A Continent Divided: The U.S. - Mexico War

This digital collection is based on the work of Fort Worth attorney Jenkins Garrett and the Special Collections librarian at the University of Texas Arlington, Kit Goodwin, who in 1995 compiled a bibliography of the repository holdings related to the U.S. - Mexico War, which at the time was comprised of over 10,000 items. The U.S. - Mexico war (1846 - 1848) is the largest armed conflict between the two nations and its legacy is still a matter of social, political, and economic analysis. The UT Arlington Library's Special Collection is considered amongst the most comprehensive repositories on the subject, containing broadsides, sheet music, manuscripts, maps and graphic materials from both U.S. and Mexican sources.

A particularly appealing feature of the platform are its interactive tools. A digital timeline permits users to match images within the collection with significative events during the war which provides a starting point for a more in-depth study of other artifacts within the collection based on the main topics the creators have identified. Other relevant tool that lends itself for use in the classroom is the extensive printed maps collection, additionally the site offers animated maps that show the routes taken by some U.S. military leaders during specific military campaigns into Mexico.

The main access point for the site is the timeline which guides the rest of the navigation. However, the search function allows for subject or key word exploration that offers a broad array of results. The browse tab permits users to set specific parameters to limit the searches by language, content creator, location, and other indicators. Also, the collection offers essays and biographies produced by scholars within the project. This digital collection is still under development with the continuous addition of content and future elements that will include Lesson Plans for K-12 educators, a GIS component, and recorded versions of the music sheets included in the collection.