Archives (Don’t Be Scared)

Posted by on 14 November 2008 under Family, Military, Philosiphy | 2613 Comments to Readhttp://jake.roeckerfam.com/?p=261Archives+%28Don%27t+Be+Scared%292008-11-14+05%3A33%3A42

I know the word’s not very exiting.  It conjures up ideas of dusty places and smelly old men, women who’d be tried for witchcraft in other centuries and general boredom.  There’s no glossing over it.  We’ve got a generally bad impression of the word “archive.”  Let’s see if we can’t change that.

Remember in Indiana Jones there was that room where the ark was locked up?  Who didn’t think of all the treasures that were locked up in that room?  I mean really, if they were going to lock up the Ark of the Covenant then what else did they have in those crates?

I like to think of archives like that warehouse.  Sure there’s some dust, but there’s also great treasures.  Dad stumbled across two great treasures this week.  First was the blog entry from yesterday where he discovered the great books that are available online for free.  Then there was a more personal discovery.  In an email Dad discovered an old news reel that showed the West Point graduation class of 1942.  That was the year that his dad, my grandpa, graduated from the United States Military Academy.

Dad has asked if there’s a way that I’d be able to download the file.  Well, dad the answer is YES!  The reason why is because the link he’d found was an to archives.gov, one of the many archives available and growing online.  I’d like to submit a bit of a review of three of my favorite sites that I frequent:

1. Archive.org :: This is one of the first and great online archives.  I’ve been particularly drawn to the older cartoons and TV shows.  A while back I downloaded the feature length Gulliver’s Travels and burned it onto DVD.  It’s now rotated in with the rest of our DVDs the kids watch.
2. Archives.gov :: Need a PDF version of the Declaration of Independence?  This is the place to get one.  How about the 7.2 million dollar check to purchase Alaska?  Or Edison’s patent on the light bulb.  This is also the same branch of government responsible for the Presidential Libraries.  Now that many of them are online school kids should have a much easier time doing research.  You can listen to FDR’s great speeches, or review some of the campaigning novelties of the Kennedy campaign.
3. Loc.gov :: The official website of the Library of Congress this is by far the oldest online archive I’ve visited.  Here you can read Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Washington, in their own handwriting.

Now dad, here’s the good news.  The video you were exited about, and asking about…  I did it.  Because it was located at Archives.gov I was able to download it.  Click the title below to download the file.

West Point Sends Her Men to War