My assigned “next action” for our Timeline group was to revisit the class’s first Library Assignments in order to determine whether or not it would be feasible to include any of data in our timeline and, if so, which articles to use. It seems that most of the articles the class found either discussed the Dowling statue directly, recapped the Battle of Sabine Pass, or described some small event related to Dowling’s memory. For example, one such small event was the presentation of a diamond medal to Dowling’s daughter on in 1889 in honor of her father’s heroism. This is something that could certainly be included in our timeline, but might be a bit too frivolous depending on what we decide to focus on. Of course, it would fit right in to a timeline dedicated to events related to Dowling’s memory in general, but otherwise it may be best to leave it out.
It does seem to me that our group is best suited to deal with these smaller events; otherwise, they might be left out. The first Library Assignment gives us a lot of events to choose from, but it might be hard to justify some of them. These are the kind of events we might want to include along side other, more significant events from the same time period in US history, if only to show what was going on while Dowling was being remembered.
Some of the other articles are less explicit in the events they describe; for example, one article in 1929 complains about the lack of a monument honoring Dowling at St. Vincent’s Cemetery, where his unmarked grave was at the time. Although I don’t think we should include an item in the timeline for this specific article, it might be helpful to link to articles like this one when discussing relevant events (i.e. the dedication of a monument at the cemetery a few years later).
I think it might be best to include smaller events in our timeline because it will allow us to present a fuller version of Dowling’s history; after all, if someone outside of our class is viewing our timeline, it’s more likely that the less significant events would be new to them than the same old details about the Battle of Sabine Pass or the Dowling statue’s unveiling. The real challenge is in presenting these events so that they are relevant, which could probably be done by providing enough context in the form of other historical events.
I also took a look at the tutorial for using the timeline software. It seems relatively easy to use, and definitely customizable enough for our needs. I have no doubts about our ability to master the technical aspect of the timeline’s creation, but we certainly have a bit to think about in the way of the information we want to represent.
Good points Victor! I agree that the tutorial seems relatively easy to use; however, we must decide on how to present the information and categorize the data into different events or types. This thought brings me to what I think we must do next and that is decide on which events will go on the timeline. Although I agree with your point on not leaving out these smaller events, first, I believe we must decide on which events are crucial to the timeline. From here, we can decide on which smaller events and relevant information from the same time period in US history will go on the timeline. Also, I like your point about making the timeline interesting to those who have some knowledge of Dowling and the Battle of Sabine Pass. I think an important part of the timeline is making the timeline interesting and entertaining to a wide variety of people.
While I do not think that esoteric details about how Dowling remembered should necessarily be forgotten, it will be difficult to decide how many of those details are relevant to creating an interesting, broad history of Dowling and the Battle of Sabine Pass. Personally, it seems like the most important details will be those that are mentioned multiple times. Still, we should put everything together and see how much of an abundance of information we have before we decide to leave things out.