History Websites to Explore
There are many different types of historical websites online. Recently, I visited the United States Holocaust Historical Museum website (you can visit it here: https://www.ushmm.org/) . Taking a dark period of human history, such as the Holocaust, and translating it into a form that all viewers can understand is a challenging task. One must educate viewers and capture the emotional horrors that people suffered. The website is geared for viewers of all ages and education backgrounds, so information cannot come with an assumption of knowledge. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum does a good job laying out the basic facts of how the Holocaust emerged, from the formation of the Nazi Party to anti-Semitism in the modern day.
On the homepage of United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website are the news, resources, and national events sections. The news does not come from major media outlets. Instead, the museum provides its own publications regarding events. The news provides audiences with the museum’s reaction to events happening within the nation. Resources provide educators with tools to bring Holocaust remembrance into the classroom. National events include movie screenings and research presentations.
One of the main tabs on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website is an introduction to the Holocaust. This page presents key facts and dates that the viewer should be aware of. In addition, throughout the page many words and key terms are hyperlinked providing extensions to more webpages that expand on information. For example, one hyperlink leads to an analysis of the Jewish population in Europe leading into WWII. All the information presented on the page and links to information on the page are very technical and concise. These details are important because misinformation not only disrespects those who died but accurate information teaches the world how to prevent a similar event from happening.
In the way that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website stands as an educational resource and information network, The Baltimore Story does so as well. Websites such as The Baltimore Story and the Holocaust Memorial Museum provide an important database of information for educators and students. These websites are free for all to use, accessible to those with an internet connection, and provide an expansion for learning. The information on the websites have been carefully combed to provide accurate information.
Additionally, The Baltimore Story provides the community the ability to submit feedback on their local history. The ability to submit history and have it archived is important because everyone’s history is important. Sometimes research is troublesome because the histories of marginalized communities is often overlooked or ignored. In turn, the history for these communities is not there. I am excited for The Baltimore Story to reach students and for the community to submit their stories.
— Miles Senal