I will admit that I was a frustrated at first since I could not use several of the pictures from Hoover’s presidential library, especially when I found that the pictures in their website had the best images representing the events from Hoover’s presidency that I wished to discuss. These images I could not find in other websites and had to resort to other ones that had less of a visual impact of the topics I wanted to discuss. Nevertheless, I was able to use several of the images in Wikipedia.

I knew I wanted to use a picture representing Hoovervilles and I was extremely lucky to have found the same picture used in Hoover’s Presidential Library and Museum in Wikipedia. In addition, Wikipedia was useful in providing a great image of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I also knew that I needed an image demonstrating the start of the Great Depression, so I knew I had to find a good image representing the despair caused by the Stock Market Crash. Wikipedia did have a few images that I found were useful; however, I decided to look in Google’s image search engine and I came across one particular image that captivated my attention. It was one similar to the one used in Wikipedia, but this one showed more people crowded around Wall Street. The image was part of a website called the Authentic History Center which provides primary sources from American Culture.

Finally, I knew that I needed a picture representing the “Bonus Army March” on the Capitol. It is with this event that I had the hardest time finding its picture, the best images that I wanted to use, I was hesitant to take since all the images that I found in Google under the heading “Battle of Anacostia Flats” where from the Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. Finally, by searching “Bonus Army March” I came across one image that although it did not demonstrate the capitol did show the Hoovervilles placed by the veterans outside of the capitol. The image link from Google took me directly to the Treasures of the Library of Congress website and therefore I chose to use that image knowing that the LOC had no restrictions as long as I credited the photograph.

In the end, the assignment was a lot fun and I really enjoyed using images to tell history. I really wish I could have used the images from the Presidential Library since they really offer a lot of interpretation. I think that the assignment was difficult when it came to deciding what topic and what events from that topic should be discussed. It was difficult to come across great pictures of the events, but it was easy to find pictures depicting those events. If I would have to do it over again, I would have started out by looking at Wikipedia and Google rather than the Library of Congress catalog as well as the National Archives. When I searched at first in these catalogues, I was getting no hits or if I did get an image, it really did not show what I wanted. Therefore, once I searched on Goolge and Wikipedia I received more hits. Other than those few complications, I would gladly do another assignment like this one.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Herbert Hoover
In 1928, Americans elected Herbert Hoover as the 31st President of the United States. Hoover’s election came at a time when Americans witnessed a period of economic boom, higher wages and soaring business profits. President Hoover was to continue America’s economic prosperity; however, soon after Hoover took office the period of the Roaring Twenties would come to an end, and the President’s choices would either bring the U.S back to that period or lead Americans to struggle for life.

Photo Credit: The Authentic History Center: Primary Sources from American Culture – Stock Market Crash 1929
On Tuesday October 29, 1929, after a ten-day steady fall of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Stock Market finally crashed on what Americans came to know as “Black Tuesday.” In addition, the unregulated practice known as buying on margin hurt American’s credit and worsened the effects of the stock market crash. Investors panicked and dumped over 16 million shares. Throughout the month following the crash, Americans lost tens of billions of dollars. The stock market crash on that dreadful Tuesday caused wide commotion and despair, which lead people to crowd Wall Street. Over 400 police officers had to safeguard the area, and the above picture demonstrates the crowds that gathered soon after the crash.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Hoover
The events of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, lead Americans to enter into the period known in U.S history as the Great Depression. The economic downfall severely affected families and businesses, increasing the unemployment rate in the U.S and leading millions of Americans to homelessness. President Hoover, a firm supporter of laissez-faire (hands-off) policy, failed to take action on the situation, believing that the economy would fix itself. He encouraged Americans and their families to continue their hard work and that with their determination and self-reliance the nation would come out of the depression. However, Hoover’s failure to aid families and the unemployed lead Americans to live in shantytowns which people defined as “Hoovervilles.”

