Introduction | Scope | Rationale | Site Plan | Site Reviews | Technical Plan | Splash
Rationale
| “It seems less likely that the Web presents a radically new paradigm or way of thinking; in many ways the Web simply gives us speedy access to existing resources. Yet the very ordinariness of the Web turns out to be interesting; on the Web the past is deeply embedded in the present in ways that escape our notice in the conventional archive or library. Moreover, the power to access information at great distances and great speeds offers the possibility of making new connections—between disparate ideas and between the past and the present—that might otherwise be missed. Finally, the Web offers one key departure—it lets users produce their own versions of history and place them in a public context where no one regulates access, no gatekeeping organizations police content or methodology. We hope to make both the advantages and the disadvantages of this “democratization” more apparent.” (from "Brave New World or Blind Alley? American History on the World Wide Web," by Michael O’Malley and Roy Rosenzweig.) |
The above paragraph states the underlying rationale for A Fiery Gospel: Religion in the Civil War Era. There is much information already available on the Internet for those interested in religion during the Antebellum period, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. The main obstacle to those engaged in such research is “speedy access to existing resources.” Navigating through a myriad of gateway sites, archival collections, individual pages, and biographies is time consuming at best and counter-productive at worst.
Further, the use of hypertext will allow the user to interface with the subject material in a way that is free and non-linear. Teachers and students will be able to browse related materials from a variety of non-related institutions, archives, and collections. These materials will be catalogued in ways and in subject headings that are familiar to researchers, but they will be available in an entirely digital format for rapid access.
The advantages to such a proposal seem obvious. Access to the vital knowledge base in this emerging field will be more open and democratic. At the same time, teachers (and students) can use the materials to construct lesson plans and learning activities that may then be posted on the web site in a free and democratic manner. This will (hopefully) encourage further interest in the topic and help to create a virtual community of teachers and students dedicated to the proposition that religion actually did matter in the era of the Civil War.