Material Detail

This learning object within the Library of Congress system explains the use of the newly invented medium of motion pictures as a documentary device during the Spanish-American War.  It has a nine paragraph narrative section explaining the implementation of motion pictures by the Edison Manufacturing Company and the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company,  along with a chronology of the developments of the war itself.  Embedded in the text are links to the actual video clips taken roughly 110 years ago. The clips themselves are primary sources from which students can get clear, unambiguous, or filtered impressions of the war.  Students can also reflect on the films as to their purpose, possible bias, and historical validity.  The site also gives the student an opportunity to distinguish between primary and secondary sources.  It can easily be incorporated in any history textbook’s discussion of yellow journalism, imperialism, and the power of technology and the press during war.

Disciplines:

• Humanities  / History