Photo Credit: American Treasures of the Library of Congress Exhibit, Memory ~ The Bonus Army March.
Another group severely affected by the Great Depression, were the middle-aged WWI veterans. Congress before the stock market crash had agreed to pay veterans a bonus stipend, which they could collect in 1945. However, with the events of the depression, veterans demanded their bonus early. When Congress refused to provide their bonus early, veterans formed a “Bonus Army” with more than 20,000 men. The “Bonus Army” marched over to Washington, D.C in the summer of 1932 and set up their Hoovervilles outside of the Capitol steps. Since the veterans would not leave until they were paid, President Hoover ordered General Douglas McArthur along with federal troops to force the veterans out of the Capitol with the use of tear gas and by setting fire to their Hovervilles. The press named the events of the Bonus Army March and the actions of the federal troops, as what people known today as the “Battle of Anacostia Flats.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia, FDR
Hoover’s failure to assist Americans during the Great Depression cost him the chance for reelection in 1932. Americans wanted and needed an optimistic leader who would save them from there devastating lives. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was that leader, who promised to assist and offer Americans direct relief. Roosevelt won the election against Hoover by a landslide, and once in office FDR would immediately set to work his New Deal policies in order to take America out of the depression.

FDR’s New Deal improved the situation in America, but it did not end the Great Depression. It would take America’s involvement in WWII to finally get the nation out of the Great Depression. Today these images demonstrate how Americans struggled to make it through the depression and how they were in desperate need of government aid and not a laissez-faire policy.

The Internet has proven an extremely useful tool for public historians, since it helps bring history into people’s homes. Furthermore, the web allows the audience to share the same experience that people who are able to tour museums or historic sites face throughout their visit. Several museums as well as historic sites have developed websites where people are able to view exhibits, collections and shop at the online store. Some museums, like the Lower East Side Tenement Museum’s website highlighted in this review, include virtual tours that allow people to participate in the full museum experience. However, in order for this museum to succeed, it should offer the audience easy navigation, beneficial content, scholarship, great presentation and media.

Navigating a website should be as easy as boiling water. It should take only very few steps and consume a small amount of time. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum’s navigation has both positive and negative aspects. When first arriving to the site’s home page, one’s eyes glaze towards the main picture of the museum and the rest of the contents placed within the frame of that image. Although this part of the web page offers an aesthetic appeal, it overshadows the website’s navigation bar as well as the main title. The image is not the only aspect that affects the visitor’s ability to find the navigation bar. In addition, the colors and the location of the navigation bar add a negative feature to this museum’s web page.

The placement of the navigation bar should not be at the extreme top of the page. Furthermore, the grey filler used for the bar also complicates the navigation since the grey coloring of the tool bar located on one’s browser masks or camouflages the website’s navigation bar. Finally, the coloring used to highlight the words on the navigation bar makes it difficult for the visitor to find. Black over grey is not a good combination since they fall within the same coloring scale. Therefore, the museum should reconsider the location and the colors of the navigation bar. Nevertheless, the remaining colors, white, pink and peach used on the main page background are relaxed and subtle. Therefore, the audience’s eyes are not overwhelmed since it offers a simplistic color scheme.

After reviewing the navigation, one must also take into consideration what content the website has to offer to its audience. This is imperative, since the visitor needs to know whether they should or ought not to spend their time surfing this site. On the home page one finds underneath the main image, a two row, two column box that informs visitors of the main topics that one can find throughout the website. Images represent each of these topics, and underlined with their corresponding links. On the navigation bar one learns that the website offers visitors information about the museum and its mission, along with directions, tour information and tickets. The website also offers a link to the museum’s shop as well as a link for educators offering material to use inside and outside of the classroom. The museum also offers content for researchers to explore. Finally, the most captivating and most important topic found within the site, is the audience’s ability to take a virtual tour of the museum.

The virtual tour is easy to navigate, and the media used by this part of the site is simple to use and works well for the tour. The visitor has the option to listen to the tour guide through and audio recording or podcast and having at the same time the ability to move through the different rooms by use of a quick time plug-in. Another aspect of the virtual tour page that proves extremely useful for the visitor is the use of images to represent the different tools to use for the virtual experience. An image of headphones is used to represent the audio portion of the virtual tour, while the map at the bottom of the video tour allows the visitor to click on any section to move from one room to the next; from the kitchen to the bathroom, and so on.

In addition, the visitor is able to navigate the tours corresponding to different tenement apartments through three options. One can either click on the link entitled next apartment, or by clicking on the oval images of the families of each apartment, or finally by clicking on the scroll down menu that provides the names of the various families that lived in the tenements. Finally, the museum has also provided a written summary detailing the important information about each one of the tenement apartments. Therefore, allowing those visitors that may be hearing impaired, to have the ability to partake in the virtual tour.

