Browse Exhibits (109 total)
1590 Jesuit Press in Nagasaki, Japan
Hi everyone!
I’m Gema Sanchez Gamez and for my final project for English 12H, Literatures of the World, I researched the 1590 Jesuit printing press in Nagasaki, Japan.
As you will learn, the 1590 Jesuit printing press has an extremely interesting history that shows the importance of religious education and the use of books as preachers in the midst of persecution. Due to the tense religious climate in 16th century Japan created by Emperor Hideyoshi and his 1587 Edicts against Christianity, the press had to be moved around constantly and most of the works were unfortunately burned.
This press had a significant impact on the expansion of Christianity in Japan as well as European consciousness of Japan that I hope you will understand better as you navigate through this exhibit. I’d suggest clicking down in chronological order to better understand the full social, literary, cultural, and political effects of this press.
Enjoy!
Will Thornhill's Rise to the Top: A Byproduct of Colonialism

For my final project, I chose to focus on class relations in The Secret River and how the division of wealth and power was influenced by this. This exhibit will compare Will Thornhill's experience in England, where social mobility was unreachable, in contrast to his experience in colonial Australia, where he was able to rise up in wealth and power. My research and exhibit intends to make the argument that Will's social mobility wouldn't have been possible without colonialism.
Have fun exploring! I recommend navigating following the order of the table of contents. Note: The England section has a dropdown menu with more things to view and interact with!
The Sydney Gazette: Australia's First Printing Press

Hi all, welcome to my exhibit on Australia's first printing press, its primary operator and the newspaper printed on it!
The advent of the printing press in the 15th century revolutionized the world of literature and information. However, not just countries which existed then underwent this revolution. New South Wales, a penal colony of Britain, was founded in 1787 and despite having access to a press from the beginning, it was almost ten years before anyone was able to make use of it. Printing requires expertise, resources and time, all of which the colony had a scarcity of. In this presentation I will track the growth of print in the early years of colonization in Australia, from a tiny government-ran operation to a booming and influential industry.
The history of print in Australia only truly began with the arrival of George Howe, a professional printer and convict from the West Indies. Much of this exhibit will detail Howe's life and business ventures, however on account of his untimely demise and the founding of other notable publications (largely thanks to Howe's pioneering), we will also look at others involved in this industry. The Sydney Gazette was a newspaper founded by Howe and was the first and only publication in New South Wales for two decades. This newspaper, although founded and operated by a single convict who narrowly escaped a death sentence, had a profound effect on Australian society and the rest of the British empire, and was the seed for the flourishing Australian press and literature. I hope this exhibit conveys the incredible influence that was achieved by a single machine and person willing to operate it, and I look forward to sharing with you!
Navigation: Use the yellow links in the menu at the top right of the window, or use the arrows at the bottom of the window to navigate this exhibit. You should be able to browse the exhibit in any order you like, although I recommend starting with the uppermost three pages to learn some background information!
Enjoy.
The Correlation between Status and Power in The Secret River

The Correlation between Status and Power in The Secret River by Paulos Habtewold. This exhibit will cover how Grenville portrays the link between a colonist's status and power in New South Wales. I will focus on the legal, economic, and social status that Will had throughout the story and how that correlated to his power to influence and control people and things as well as control his own life.
I would recommend following the table of contents on the right hand side in order to view this exhibit, as the status section should be understood before reading the power section.
Pachinko Group Project

This is a group project on the Novel Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, this project was researched, created, and presented by Gema, Audrey, Jalen, Hilary, and Griffin.
Please use the links on the side in order from top to bottom to navigate the project, but feel free to jump around to learn more about a particular section.
Literary Analysis of Grenville's "The Secret River": Harmful or Helpful?

In this exhibit I will be analyzing the impact of Grenville's novel, "The Secret River" in terms of it being harmful or helpful to the narrative around Colonists and Aboriginals in Australia.
Shipboard Printing on Mid-19th Century Polar Expeditions
This quarter in Cultures & Ideas, we have focused on the origins of texts; not only the texts we are reading, but global print history as a whole. In our visits to the Archives and Special Collections, we have seen how texts all across the world were first preserved, whether through papyrus, animal skin, paper, etc. We have explored the evolution of print, and gotten to see texts produced in various fashions including manuscripts and historical printing presses. As a final research project in this course, we were given the opportunity to learn about a specific printing press, the items it produced, and the legacy it left.
Thus, this exhibit details the historical context, impact, and inner workings of printing onboard the Arctic voyages in the mid-19th century.
It includes details on specific ships and their publications, photos of these publications, as well as speculation and information on the presses that may have been used to create them.
Throughout this exhibit, the impact of these presses will become clear: they provided a sense of hope and entertainment during harsh winter months, allowed creativity to blossom, and introduced printing to a wider range of the general public. I hope you enjoy exploring!
Navigation Instructions
I would recommend navigating in order of the pages on the sidebar on the left side of the screen, or by using the forward and backward arrows at the bottom of each page. While the exhibit is placed in this order, it should still make sense if you jump around, so feel free to explore anywhere you are interested.
A lot of the important information on the print itself will be found in the annotated images. So, look out for the pictures that have boxes on them! When you see them, make sure to hover over the boxes to display the detailed information.
The Zamorano Printing Press-Monique

Hello history seekers!
My name is Monique Covarrubias and in this Exhibit, I have researched one of California’s earliest treasurers: The Zamorano Printing Press. As you will learn, the Zamorano Printing press was used by the Mexican government in Alta California starting in 1834 and moved through several hands throughout the transition from Alta California becoming part of the United States territory. The Zamorano press was the first printing press to be used in California where it served many different purposes, including the printing of government proclamations, to serve time in a newspaper rivalry.
The Zamorano has a fascinating history that I hope you will continue to explore as you navigate through this exhibit. You can click on whichever section seems to be the most interesting to you, but I would suggest going down the list for a more chronological and deeper understanding of the Zamorano’s history.
Enjoy!
The United States Civil War

The United States Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865, was a defining moment in our country's early history. The Civil war was fought over the idea that a person can be considered unworthy of basic human rights and even considered "property" on the basis of their skin color. Throughout the Civil War Countless battles were fought, and many of them deserve a spotlight to convey their specific importance. The Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Fort Wagner are two of these battles that deserve to be highlighted their own unique reasons.
The Battle of Fort Wagner took place on July 18th, 1863. The battle as led by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment and was a key attack that laid the groundwork for the capture of the Battery position, easing the capture of Fort Sumter which was a decisive position throughout the entirety of the Civil War.
The goal of this website is to shed light on some of these unique and intirguing stories, specifically the Battle of Antietam and the Battle for Fort Wagner. We hope to spark interest in the lesser known aspects of the civil war.