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The Effects Of The Nat Turner Slave Revolt On The Health And Welfare Of 19th-Century Slaves In Southeastern Virginia, Jeffrey Clifford Auerbach

Master's Theses

The Nat Turner Slave Revolt stands as a major turning point in the history of American slavery and represents a fundamental shift in the master slave relationship. This event shattered the previous paternalistic view and caused a fundamental reorganization of slave life. Included in this reorganization was a shift in the subsistence practice, moving away from morenutritious food grown by the slaves themselves to poor quality rations provided by the masters. This change in subsistence practices dealt a serious blow to the nutritional health of those living in the area surrounding the revolt.

By examining stature recorded in the County …

"Carry Me Back To Old Virginny" : Virginia And The Bonus March Of 1932, Steven Patrick Schultz

Master's Theses

On 6 May 1932 the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives declined to pass along for a full vote in the House a bill that would have provided for immediate and complete payment of the Soldiers' Bonus, a small sum of money due in 1945 to veterans of World War I. In doing so it set in motion a chain of events that led to one of the most sordid affairs in American history, the Bonus March of 1932, when tens of thousands of World War I veterans traveled to Washington to ask their government for …

Slaveowners And Southern Soldiers : The Military Participation Of The Slaveholding Community In Civil War Lunenburg County, Virginia, Glenn Seiler

Master's Theses

Before the final shot of the Civil War rang out, the phrase "a rich man's war, poor man's fight" was well embedded in the psyche of Confederate citizens. Many historians credit such perceptions with ultimately condemning the Confederacy to failure. While numerous government policies seemed to emphasize a sense of protection toward the men of affluent Southern families, Confederate leaders disputed such claims. To the common Southerner the rich did not contribute in an equitable share of the fighting and often sought personal gain while the masses endured hardships. There can be no doubt internal class dissent plagued the Confederacy …

The Virginia War Department During The American Revolution, Thomas Gregory Tune

Master's Theses

This thesis will provide a comprehensive analysis of the Virginia War Office during the American Revolution. A study of the War Office must start with its origin and, therefore, with the legislation that created it. This thesis will explore the reasons for the creation of the War Office and its legislative evolution into one of the most powerful agencies in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It will also discuss the War Office's legislative demise near the end of the war as the Virginia General Assembly began to shrink the government in cost-saving measures.

The second part of this thesis will examine …

Richmond, Virginia's Every Monday Club, 1889-1919, Maureen Elizabeth Salmon

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the formation and growth of the Every Monday Club, a woman's literary club in Richmond, Virginia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Since the group has never been researched before, most of the study concentrates on untouched archives. The study uses the extensive Every Monday Club papers which include club meeting minutes, letters, papers, pictures, yearbooks, and newspaper clippings. This information is also supplemented with obituaries, census, and other primary data. The records disclose issues of class, race and education.

The Troubled Intersection Of The Interests Of Christ And Commerce : Appellate-Court Review Of Virginia Sunday Closing Laws In Historical Overview Through 1942, William Robert Vanderkloot

Master's Theses

Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals, between 1900 and the conclusion of this thesis in 1942, consistently narrowed Virginia's Sunday closing law, enacted in 1786 to prevent Sunday labor. While paying lip service to the statute's purpose, the court almost unhesitatingly chose statutory interpretations encouraging more Sunday labor, particularly by expanding its ''necessity" and "charity" exceptions. The legislature also granted additional statutory closing law exceptions. This reflected the preferences of the public as well, which increasingly depended on the services of others laboring on Sunday. These results were also due, in part, to inherent confusions and contradictions in the law itself, …

Learning To Lead And To Serve On Their Own Terms As A Means Of Transforming The Reservation : Female American Indians At Hampton Institute, 1878-1923, Elaine Tzu-Hsing Chou

Master's Theses

Female American Indian students who attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute defined their level of empowerment, playing pertinent roles within tribal communities during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While the Institute left an important legacy in the cause for federally-funded American Indian education, student behavior further determined the lasting effects of vocational training and socializing efforts. Organized topically, Chapter One summarizes the Indian Program's philosophy. Chapters Two through Four investigate the academic curriculum and vocational training, while exploring the ways in which the youth experienced and interpreted extracurricular and personal relationships. Chapter Five analyzes activities of Hampton alumnae …

The Battle For Women's Suffrage In The Old Dominion, Amanda Garrett

Master's Theses

In 1909, twenty women launched an eleven-year campaign to win the vote in the Old Dominion. In 1920, the necessary number of states ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. However, Virginia was not among these states; her General Assembly rejected the "Anthony Amendment" by a wide margin. This study attempts to answer the following question: What was the woman's suffrage movement like in Virginia? By exploring the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, its leaders, arguments for and against suffrage, the public's reaction, the reaction of the legislature and the conclusion, the answer(s) to this multi-dimensional question can be discovered. …