The scholarship offered in the museum’s website is different from what one would normally find in other sites dedicated to a particular event in history. Museums have to offer history to the public in a different form. Museums target audiences that are not concerned with the historiography of the topic represented at the historical site. Instead, visitors come to these sites to learn about the stories of the people who lived in the tenements. The Tenement Museum does offer a quick historical interpretation of the history of immigration and tenement living. However, most of the interpretation offered is through the stories, lives, apartments and objects left behind or inhabited by the different immigrant families. The overall interpretation offered is the way in which these large families had to struggle living in tight and unsanitary conditions as well as demonstrating the financial struggles immigrants faced when they came to America.

The overall presentation of the website is simple and subtle. The colors are not bright; therefore, the eyes of a visitor do not grow tired or watery. The organization of a few pages need to be touched up since certain parts look cluttered and the eye does not know where to go. The navigation bar should be moved to the left hand side and use other colors. Finally, the overall aesthetic appeal works as long as the museum’s webmasters reorganize certain menu bars as well as creating one overall color and font. The use of different colors and fonts makes the site jarring. The museum website should keep it to a minimum of two fonts and no more than four or five colors for the backgrounds. Of all the pages that one can navigate throughout the website, the best are the ones offered in the virtual tour and the museum should reconsider their design. Therefore, the website will have a coherent structure and an original design.

This website targets an audience that represents the tourist group as well as the historic homes/site and museum aficionados. In addition, it is a helpful site for educators since it provides suggestions for teaching students about immigration as well as information on school group tours targeted for different age groups, from k-12 grades. Finally, yet importantly, this site is a great medium for audiences who are unable to visit the physical site and who may have disabilities. Overall the website offers great information and they only negative aspect a viewer might find is the complexity of the navigation since the structure does not allow for the visitor to easily find the important menus and links. Regardless of these complications, this is a great website to visit because it offers a great learning experience. One learns about the history of immigration as well as tenement life. In addition, being able to view and hear the tour adds an extra dimension to Internet use as well as a more profound connection to the past. Therefore, the public historians of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum achieve their goal by bringing history to people’s homes and lives through their website’s virtual tour.

The few sites that I did use for my publication, I found had useful and reliable information. Although I was reluctant to use Wikipedia, I did look over their information and noticed that a good part of their information seemed accurate and reliable from what I had learned from the other valuable sites that I had used. I found that The History Channel had the best presentation because of the film they produced and edited detailing the history of the holiday. In addition, their information seemed to father the information I had found in Wikipedia as well as what I found on Catholic Online. I found that the latter website was useful and reliable since it was a (.org) and belonged to the Catholic organization that would have the correct information about the Saints that they honor throughout the year. I did find other religious websites that discussed the history, but I was reluctant to use them because they ended in (.com). Finally, CNN provided for me further information about Chaucer’s relationship to the holiday that I thought it would be useful for my essay. However, I did find that the person who wrote the article was questionable since I found that it was written with reluctance and as if it was trying to reach a deadline.

I believe that the web can offer great resources for several different topics. However, I was shocked that the web had few websites, besides the commercial ones that discussed the history of Valentine’s Day. Then again, I may have to find new methods for performing research on the web.

Whether it is a day for families, friends, and couples, one thing for certain, is that, this date is all about spreading love. People go to great lengths to make this holiday special; however, what is it about his day that makes it worth celebrating? How did this tradition begin? Finally, what is the history of St. Valentine’s Day?

To find the answers to these questions in the 21st century is a not a difficult task due to the Internet’s plethora of sources that discuss this exclusive day. However, one should be cautious and critical about the information and websites that are present in the World Wide Web. This essay offers information on the history of Valentine’s Day, as well as links to sources in the Internet that seemed reliable. There are several different legends about the origins for dedicating a day to love, and the History Channel, the Catholic website, Wikipedia and CNN have all touched on one or all of these myths.

According to The History Channel website that has created a special on the history of St. Valentine’s Day, this holiday shares both ancient Roman and Christian traditions. According to this website, legend has it that Valentine was a Roman Catholic priest who served in the third century. During his time as a priest he had performed secret marriages among young lovers after disagreeing with the decree of emperor Claudius II, which said that single men made better soldiers; therefore, outlawing their marriages. However, once the emperor had discovered that Fr. Valentine had been performing secret marriages, he was outraged and sentenced the noble priest to death on February 14. Furthermore, the History Channel notes that During Fr. Valentine’s days in prison he had fallen for the jailor’s daughter and before his death, he had written her a note signing it off as “Your Valentine.” Therefore, it said that this act marked the tradition for sending out Valentines cards. The History Channel does a great job with their Valentine’s Special; however, the channel’s website fails to mention a significant fact about the jailor’s daughter that may or may not be true.

