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This web site includes over one thousand primary documents, and although it requires a subscription to get to some of the articles, many are available to the public. There are hundreds of speeches, journal entries, and letters written from when America was settled through today. The documents represent different movements throughout American history. There are also hundreds of links to different web sites for additional information, along with a “news” and “teacher’s corner” section. This web site would be beneficial to any Women’s History class. The web site presents itself in an orderly and easy manner. There are few pictures but the documents are easily accessible. Thomas Dublin and Kathryn Kish Sklar created the site and the Alexander Street Press funds it. They seem to dedicate their work to finding oral history and primary sources aimed at educating students and teachers. This particular web site and the Alexander Street Press web site work hand-in-hand to create an access to thousands of primary documents. This web site is not intended for casual readers. It is aimed at teachers and students alike for further education in women’s involvement in American history. Included before each document is an introduction explaining who the person was and what type of situation surrounded them. This web site seems quite credible because it only contains primary sources and they are doing their best to include as many of these documents as possible. It was created in 1997 and was just updated a few days ago. It does not mention what they updated however. There is a web site of the month and project of the month; these are most likely what is updated the most. Because the Alexander Street Press works with this site, it is possible that any new findings are added, especially since the web site runs into the year 2000. The web design is perfect for finding information, but quite boring to the eye. The documents are well organized into forty-nine categories and subcategories. Again, this web site is not intended for the casual internet fan. Teachers and students will find this web site helpful and informational. If this site was filled in with more pictures or different colors, the purpose may be distorted. This way the reader is not distracted and can easily find what he or she needs. Even though it is page after page of text, it is merely serving its purpose of educating. Finally, this web site is great at addressing Women’s History. Because the documents are organized well into different categories, it displays a chronological account of how women lived over four hundred years. Most of the sources are by women and at the very least about women so this would be perfect for any person needing information about women's history. Brianna Egan
April 22, 2004 |