"Enough Glory For Us All" : The "Negro Exhibit" At The Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition, 1907, John Thomas Wilkes

Master's Theses

The Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition of 1907 invited the United States and the world to display their progress in a way befitting the dawn of a new century. Though this exposition fell short of matching the notoriety of other Victorian fairs, African- Americans successfully presented their advancement and historic contributions to American society, despite the shortcomings of the exposition itself and the dismal state of the nation's race relations. Black organizers at Jamestown underscored the rise of their people by maintaining firm control over the entire "Negro" exhibit, an achievement viewed as untenable at earlier fairs. Records of the United States …

Sufferers Of The Revolution : The Paper Money Movement In Brunswick County, Virginia, 1780-1787, David Alan Geraghty

Master's Theses

The years following the American War for Independence were marked by economic decline and political uncertainty. In the mid-1780s, Virginia was mired in a depression that gave rise to a vocal movement that called for a return to a policy of emitting paper currency to augment scarce supplies of gold and silver coin. While historians have discussed Virginia's monetary situation at length there has never been a satisfactory examination of the people who supported this particular movement. Petitions from Brunswick County residents who backed emissions of paper money provide an opportunity to develop a more accurate portrait of this group. …

A "Relatively Northern Southern State:" Civil Rights Protest In Richmond And Danville, Virginia, 1959-1963, Sally Ryan Burgess

Master's Theses

This thesis reveals the historical narrative of the civil rights campaigns in Richmond and Danville, Virginia, from 1959 to 1963, emphasizing how protesters experienced the movement through direct action and examining the way an inherited philosophy and strategy of non-violent protest was employed by demonstrators. Furthermore, it analyzes the role of Virginia as an Upper South state during the movement. The evidence presented verifies a direct correlation between community size, economic foundations, and social outlooks and the community's level of resistance to direct action tactics and youth leadership of the movement. Protests were successful in urban areas such as Richmond …

The Impact Of The 1918-1919 Influenza Epidemic On Virginia, Stephanie Forrest Barker

Master's Theses

In the fall of 1918 an unparalleled influenza pandemic spread throughout the world. More than a quarter of Americans became ill, and at least 600,000 died. For many Virginians, this was a time of acute crisis that only could be compared to the days of the Civil War. This thesis describes Spanish influenza's impact on Virginia, primarily focusing on the cities of Newport News, Richmond, and Roanoke. It details influenza's emergence in Virginia and explores how state and city officials dealt with this unprecedented epidemic. This study examines how the epidemic disrupted daily routines of life and overwhelmed the state's …

The First Fifty Years Of Professional Baseball In Richmond, Virginia : 1883-1932, Scott P. Mayer

Master's Theses

A detailed history of Richmond, Virginia's relationship with professional baseball has never been chronicled, especially the turbulent, early years of its development. This study explores Richmond's relationship with baseball from 1883-1932. It includes information about the men who played on the field, the team owners, and also comments on the relationship shared by the team and the city.

The most reliable source of information regarding early baseball is the local newspaper. A detailed reading of the Richmond Daily Dispatch, and the successive Richmond Dispatch and Richmond Times-Dispatch, was undertaken for this project. While several newspapers have existed in Richmond's history, …

Wounded Women: A Study Of Central Virginia's Civil War Pension Widows, Heather R. Racer

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the lives of Civil War widows who applied for pensions under the 1888 law in Virginia, concentrating on Albemarle, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Louisa, and Nelson Counties. The focus of the study centers on both their pre- and post-war lives to determine who these women were before and after the loss of their husbands. Using the Confederate Pension Applications, a group of 156 widows emerged from these counties. The Manuscript Census of 1860 presented a picture of pre-war life while the censuses of 1870, 1880, and 1900, along with the pension applications, helped reveal their lives after …

A Profile Of Virginia Businesswomen During The Civil War Era, Robyn Mundy

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the role of white Virginia businesswomen during the Civil War era, focusing on the three specific communities of Norfolk, Lynchburg, and Staunton. The primary questions addressed are: who were these women; why did they own their own businesses; and how successful were they? After searching the available business directories for each city, the R. G. Dun & Company credit ledgers provide descriptions of business owners, including some of these women, which, along with the manuscript census, give a socio-economic profile of Virginia businesswomen. After the conflict, the numbers of businesswomen increased and the firms they owned became …