According to Wikipedia’s entry on the History of Valentine’s Day, the jailor’s daughter whom Fr. Valentine fell in love with happened to be blind. This is interesting to note considering that if St. Valentine wrote to the jailor’s daughter, it would have been difficult for her to have read the note if she was indeed blind. Nevertheless, one could infer that the note was read to her and that this is how history proves that Fr. Valentine began the tradition of sending out Valentines. Wikipedia touches on many of the facts that the History Channel’s website notes in its Valentine’s entry. However, one also learns through Wikipedia that another legend has it that the tradition of Valentine’s cards began when people left notes under rocks in the cell of Fr. Valentine so that he may offer prayers for them. Whichever the myth, people can agree that the tradition of Valentine’s cards began while the priest was in jail. Furthermore, Wikipedia is not the only site to note that Fr. Valentine had fallen in love with the jailor’s blind daughter. Another useful site to learn about the history of St. Valentines is the webpage built by the Catholic organization that holds an index of all of the Saints recognized by the church.

According to Catholic Online, under St. Valentine’s entry, there remains a mystery of how many St. Valentines actually existed. However, the story remains the same, he was a priest for refusing to give up either his Christian faith or a priest jailed for defying the emperor. Whoever he was, it is certain that St. Valentine existed. He was recognized by Pope Gelaius as a Saint in 496 and the Pole declared February 14 as a celebration to honor Fr. Valentine’s martyrdom. Another interesting fact that this website notes, is that Saints are not supposed to rest in peace even if they are dead. They are to keep performing miracles, which is why during his execution, Valentinus had restored the sight of the jailor’s daughter. St. Valentine was executed in 296 in Rome and buried at Flaminian Way. St. Valentine was a noble priest who demonstrated that love would always prevail; however, he is not the only one to take credit for the celebration of love and friendship. One learns that there are other legends for the origins of this holiday, such as the one mentioned in CNN’s Valentine’s Day article.

CNN published in their website an article that argues that Valentine’s Day, is about the mating of birds and Chaucer’s poem. According to CNN’s respondent Helyn Trickey, Chaucer had learned of an honorary feast on May 3 for Saint Valentine of Genoa and had decided to dedicate the poem “The Parliament of Fowls” in honor of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia’s marriage. Chaucer dreamed the idea that all birds mated on May 3 and this is why love was celebrated on that day. However, the writer argues that after the poet’s death, Valentine’s Day was moved to February since songbirds appear during this time. There are other legends behind Valentine’s Day, and both the History Channel and Wikipedia elaborate on them further.

According to the aforementioned sites, Valentine’s Day is representative of the fertility festivals of Ancient Athens and Rome. Mid-January to mid-February was the period dedicated to the marriage of Hera and Zeus. February 15, was also the date in ancient-Rome that celebrated the fertility festival Lupercalia, a holiday celebrating the legend of the wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus. Wikipedia, also credits Chaucer as the person that began the tradition of associating Valentine’s Day with acts of romance. Overall, all these sites offer great insight into the history of St. Valentine’s Day as well as the different ways that different cultures celebrate this glorious holiday.

Whatever the myth, people around the world have chosen to celebrate love and friendship among each other. Traditions vary from one culture to the other, from one end of the globe to the other, and from one individual to the next. In Brazil, people choose to celebrate Dia dos Namorados (Day of the enamored, or couples) on June 12 for two separate reasons. One is believed to be because it is the day before St. Anthony, who is considered in all of South America as the patron of marriage; who brings us our one true love when we perform rituals such as placing a figure or picture of him upside down. Another reason is because Valentine’s Day falls during their Carnaval celebrations; therefore, preferring to dedicate the celebration of love for another time. In other parts of South America such as Ecuador and Colombia, we celebrate Valentine’s Day through the tradition of Amigo Secreto (Secret Friend like Secret Santa), to celebrate the friendship and love that we have for our friends, family and significant others. Regardless of the traditions around the world, the dates when love is celebrated and the reasons for its history, we can all agree that love is worth celebrating.