The Public Opinion Database hosted by the earlyamericanopinion website is comprehensive and user-friendly. The first search page permits the user to select a session--first, second, or third. To date the second session is the only session completed by the editors so at this time the user should select the second session. Once choosing a session the researcher can click on the submit button located to the right of the session tab and they will be brought to the "Topics" page. The "Topics" page lists in alphabetical order every descriptive term that the editors have tagged each piece with, and serves as a digital index for the 1345 pieces from the second session. These indexed terms are taken either directly from the text of the pieces themselves (i.e. "Government, national") or are applied to a given piece by the editors but not located in the actual text (ie. "American Exceptionalism"). The second session alone has nearly seven hundred unique index items. Once the user settles on a term to explore they can click on that item. After selecting this item the site will direct the researcher to a third page dubbed "Select Article" that lists every individual article that contains the indexed term he or she has clicked on. At this juncture, the user can then scroll through the pieces and glean basic information including the original newspaper in which the piece was published, the original date of publication, whether or not the piece was signed or titled, and any remarks that the editors have added to provide relevant information about the piece. When the user has singled out a piece for further exploration they should click on the numerical tab labeled "Article ID" (every piece entered in the database has been given an individual ID number). After clicking on the "Article ID" button, the user will be sent to the "Article Details" page. In addition to listing all of the information about the individual article posted on the previous page, the "Article Details" page also lists all those index terms that the editors have applied to the piece. The user now has the option of clicking on any one of these indexed terms, thereby permitting them to pursue other related topics. In this way the pieces are linked to each other by subject, and overlapping topics are joined together, making topical searches both fruitful and rewarding for the researcher. If a digital copy of the piece itself is available, there will be a link labeled "PDF" to the right of the Article ID number. By clicking on this tab the user can access the full text of the piece that they have chosen for investigation. The "Article Details" page also possesses a tab identified as "Reprints." When selecting this option, the researcher will be sent to a page entitled "Article Reprints" which lists all the newspapers where the piece they have selected has been republished, thus charting for the user the re-publication of the article in the newspapers of the young nation, a practice common in the interconnected sphere of early national print culture.
The first search page presents the researcher with two alternatives to searching the database by session. Below the session tab, the user can click on the "Select two topics" button which will send the user to a new page that allows them to scroll through the topics and make their own customized two topic searches. After clicking on the submit tab, the user is directed to a page containing every piece that includes the two topics the researcher has matched on the previous page. The first search page also gives the user the opportunity to browse public opinion pieces by publication. After clicking the "Select Newspaper" option the researcher is sent to a page cataloguing the newspapers alphabetically by state, city, and title. Once having chosen a publication for perusal, the user is redirected to a "List of Articles" page that consists of every piece published in this newspaper over all three session of the FFC.
We hope you enjoy the Public Opinion Database. Happy hunting!
Please note, any inquiries about the site should be sent to polgarpj@ureach.com, ATTN: Paul Polgar