Overall the project wants to offer up an image of how marginalized communities in the American West utilized and changed the law in the 19th century to scholars and individuals whose lineage or local history is affected.
Goal 1
“Promote scholarship in legal mobilization, the emergence of legal networks, and judicial reasoning.”
The project collects this data for scholars particularly within the law. By going through this database, the creators want lawyers and law scholars to study judicial reasoning, and American legal history.
This follows the goals of Digital Humanities by giving others the tools to analyze and interpret cultural data to use in a legal context.
Goal 2
“Built to invite exploratory navigation conducive to visitors curious about their family and local histories.”
This goal is aimed at your average individual, specifically Americans with ancestors who were members of marginalized communities, or who currently reside in the American West. The database is partially designed descendants of the community it is researching.
Follows along with the goals of Digital Humanities by publishing and providing access to cultural data.
Documentation
Goals are well documented and available on the “About the Project” page of the archive