One of the links on the website takes you to the archives, which has a series of visualizations, mappings, distant readings and close readings. Posted below is a picture of Abraham Lincoln and his family in 1862 found in the archives. This shows that Lincoln is a family man, although the family members including Lincoln seem melancholy. I assume that the Lincoln’s are sitting together in a sorrowful manner because of the Civil War, which was from 1861-1865. This is one among many visualizations on this particular website.
Another approach in this project is close readings. The one I chose is an anonymous hate letter written to Lincoln in 1861 shown below (I apologize for the blurriness).
Unfortunately, I can only read bits and pieces of the letter. In lines 5-8, it reads, “You are destroying this country. Damn you-every breath you take”. This letter was written anonymously, so this disdain and hatred towards Lincoln could have come from a large group of people or just one person. I feel that the visualization of his family correlates to the hate letter by means of the Civil War. As President, Lincoln had to make crucial decisions that were unpopular amongst many. This could be a contribution to why Lincoln’s family looks unhappy.
The archives provide a timeline for the public to see in chronological order a series of visualizations, mappings, distant readings and close readings. These different approaches allow viewers to piece together parts of Abraham Lincoln’s life that would not typically be found in textbooks. Although one may not understand one specific visualization in a certain period of time, all of the different primary sources pieced together give a larger context and understanding of what is actually happening. I found this website incredibly easy to navigate, allowing the viewer to comprehend the material and draw conclusions from the visualizations, mappings, distant readings, and close readings.