A Tale Of Two Houses, Transported : Virginia House And Agecroft Hall, Heather Lynn Skilton

Master's Theses

This thesis examines why and how two couples in Richmond, Virginia came to purchase and transport from England to America two ancient English manor homes. A brief overvie\v of the backgrounds and ideas of Alexander and Virginia Weddell and Thomas C. and Elizabeth Williams, Jr. is offered, along with a look at the Richmond of the 1920s into which they brought these homes. As with any major undertaking such as this, the press and public had opinions to share, both in England and America, many of which are found in newspapers of the day. Articles, editorials, and letters to the …

An Arm And A Leg For The Confederacy : Virginia's Disabled Veteran Legislation, 1865 To 1888, W. Jackson Dickens Jr.

Master's Theses

The Civil War, more than any other conflict in American history, left a legacy of maimed and disabled veterans. In Virginia a social consciousness began to develop during the war which led to both private and public attempts to aid these men. Following the war this philanthropy was continued by the General Assembly with a series of acts intended to provide for the disabled veterans of the Commonwealth. Initially a small scale program to provide artificial limbs to amputees, this initiative quickly expanded to include disabled veterans of all types. It was from this aid program that a general state …

The Civil War And Social Change : White Women In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Edward John Harcourt

Master's Theses

This thesis concerns the white women of Fredericksburg, Virginia, during and immediately after the Civil War. Between 1861-1865, Fredericksburg existed in the no-man's land between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia. The town was bombarded, occupied by enemy forces, and ransacked. Military control of the town changed hands 10 times. Four major battles were fought around Fredericksburg, resulting in over 100,000 casualties. Throughout the conflict, Fredericksburg's white women were in the thick of the action - supporting their troops, nursing the wounded, and managing the increasingly desperate struggle to provide food and shelter for their families. By 1865, many lives were …

Prohibition In Richmond, Joseph George Era

Master's Theses

The effort to abolish Virginia's liquor trade was a failed experiment in Richmond. The city's liquor industry prospered at the turn of the century, as anti-liquor forces gradually drove saloons from the rural areas of the state. From 1916 until 1933, the political influence of groups like the Anti-Saloon League of Virginia and the Women's Christian Temperance Union led to state-wide prohibition. For seventeen years, various state and federal laws were enacted to stop the flow of ardent spirits. Despite tremendous costs for enforcement, and constant pressure by prohibitionists on the city's courts and juries, many Richmonders flouted the liquor …

"Increasing The Pensions Of These Worthy Heroes" : Virginia's Confederate Pensions, 1888 To 1927, Jeffery R. Morrison

Master's Theses

Virginia's Confederate pensions for veterans and their widows began in 1888. This financial relief for the destitute began as artificial limb provisions immediately after the Civil War. Commutations developed as some veterans could not utilize an artificial limb. These commutations, one-time appropriations approved by the General Assembly, directly precluded pensions. Pensioning of Confederate veterans was sweeping southern states during this period. However, these pensions dimly reflected the massive federal pensions received by Union veterans. Virginia's pension laws expanded the eligibility of pensioners and increased the amounts paid to them. King William County's Confederate veteran and widow pensioners were examined to …

"You All Must Do The Best You Can" : The Civil War Widows Of Brunswick County, Virginia, 1860-1920, Jennifer Lynn Gross

Master's Theses

This study focuses upon the life experiences of the 70 Civil War widows of Brunswick County, Virginia, a rural, predominantly agricultural community. The death of a husband, particularly in a male-oriented society such as the nineteenth century South, forced his widow to cope not only with her grief but also with new household, financial, and family responsibilities as well as a new identity as a lone woman, a social category defined by the loss of the central source of identity and financial support experienced during married life. Factors such as age, family situation, community of residence, sources of emotional and …

Immigrants In Richmond After The Civil War : 1865-1880, Rudolph H. Bunzl

Master's Theses

Richmond's foreign-born inhabitants in 1860 represented about twenty percent of the white population. The Irish and German communities were particularly influential. This thesis examines whether immigration resumed after the Civil War, where immigrants came from, and what role they played in the community. Research included examination of naturalization and census records, church records, newspapers of the period, records of German organizations, and the records of the Virginia legislature. The conclusions are: Immigration resumed on a very small scale. Government efforts to attract more immigrants were unsuccessful. The majority of newcomers were Germans; others came from Scotland, Italy, Ireland, England, and …

