A collaborative project by George Mason University and the City University of New York, this site presents over 600 digitized documents, roughly 350 of which are texts, and the remainder images, primarily political cartoons. Textual documents include memoirs and eyewitness accounts, letters, newspaper articles, and manifestos, most of them translated from French to English, such as the Constitution of 1793, sometimes called the "Montagnard Constitution." A search page is provided, where users can search by keyword or select from a range of broad topics -- Middle Classes - Bourgeoisie, Monarchy, Napoleon Bonaparte, Nobility, Peasants, Sans-culottes, and so on. Even though those seeking known items will want to search, probably the easiest way to navigate the site is to select the Explore or Browse options. Explore leads to a set of 12 essays, from "Social Causes of the Revolution" and "The Enlightenment and Human Rights" to "Songs of the Revolution." To help in understanding the iconography of the French revolution, there is also an essay entitled "How to Read Images." A user choosing Browse can see lists of all the images, texts, maps, and songs at the site, or view a timeline of events, as well as a 65-term glossary. The Web site materials are available as a CD-ROM with companion book; ordering instructions are given at the site.
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