value to Ballard's story. It is a minor quibble, but one that might help visitors extend their historical scope and knowledge.

The depth and quality of the site's content could be enhanced by more attention to the aesthetics of the site. Created with pleasant color schemes, fonts, and text sizes, the sites . Some of the site's pages lack consistency, however, in layout, color, font size, background, and other aesthetic qualities, which is at times disconcerting. But overall, the site contains an effective interface that is easy to navigate. The content of the site is broad, so the site should help its visitors navigate as easily as possible.

In conclusion, DoHistory does what it purports to do: enable visitors to "do history" themselves, with a little guidance. While the ability to browse and search Ballard's diary gives the site an archival feel, the wealth of teaching resources, interpretative exercises, and advice for "doing history" makes the DoHistory a wonderful educational site. This mix of genres helps, not hinders, the sites overall effectiveness. The site is a model for those who wish to make the digital environment a new meduim for the exploration of history.

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