Structure
The core of the First Blacks in the Americas platform is formed by a series of thematic historical overviews on general aspects of the early history of Black people in La Española (Arrival, Demographics, Economy, Resistance, Manumission, Women, etc.) as well as by a set of resources consisting of a collection of primary sources, in the form of a selection of archival manuscripts and their typed transcriptions, translations, summaries and contextual comments; a glossary; a bibliography; a timeline; a collection of scholarly research pieces; a set of historic maps and didactical maps; a collection of photographs and images; links to other online tools; and audio-visual materials dealing with the Black experience in the Americas and the world during the sixteenth century as well as some of its contemporary legacy. Other components, such as lesson plans for teachers are expected to be incorporated in the future.
The thematic overviews as well as the components housed at the “Resources” prompt may be accessed directly through the main menu bar at the top of the platform page. Visitors will also find an abundance of links contained in the overviews they encounter before the “Resources” section. This section provides access to further exploration of the different themes of the overviews, through primary sources, a glossary, maps, photographs, a bibliography and scholarly pieces related to each topic introduced in the overviews.