History Titles on CD-ROM

Descriptions for highlighted titles follow this list. You may click on a highlighted title to go directly to its description.

American Civil War
American Indian
American Revolution
Atlas of the Official Records of the Civil War
Bibliography of North African Prehistory
CD Sourcebook of American History
Civil War: The War of the Rebellion
Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography
Environmental Movement in the United States
Famous American Speeches
Her Heritage
History of Parliament
History of the World
Hutchinson History Library
The Indian Question
Landmark Documents in American History
Marvels of Rome (Macintosh)
Mozart String Quartet (Macintosh)
Perseus (Macintosh)
Presidential Papers
Scientific and Medical Writings in Old and Middle English
SovLit - Soviet Literature (See Lit)
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Westward Expansion
Who Built America? (Mac)
Women in America
Women's Movement in the United States

American Civil War
Quanta Press, Inc.

This CD-ROM database, the third release in Quanta Press's USA Wars series, covers the War of the Rebellion of the Confederate States of America from the United States of America around the middle of the Nineteenth Century. It reviews forces at work leading up to the War, covers in chronological order the battles and skirmishes of the events in the War, biographically reviews the lives of the major civilian and military leaders of the War, includes several hundred period photographs from the War, and is followed up with several tracks of music from the War era, both North and South, played on and sampled from period musical instruments. On-line help for the American Civil War is available by pressing F1.

American History - CD Sourcebook
Volume One: From Discovery to WWI
Infobases International, Inc.

This is a U.S. history encyclopedia containing approximately 1,000 primary source documents, three multi-volume histories and several other texts. Photos and images provide a look at America's development. Here are seldom-cited writings of explorers, colonists, presidents, pioneers and other historic figures.

Complete Published Works on the disk:

• History of the American People by W. Wilson
• History of the American Nation by Jackman
• History of the United States by Bancroft
• The Journal of Columbus
• Historical Almanac of the U.S. Senate
• Madison's Journal of the Constitutional Convention
• Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
• Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
• A Plan for the Constitution by Bancroft

A Partial List of the Primary Source Documents:

• Magna Carta
• Declaration of Independence
• Constitution
• Federalist Papers
• Inaugural Addresses of U.S. Presidents
• Columbus' Account of His Discovery
• Settlement of Jamestown -- Captain John Smith
• Mayflower Compact
• Benjamin Franklin's Plan of Union
• Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech
• Articles of the Confederation
• Paul Revere's Deposition on the Midnight Ride
• Contemporary Accounts of the Revolutionary War
• Framing the Constitution -- James Madison
• Washington's Farewell Address
• Original Writings on Slavery
• Invention of the Telegraph -- Samuel Morse
• Treaty with Mexico
• Emancipation Proclamation
• Contemporary Accounts of the Civil War
• Grant on Lee's Surrender
• Custer's Last Stand -- J.E. Walker
• Orville and Wilbur Wright on the First Airplane to Fly
• World War I Documents

American Indian: a Multimedia Encyclopedia
Facts on File

The American Indian: A Multimedia Experience is the most complete and comprehensive single source of information on the native peoples of the North American continent. Spanning a thousand years, from pre-European contacts to the 20th century, this CD-ROM weaves word, images and sounds into a fascinating journey through the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of North America. This ground-breaking resource contains an unsurpassed wealth of in-depth source materials, including hundreds of historical treasures from the National Archives - treaties, land grants, and other rare documents - the complete text of four award-winning books, sound bites of authentic Indian songs, and over 900 photographs that widely depict events, places and people unique to American Indian history.

The CD-ROM provides coverage of more than 150 tribes, and treats such diverse aspects as locations, migrations, contacts with whites, wars, social structure, means of subsistence, houses, tools, agriculture, clothing, arts and crafts, transportation, religious and spiritual beliefs, legends and rituals.

