After using the interactive map about the Slave Revolt in Jamaica, 1760-1761 I found that digital mapping can be very helpful in understanding history. This online HGIS project is about the slave revolt in Jamaica, it shows how the revolt progressed through the year of 1760-1761. The people of Jamaica rose up against the British killing many of them and destroying their property. The map shows three different phases of the slave revolt, it indicates who was involved as well as when and where fights occurred. The map does a great job of showing how the slaves(rebels) moved across the land. On the site there is a video that goes through each of the points on the map and shows the movement from one area to another. This aspect of the interactive map is one that I found very useful, it really helped paint a picture of how the slaves moved around the land during the revolt. Another feature that I found helpful was the timeline which has different points that you can click. Each point brings you to a spot on the map and gives you some information about what happened at that spot on that day. It is easy to get caught up in the story of hi”story” but by providing dates, locations and the actual paths that the people of the past walked it makes it more real. I think this map does a good job of getting people to realize that the past has shaped our lives today. The only thing that I would say could be improved is just the overall lay out of the site. Once you have clicked on the video that walks you through the map it is a little bit difficult to get back to the home page. Overall I think this map is a great tool that provides a lot of information which helps bring hi”story” alive.
HIST2P26 