The Haitians Fight
For Freedom documentary cannot encompass the enormity of the Haitian
Revolution; many fascinating stories, as well as pivotal historical aspects
must be left out. Expanding the
site will allow us to complete our presentation of the Haitian Revolution and
to expand its influence beyond a television broadcast. See the web site maps in the
Appendix.
Haitians Fight For
Freedom audiences will be able to
log onto the web site to explore the complete and unedited text and see brief
film sequences of the film’s testifiers and historians. Furthermore, the website will continue
to expand its interview base by including testimony previously gathered by
Haitian historians. As funding
allows, we hope to compile an extensive oral history of the battle and explore
its long-term effects on Haitian American as well as African Americans.
In its final form the
Haitians Fight For Freedom web site will be organized in several
ways: By event, nation/state, and
by geography. Pointing and
clicking on a map of Haiti, Georgia, and Louisiana will call up historical evidence. A screen will then present a synopsis
of the battle event, archival photos, and newspaper clippings during pivotal
moments in the conflict.
The site will include
a complete Haitians Fight For Freedom bibliography, a worldwide list of
battle collections, and hot buttons to the many related Haitian, Civil War,
and world peace web sites. A
Classroom Activities section will be aimed at Junior and High School students
to elicit classroom discussions, which deal not only with the Haitian
Revolution but questions of the slave uprisings in the
United
States.
Schools will be encouraged to use the site (and Classroom Activities
pages) as a jumping off point for the Civil War and Black History Month and
classroom discussion of not only the Haitian Revolution but of black
participation in the Siege of Savannah.
The web site will also
give users the opportunity to discuss the controversies surrounding
Haiti today.
Online communication will take the form of bulletin boards or a
freewheeling interaction or scheduled debates or discussions. For example, an online discussion
might be arranged between an economist and a historian who profess opposing
attitudes regarding Haiti today—one argues Haiti is the way it is today
because of its history, while the other makes mention to poor resources. Such a discussion would inevitably
lead to larger issues, such as the necessity of war or the importance of
national acceptance.
The Haitians Fight
For Freedom web site will provide a comprehensive overview of the Haitian
Revolution, the Siege of Savannah, the Louisiana Purchase, and Haiti’s economic standing today. The collection of historical materials
will be catalogued and downloaded onto a searchable CDROM or DVD and made
available to academic and research libraries, African-American libraries and
museums, college and graduate school history
departments.