The American Indian: A Multimedia Experience contains:

• 900 VGA photographs
• Over 1,000 biographies
• Sound bites of American Indian songs
• 250 color illustrations (not available on MRDF system, black and white only)
• The full text of over 250 documents from the 18th and 19th centuries
• More than 100 legends from over 60 tribes
• Maps
• Timelines
• Listings of tribal locations, historical societies and museums

Features include cross-reference links, full Boolean index search capabilities, local text searching within a window, help screens, guided tours through specific subjects, audit trail, and hyperlinked menus.

For more information on how to use American Indian, see the on-line help that is available on all screens.

Anglo-Saxons: An Exploration of their Art, Literature and Way of Life
CAMBRIX Publishing

The Anglo-Saxons is a multimedia guide to the Anglo-Saxon society. It includes color photographs, maps, illustrations, riddles, quizzes, Old English narrations, Anglo-Saxon music, and the complete text of Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

The guide is divided into nine areas:

• Digging Up London -- covers archaeology about Anglo-Saxon London.
• Monks and Nuns -- covers the Christian church in the Anglo-Saxon period.
• Making Books -- covers the making of books and the scribes.
• Marvelous Objects -- objects that survive from the Anglo-Saxon period.
• Amazing Animals -- discusses Anglo-Saxon jewelry and art objects.
• Kings and Kingdoms -- the organization of Anglo-Saxon society.
• Anglo-Saxon Writing -- provides the text of two Anglo-Saxon primary sources:
  Beowulf and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
• Places -- discusses Anglo-Saxon sites, churches, monasteries, and crosses.
• Further Study -- provides a bibliography and list of places to visit.

The Anglo-Saxons also includes an index of key terms.
The CD-ROM is navigated by clicking on icons, and help is available on every screen.

Information about the memorial itself is presented in the section "About the Wall." Segments here include the competition, construction, inspirations for the memorial, with a special section on the Vietnam Women's Memorial.

It is possible to "tour the wall." Clicking on photos superimposed on the Wall brings up information about selected individuals. This may include a brief biography, photographs, and transcripts of personal letters. However, this information is not available for every name listed. The program does allow searching for individual names, as well as by place of birth, and by state, date, and age. This information can be printed out with the name as it is inscribed on the memorial.

Famous American Speeches
Oryx Press

This product is an interactive multimedia CD offering the full text of more than 300 speeches delivered by famous or influential Americans from 1850 to the beginning of 1994. It contains more than 60 photographs and numerous audio and video clips.

Each speech provides the date and location of the speech and information on the speaker and the context of the speech. A list of subject headings following each speech provides links to related speeches by type of speech (convention addresses, sermons, etc.), type of speaker (Afro-Americans, Women...), and subject.

Speeches, video, audio, photographs, and speech introductions are fully indexed and Boolean (and/or/not) searchable by key words or phrases. You also can search by speaker or by broad subject terms. A time line allows searching by date.

Her Heritage: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Famous American Women

This disc contains biographies of more than 1,100 women, dating from colonial times to the present, and includes both living and deceased persons. Searches are by name or vocation/avocation. Some women are listed under more than one vocation.

Biographies are brief, about 400 words. Many are illustrated with a small photo of the biographee. Some have brief video clips. Hypertext links the user to other biographees in the CD. Keyword searches all the biographies.

A review in "Reference Books Bulletin" (Booklist, June 1 & 15, 1995, p. 1825) notes that coverage includes African American and Native American women, but few Asian Americans or Hispanics. While the CD lends itself to browsing the reviewer (Sandy Whiteley) recommends using a print source to look for a quick biography.

History of the World on CD-ROM
Bureau Development, Inc.

This is a complete history of the world from prehistoric times to 1992. Major events from world history are documented. Material is organized so that it may be accessed by 1) Book Title, 2) Theme, 3) Region and 4) Time.

Organization by Book Title lists the titles contained on the disc.

Organization by Theme breaks up the material into eight databases: 1)Economics, 2) Exploration/Discovery/Travel, 3) Overviews/Narratives, 4)Philosophy, 5) Religion, 6) Science and Technology and Inventions, 7)Society and Culture and Arts, 8) Wars/Conquests/Battles.

