New blog highlights War of 1812 papers...

Andrew Jackson Letter to his Troops,
March 7th, 1812
Image credit: The Papers of Andrew Jackson

Historians and archivists studying the papers of Andrew Jackson and James Madison have collaborated on a new blog which provides a running documentary of the War of 1812. Nashville Public Radio station WPLN recently filed a story covering this news. Here's an excerpt...

Two hundred years ago President James Madison signed into law a declaration of war against the British. The War of 1812 catapulted Tennessean Andrew Jackson into the national limelight. His home place – The Hermitage – is collaborating with Madison’s historical home on a blog that publishes letters and articles on the anniversary date they were written. 

The blog is culling from Madison’s and Jackson’s official papers, as well as news accounts, including from Nashville’s Democratic Clarion & Tennessee Gazette. 

The Blog of 1812 is yet another great example of how archivists and historians are using tools like blogs and social media to "think outside the box in the digital age." When you think about it, blogs are actually an ideal platform for an online collaboration such as this. The chronological format of a blog provides an opportunity for archivists to share diaries and letters in a way that simulates real-time correspondence, bringing history to life once again from the pages of the past to the computer screens of today.