The “Presidential Timeline” Project

View the Presidential Timeline Web site

In May 2005, The Learning Technology Center received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and began working on a “We the People” project to promote knowledge and understanding of American history and culture. The LTC worked with the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and the 10 other presidential libraries and document projects, the University of Texas at Austin Libraries UTOPIA Project, faculty in the Colleges of Education and Liberal Arts, and the Austin Independent School District (AISD) on the development of a Web-based resource to give the public access to the libraries’ rich archives of historical artifacts. The two-year $233,000 project also included funding from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and the UTOPIA Project.

The “Presidential Timeline” Web site, which debuted on Presidents’ Day 2007, features an interactive timeline of the 20th century based on the administrations of American presidents. The timeline contains digitized artifacts and primary historical resources, such as audio and video clips, photographs, and documents from the collections of the Presidential Libraries to illustrate or provide in-depth information on events. For example, information on the Gulf of Tonkin crisis during the Johnson administration includes President Johnson’s daily diary and audio files of conversations he had leading up to his address to the nation about the matter. Through the Presidential Timeline, students and the general public are able to examine original source materials that were available in the past only to serious scholars, providing them insight into the complexity and confusion that often surrounds presidential decision-making.

Dr. Paul E. Resta, director of the LTC and principal investigator for the project says, “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with the Presidential Libraries on this important project. Together we will combine vast 20th century historical resources with technology in ways to help make history come alive for students across the nation.” His team, led by Ken Tothero, Coordinator of the LTC’s IDEA Studio, manages the project and works closely with the project partners on the Web site design and programming.

Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, Former Director of the LBJ Library, assists the Learning Technology Center by coordinating the work of the libraries. Says Dr. Flowers, “The Presidential Libraries are enthusiastic in their support of the ‘Presidential Timeline’ and confident that the materials they can contribute from their archival resources will be of enormous benefit to students of history and the general public for years to come. The NEH has provided the foundation for an exciting project that will continue to grow and develop.”

Another major aspect of the project is the development of curricular materials that allow teachers to effectively integrate the resources of the Presidential Timeline into their instruction. All the project participants contributed to the design of these materials. In particular, the education specialists at each of the presidential libraries, who had developed teaching units for use with their own collections, were able to share their knowledge and resources to create modules that explore themes such as “Civil Rights” throughout the entire timeline. Templates to help teachers create their own instructional units are also provided on the Web site. All of these instructional resources take advantage of the Presidential Timeline’s source materials to strengthen students’ skills in research, analysis, problem solving, and teamwork.

The Presidential Timeline also received an additional $557,311 in October 2008, provided by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation through special Congressional funding. The new funding will extend the project through 2012 and provide for many more of the presidential libraries’ primary sources to be digitized and added to the Timeline. New functionalities will also be added. One planned feature will allow users to create timelines of their own lives and add photos and other personal items to it. In addition, an online clearinghouse will be created where teachers can share their own Timeline instructional activities and student projects.

The LTC will also host four annual summer institutes for social studies teachers on the use of the Presidential Timeline and primary sources in their teaching. A series of Webinars on related topics is also planned. To handle these new project goals, the LTC has hired an additional computer programmer and a social studies/primary source specialist to augment the Timeline team.

For more information about the Presidential Timeline, contact Ken Tothero.