Organization by Region breaks up the world into six categories: 1) Global History, 2) Africa, 3) The Americas, 4) Asia, 5) Europe, and 6) The Pacific Region.

Organization by Time breaks the material into sections according to seven major time periods: 1) Overviews of World History, 2) Origins of Civilization to 500 BC, 3) Classical Period: 500 BC to 500 AD, 4) Post Classical Period: 500 to 1450, 5) The World Shrinks: 1450-1750, 6)Industrial Period: 1750-1900, 7) 20th Century: 1900-1992.

Indian Question
Objective Computing

This CD-ROM contains original source material, including many works written in the early to mid 19th century, about the early history of Native Americans. The core of the work is a 6 volume set, amounting to a 4,500 page encyclopedia by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, 1845. The work is titled: Information Respecting the History, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States. The work is also known as Archives of Aboriginal Knowledge (AOAK). This work was compiled through commission from the U.S. Congress and was the first encyclopedia about American Indians. There are 300 pictures from this work which are included on the disc. Schoolcraft's autobiography, Memoirs of Thirty Years with the Indian Tribes, 1812-1842, is also on the disc.

Other works included are:

• Letters and Notes on the Manners and Customs of North American Indians- by George Catlin, 1842
• The Indian in Self-Defense: The Indian and the White Man - by Right Hand Thunder, 1880
• Autobiography of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak - by Black Hawk, 1833
• History of the Black Hawk War - by J.D. Patterson, 1882
• Treaties of American Indians and the United States - edited by Kappler, 1904
• Bureau of Indian Affairs Statistics - Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1971
• Myths of the Pacific Northwest - by Katherine Judson, 1910
• Biographies of Famous Indian Chiefs - by N.B. Wood, 1906
• Report on Indian Tribes - Civil Rights Commission, 1981
• Indian Resource Guide to the National Archives - compiled by Edward Hill, 1981
• Indian Microfilm Guide to the National Archives - compiled by Edward Hill, 1981
• The Myths of the North American Indians - by Lewis Spence, 1914

Marvels of Rome
3rd, electronic ed.
Eileen Gardiner and Ronald G. Musto, eds.
Italica Press, 1994

The Marvels of Rome for Macintosh is the first electronic English edition of a noted medieval Latin text, which was first translated into English in 1889. This Hypertext edition supplements the original text with added photos, drawings, engravings, and tools such as a gazetteer, maps, and a bibliography. The producers of this electronic version hope to build on this to create an "electronic encyclopedia of medieval Rome, a rich database of images, bibliography, maps, and eventually full articles on the city and its treasures in the Middle Ages" in CD-ROM format.

The original manuscript was in Latin, probably written around the middle of the 12th century C.E. and traditionally attributed to one Benedict, a canon of St. Peter's in Rome. The earliest extant copy is dated near the end of the 12th century. The text was first printed in 1702.

The medieval manuscript served several purposes: to guide the Christian pilgrims of the 12-15th centuries as they retraced the steps of ancient Christian martyrs; to pay homage to the great architectural monuments of classical Rome; and to recount the traditions of the city and its art and architecture. "It is thus a synthesis of the acts of the Roman emperors and of the Christian martyrs reflected daily in the very fabric of Rome's crowded churches and its grand--if desolate--ruins." (From the Introduction by Eileen Gardiner).

For current users, the text is valuable primarily for archaeologists and historians. They must be cautious, however, in accepting it at face value, for the text is an amalgam of some fact, and much legend, ancient lore, and hazy memory.

This contemporary Hypertext version comprises several "stacks" -- the text itself, several maps, the gazetteer, the bibliography, a notes section, etc.

Pennsylvania Gazette

The Pennsylvania Gazette was printed in Philadelphia from 1728 through the early 1800's. It was the "New York Times of its day." This electronic edition provides instant access to one of the premier documents chronicling life in the American colonies. Heretofore it has been difficult to locate all information from the paper on a given topic. Now one may gather all appearances of a word or topic in a matter of moments, and see the material as it was originally published. Major subjects including African Americans and King George's War may be searched comprehensively using the user-friendly interface.

