The Context: Timeliner Activity
The 25 participants took part in a multiple class session activity in which they created
interactive timelines around United States Civil War themes using Timeliner software. For this
activity, the participants were divided into groups of five. Each group was assigned a different
perspective or theme for their interactive timeline. The following perspectives were represented:
cultural and literary influences of the Civil War, political and economic influences of the Civil
War, military and political influences of the Civil War, significant local events (i.e. Midwest
region) that influenced the Civil War, and global events happening at the same time. Groups
used the Internet to conduct their background research on these perspectives. Each group had to
identify at least five images and stories that represented their perspective about the Civil War.
The timeline was confined to a specific time frame, from 1830 to 1870. One requirement was
the inclusion of a short group summary description of each image or event’s significance.
Groups, likewise, were asked to include a title for their interactive timeline. At the end of the
project, each group’s interactive timeline was merged, using the Timeliner software, to produce a
strong representation of the causes and effects of events of the Civil War.