The History Of The South Side Railroad, 1846-1870, James M. Bisbee

Master's Theses

The South Side Rail Road, chartered in 1846, was the fourth railroad to serve the city of Petersburg, Virginia, and, upon its completion in 1854, was the only direct rail link the city had through the Virginia Piedmont to Lynchburg and points west. The railroad was a major conveyor of trade through the Southside region of Virginia and served as an engine of economic development for the area. During the Civil War the road was a vital means of transportation of men and materiel for the Confederate government. After the war, General William Mahone, a railroad professional and war hero, …

Henry Taylor Wickham And The Virginia Senate, 1888-1907, Steven A. Colvin

Master's Theses

The decade of the 1890s was a complex period in the political history of Virginia. Virginia had experienced prosperity because of the development of railroads after the Civil War. Because of this contribution to statewide growth, the railroads had developed monopolistic characteristics which prompted an ambivalent response from most Virginians. It was said that during the 1890s Virginia's railroads controlled the state legislature through the medium of the Democratic Party. During this period before the creation of laws dealing with political conflicts of interests, Henry Taylor Wickham represented the counties of Caroline and Hanover in the Virginia Senate. In 1937, …

The African-American Community Of Richmond, Virginia : 1950-1956, Michael Eric Taylor

Master's Theses

This thesis offers a topical narrative of the history of the African American camrunity of Richmond, Virginia, during the early 1950s.A number of areas are explored including demographics, econcmic issues, housing, the black business camrunity, the church, social life, education, politics and the battle against segregation.Despite the hardships inposed by segregation, blacks in Richmond forrned a vigorous camrunity and during the period 1950 to 1956 won sane victories and suffered setbacks in their quest for a better life.

Newspaper accounts fran both black and white newspapers in Richmond were the major source for this paper.Government reports, city directories, church documents, …

Richmond's Taverns In The Years 1775 - 1810 : Their Role In The City's Development From Frontier Town To Capital City, Anne Rachel Hedges

Master's Theses

Richmond's taverns provided food, drink and lodging to travelers. They also served as vital community links for various pastimes, such as gambling, but also expanded their sphere of influence during the nineteenth century by providing spaces for auctions and sales, as well as theatrical and musical performances. An examination of contemporary travelers' accounts, as well as newspapers, wills, insurance reports and legislative documents provided an in-depth portrait of the taverns' importance to the city. The development of numerous taverns in Richmond paralleled the city's prominence as the new capital city of Virginia, and preceded the rapid growth Richmond would experience …

Open The Doors : An Analysis Of The Prince Edward County, Virginia, Free School Association, Lisa A. Hohl

Master's Theses

When the Supreme Court ordered integration of public schools in 1954 following Brown vs. Board of Education, Virginia responded with a policy of "massive resistance." Public schools were closed in Prince Edward County between 1959 and 1964. This thesis examines the school closings themselves, but concentrates primarily on the creation, implementation, and effect of the Prince Edward County Free School Association, a privately funded school system that operated during the 1963-1964 school year. Initiated by the Kennedy Administration as a one-year, emergency program, the Free Schools were designed to reestablish formal education for the county's black children. This thesis relied …

They Also Served : The Women Of Southwestern Virginia During The American Revolution, Rebecca A. Vaught

Master's Theses

This thesis looks at the legal status and the daily lives of the women living on the Virginia frontier in the counties of Augusta, Botetourt, Montgomery and Washington during the period of the American Revolution. All ages and all levels of society are given consideration in developing the theme that the service performed by the women who survived the rigors of frontier life during this crucial period in American history was as valuable in its own way as was the service performed by their male contemporaries. Court records give insight into the plight of servants and slaves. Court records also …

The Richmond Slave Market, 1840-1860, Robert H. Gudmestad

Master's Theses

On the eve of the Civil War, Richmond had developed into the largest market in the Upper South for the purchase of slaves. This thesis examines the individuals responsible for putting the city into such a pre-eminent position. Many of them gravitated to the business because of the opportunity to amass a significant amount of wealth. Those who became most successful were among the city's wealthiest residents, while traders as a whole became a close knit and well defined group within the city. They relied upon one another to foster the trade, while a few of their number assumed prominent …

Whither Went The Upstairs Gentry? : The Colonial Council Of Virginia From 1763 To 1776, Charles Stephen Weidman

Master's Theses

Of the three branches of Colonial Virginia government, only two, the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, have been well chronicled during the period immediately preceding the American Revolution. The ignored third branch, the Colonial Council, has been largely dismissed by the few historians treating the subject as inconsequential-both as a political institution, and in the influence of its individual members. Witness both the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography and the William and Mary Quarterly, each with over a century dedicated to the nooks and crannies of all history Virginian, have collectively produced but a single article …