This electronic edition of the Pennsylvania Gazette is being issued on three CD-ROM discs, and at this time we hold the first volume, Folio I: 1728-1750, and the second volume, Folio II: 1751-1765. The Accessible Archives CD-ROM contains the full text of the newspaper, fully searchable using Boolean operators(AND, OR, NOT).

The transcribed individual entries, complete with full bibliographic citation, are linked to an electronic image of the original manuscript. Document imaging technology made it possible to include photographic images of the entire paper -- with the advertisements, pictures, and original text -- just as the paper appeared when it was first published.

The user may print or download either the textual material, or the photographic images of the document.

The Pennsylvania Gazette on CD-ROM provides a valuable tool for the historian and the genealogist. Family names can be entered and every occurrence will be displayed. Newspapers from the period may be the most enlightening source of information in areas such as the shadowy world of runaway servants, foodstuffs and commodities, the consumer revolution, the government and politicians of the times, women, celebrations, and the sensationalism of crime and public punishment. The disc provides an easy way to view regional and local news of the period. Through instant access windows and keyword search, researchers, teachers and students can view and manipulate this rich, primary source material in new ways.

Perseus 1.0 - Mac
Interactive Sources and Studies on Ancient Greece
Yale University Press, New Haven & London

Westward Expansion
Research Publications, International

Westward Expansion, a component of the American Journey series of CD-ROMs. This disk covers the exploration, settlement, politics, economics, society, and culture of the American West in a very broad sense.

You can begin at the main menu by selecting Search Options, Picture Album, Historical Overview, or a comprehensive list of Key Topics. By selecting Search Options you can search full text or index terms, view time lines or maps, or browse lists of documents, photographs, etc. From any entry you can move to related documents, pictures, time lines, key topics, or index terms, as appropriate. References to additional information are often provided. Printing and downloading capabilities are provided.

Who Built America? - Mac
From the Centennial Celebration of 1876 to the Great War of 1914
The Voyager Company

From the Centennial Celebration of 1876 to the Great War of 1914

This is an electronic book of American history developed for the Macintosh computer, using Hypercard. The CD-ROM takes its text from the survey of U.S. history, Who Built America?

The crucial years of industrial and urban growth, immigration, labor unrest, and political conflict and reform are made clear through film clips, recorded speeches, oral history memoirs, music, autobiographies, fiction and poetry, press accounts, historical debates, interactive maps, graphs, and timelines.

Americans in all walks of life are on the disc. Among them are Italian garment workers, women suffragists, gay cowboys, Mexican farmers, Chinese miners, Japanese sugar beet workers, Mormon farm women, American Indian Students, avant-garde painters, anarchist carpenters, populist orators, women labor organizers, Wobbly poets, black share croppers, Appalachian Baptists, and birth control activists.

The disc includes hundreds of primary documents including letters from immigrants, newspaper editorials, essays, court decisions, congressional testimony, popular fiction, poetry, humorous essays and sociological studies.

Women in America
Research Publications, International

Women in America, a component of the American Journey series of CD-ROMs, intends to reveal the lives of ordinary women of varying socio-economic levels from Colonial times to the present. The text, arranged chronologically and topically, contains links to related documents: replications of approximately 750 primary source documents and pictures. Access to audio files is available through appointment only.

References to de Toqueville, and a chapter or so therefrom, are included. Examples of chapters:

• The Earliest Women: Native Americans
• Women Writers in Early America
• The First Women Factory Workers
• Daily Life of Victorian Middle-Class Women
• The Anti-Slavery & Woman Rights Movement
• A United Women's Movement and the Right to Vote
• Progressive and Radical Women
• Women During World War I
• The Second Wave: The New Woman's Movement

Searching allows the use of AND or OR. The search can be of all items in the database, just documents, a timeline, a list of the pictures, a list of the documents, or a list of the audio files. Up to four terms may be combined.

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