AUGUST 21, 2007 -- Version 1.2 has increased coverage of Native American history. New informative articles covering Indian history in the timeline are supplemented with histories of each tribe. This new material augments the earlier transformation of tribes into reservations. This complex, tragic history can now be grasped by every American. Go to "Preview" at the bottom of this column to preview tribal histories.

Families Trace Their Ancestors' Migrations

GENEALOGY LIBRARIES EVERYWHERE -- Families are using the enhanced version of "Growth of a Nation" to learn more about their ancestors. Once they know the place and dates of family tree members, family researchers use the program to study the land and the options available during their ancestors' time. With the handy population layer, they choose any year between 1790 and 2005 and see the country displayed at the selected date: the existing states and territories, the density of population, where people settled, and the big cities. Researchers can also study the position and range of the Indians, a major concern in the early expansion west.
    Eight movies tell the stories of when, why, where, and how people moved from the first migrations across the Appalachian Mountains in the 1790s into Kentucky and Tennessee, to the Gold Rush of 1849, which opened the entire west to intent miners. "This is a help to genealogists who need an historical overview to trace family migration patterns," says well respected genealogy consultant, John Kitzmiller.
    "There's a real excitement when you finally understand just why your relatives ended up where they did," said Jeff Lawson a Salt Lake City genealogy enthusiast and retired Junior High School history teacher who has fallen in love with the program.

K-12 SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES EVERY WHERE-- Schools and home schools using the Animated Atlas products are teaching history in an alternative way -- from the top down. Students are learning the overall picture first, and then once they get excited, exploring the details later.
    Tests indicate that the old method isn't always working. Students regularly miss the overall picture. Many students finish their education not knowing which country lies to the south of the United States, or in which century the Civil War occurred. This incredible ignorance of the simplest overall facts may be due to never explicitly experiencing them. "While today's textbooks provide more and more context, we have a long way to go in what could be a whole new form of instruction," said Peter Mays, chief designer of the Animated Atlas product line.