When looking for a site for this Critical Core signature assignment I stumbled across us.history.org. I had never used us.history.org before, however I found the site quite insightful. While taking history, this site can help students write biographies, research papers, and give further information on topics being taught. When looking over the site I felt as though the provided information was accurate, and looking over other sites and comparing information were a reflection of that. The site has 60 units in which they go in depth about the history of America. It’s helpful to be able to find many things on one site. Us.history.org is intended for curious minds, students, educators, and history lovers. Us.history.org is a site focused on Pre-Columbian to the New Millennium era.
All can benefit from the site by discovering new events and figures in history or gaining further information on a topic or figure they were already knowledgeable about. “The word history comes from the Greek word historía which means ‘to learn or know by inquiry.’ In the pieces that follow, we encourage you to probe, dispute, dig deeper — inquire. History is not static. It’s fluid. It changes and grows and becomes richer and more complex when any individual interacts with it” is what the website says in reference to the meaning of history. Looking at the domain on a site can determine how credible or not it is. However, credibility varies depending on the discipline. For example, this particular sit was being used for academic purposes therefore it’s credibility was necessary.
When looking for credible sites the first things users notice is the sites domain. The domain itself is the face of credibility for a website. For this assignment I used a site with the domain .org, a domain that is credible and provides accurate and unbiased information in academic settings ran by an organization. Us.history.org is owned by the Independence Hall Association (IHA), an association “ founded in 1942 to spearhead the creation of Independence National Historical Park” “…. a global media and entertainment brand portfolio that finds, cultivates, illuminates and markets entertainment content to worldwide audiences” (A+E 2018). The network is responsible for 7 other cultivating brands that are in the story business and art industry. A+E Networks is used “in eight out of 10 American homes, cumulatively reach 335 million people worldwide and have 500+ million digital users” (A+E 2018). The site allows everyday people access to information from multiple platforms, multiple genres, and multiple points of views. The site does have ads, however this is yet another way A+E Network obtains money and does not affect their credibility. Sites are created with the intention of educating, informing, persuading, promoting, and gaining money.
Therefore, A+E Network isn’t doing anything that other credible sites don’t do. However, sites have to be very cautious of which ads they allow to be on their site as the ads are a reflection of the partnerships the company has. Last semester, my American History class completed a project on influential people in history, I decided to follow up my research on Harriet Tubman with further information from a site I had not yet used. As stated before, the site gives background information leading to the actual event being discussed, providing a sense of cause and effect. Starting off, the site gives background information on Tubman leading into her greater purpose in history as the conductor of the Underground Railroad. The site addresses the topic by providing fact instead of fiction.
Also, the site was very honest about unknown information. For example, it is unknown how many slaves Tubman truly brought to freedom and instead of trying to fill in the spaces and providing readers with falsified information the site was honest and said it was unknown. The site used was objective as it was not influenced by emotional, surmise or personal prejudice, but based on observable phenomena that was presented factually. Because I had already researched Harriet Tubman I was knowledgeable on her, her life, and her accomplishments.
However, I did read over two other websites to ensure that History.com was providing me with accurate information. History.com is not a personal blog, therefore majority of their articles never hold any bias and are always fact over opinion. I myself would have used this site when doing my project on Harriet Tubman had I not used A+E Networks Biographies.com. Because the provided information is accurate and unbiased I would use it for a research paper, when credibility is mandatory. I as a student find it very hard to find sites when completing assignments because they generally lack accuracy, no bias, and facts. Also, I would recommend this site to other classmates, teachers, or anyone else curious about an event or figure in history.
