Blog 1:
The Spread of US Slavery 1790-1860
Content:
This project utilises a rigorous dataset drawn from the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS), which provides standardized U.S. Census demographic data. Mullen cites NHGIS directly, ensuring transparency and scholarly accountability. Because the project relies on official census counts, its foundation is both reliable and historically representative.
The interpretive stance is intentionally minimal. Mullen explains that his goal is not to impose an argument but to give users the ability to explore census data in a way that supports historical analysis. This makes the content rich for inquiry but light on narrative framing. For students or researchers seeking guided interpretation, this openness could feel challenging.
The map also includes clear instructions explaining how the color scales, logarithmic values, and year‑to‑year comparisons work, helping users avoid misinterpretation of the visual data. The site assumes some degree of demographic literacy, which may be a barrier for general audiences.
Design:
The site uses a simple single‑page layout supported by Foundation CSS and D3.js. The structure is intuitive: a sidebar for instructions and citations, and the map occupying most of the visual space. The navigation relies on clicking a county to zoom in, clicking again to zoom out, and all features perform as expected based on the underlying code and framework.
There are some aspects of the design that fall short, particularly in accessibility. The map’s interface relies heavily on color gradients to represent data, which blend, presenting challenges for those with visual impairments. The code uses Foundation 5, a dated CSS framework that offers limited mobile responsiveness. There are no visible accommodation labels or keyboard navigation alternatives for users with disabilities.
Audience:
The map’s strength lies in its ability to serve multiple audiences without diluting its academic quality. Researchers can quickly compare enslaved, free Black, and total population data over time, while students can visually grasp how dramatically slavery expanded across the South. The clear layout and interactive controls support exploration rather than passive consumption.
The absence of narrative structure may be challenging to some and limit accessibility to general audiences who are unfamiliar with the complexities of slavery’s expansion. The tool is excellent for inquiry, but it lacks handholding for newcomers.
Digital Media:
The project excels in its use of digital media to reveal historical change. Interactive features such as year‑to‑year comparison, county‑level zooming, and variable selection (population counts vs. densities vs. percentages) create a dynamic experience that would be very challenging to replicate in print. The consistent scaling across years prevents misinterpretation of growth over time, a thoughtful design choice that enhances analytical accuracy
The technological framework of D3.js and TopoJSON was powerful at the time of this site’s creation, and it still runs smoothly overall today. The digital infrastructure has not been updated in years, leaving some room for modernization.
Creators:
The project is the work of historian Lincoln Mullen, who specializes in digital humanities and U.S. religious history. His expertise and experience show through in the project’s technical sophistication and methodological transparency. Mullen openly provides the full codebase via GitHub and includes citation guidance for both his work and the NHGIS dataset, encouraging academic reuse and critique.
Blog 2:
September 11th digital archive
Content:
The archive’s content is both massive and diverse. It houses over 150,000 digital items, including 40,000 first‑hand stories, tens of thousands of emails, and more than 15,000 digital images capturing everything from ground‑level experiences to nationwide reactions. Such breadth makes the archive a powerful repository for understanding not only the event but also its emotional and cultural aftermath.
Its scholarship is grounded in authenticity rather than academic interpretation. Much of the content is user‑generated, consisting of personal narratives, oral histories, and community testimonies. The archive positions itself as a “digital home for memories,” rather than a curated scholarly argument. This means the interpretive point of view is intentionally open, letting the public define the texture of the historical record.
This archive is effective as a primary source collection rather than an interpretive historical essay.
Design:
The site is powered by Omeka and offers clear pathways to materials through Items, Collections, Search, and Featured Exhibits. Navigating the archive is straightforward: users can browse collections, explore themed materials, or search the full repository. Most sections function as expected, and the site’s organizational structure is intuitive.
However, the design shows its age. Early on, scholars noted that the interface had gone unchanged since 2004, a concern that persisted for years due to funding challenges. While modern updates have stabilized the archive and ensured long‑term access, its visual aesthetic still feels utilitarian rather than innovative.
The accessibility of the archive is mixed. The simple layout may benefit screen readers and basic navigation, but the site does not take full advantage of contemporary UX design. The dense text menus and older layout structure may overwhelm some users or feel outdated on phones and tablets. Despite the limitations, the archive remains functional and reliable.
Audience:
The target audience includes a remarkably wide range of people: survivors, witnesses, families, historians, students, educators, and anyone seeking to understand the human dimension of 9/11. The archive’s collection strategy, inviting submissions from everyday individuals, ensures that its audience is not just consumers of history but contributors to it. The archive offers an array of multilingual and multicultural materials, including interviews with Middle Eastern and Chinese American communities. The wide assortment of media types allows for a range engagment levels.
Digital Media:
The September 11 Digital Archive is a prime example of the power of digital humanities. From its inception in 2002, it has preserved materials that would have been difficult or impossible to capture in traditional print or physical archives, such as instant messages, emails, digital photographs, and web‑based memorials.
Another major accomplishment is its acceptance into the Library of Congress in 2003, marking the first major digital acquisition in the library’s history
Creators:
The project was developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University in partnership with the American Social History Project at CUNY. It was initiated with a major grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This multi‑institutional collaboration ensured both technological skill and scholarly oversight. The project has also benefited from partnerships with organizations involved in oral history, ethnic community documentation, and museum work
