I admit--I was intrigued by the description of the Amistad Project (http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/portfolio/repositories_and_reference_tools/amistad.html): I've been fascinated with La Amistad's place in the history of slavery and race relations. It's an amazing story--how a group of slaves commander a ship, land in New Haven, and gain enough support from the local community that John Quincy Adams defends them. Really--an amazing story, that even the movie didn't do justice to--although the reproduction ship which travels the world spreading the message of the Amistad around the world tries to help keep that experience alive (Their website, currently under construction, is https://amistadamerica.net/Home_Page.php)
Imagine my surprise when the Amistad project at Columbia included not a single mention of the Amistad itself. Don't get me wrong--it's a nicely organized online textbook on race relations in the United States in the 20th century. The three modules: Plantation to Ghetto, the Civil Rights Era, and The Future in the Present, are reasonably organized. Each is divided into discrete sections, and includes video, audio, and images--although they are more isolated from the text than I would prefer. The text and content are at a fairly to very high level, clearly geared towards high school students and up, rather than a younger audience. Also, it's not particularly easy to navigate between modules--it's not impossible, but it's not entirely intuitive either. Using an accordion bar on the left could have made it much easier.
When I ignore the title of the project, it's a nice change from a traditional textbook--although they could clearly push the envelope further. But I keep coming back to the title--why call it the Amistad project if it has nothing to do with that particular event. Maybe as they continue to develop modules (the website says 6 more may be added) the connection will become clear--but as of right now, I must admit to a fair amount of confusion.
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