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"The Glare And Glitter Of That Fashionable Resort": Newport, Rhode Island As Ward Mcallister Found It, Emily Elizabeth Parrow Apr 2021

"The Glare And Glitter Of That Fashionable Resort": Newport, Rhode Island As Ward Mcallister Found It, Emily Elizabeth Parrow

Masters Theses

As late nineteenth century New York City’s premier social arbiter, Ward McAllister was one of the most controversial and well-known figures of the Gilded Age. In the turbulent years following the Civil War, he helped codify an otherwise elusive definition of American high society in an era marked by conspicuous spending and an ever-growing gap between the rich and poor. His influence also extended beyond New York, paralleling and contributing to the physical and social transformation of Newport, Rhode Island. Once a thriving port city and participant in the Triangle Trade, Newport experienced a fifty-year period of stagnation following the …


He Rode Alone: Francis Scott Key As An Advocate For Freedom, Jonathan A. Richie Dec 2020

He Rode Alone: Francis Scott Key As An Advocate For Freedom, Jonathan A. Richie

Masters Theses

Recently Francis Scott Key and the Star Spangled Banner have come under increasing historical scrutiny. Claims and allegations of racism and hidden meanings behind the poem have abounded and even led to statues being torn down across the nation. But what is the truth? In reality Francis Scott Key's record on race and slavery is dramatically more complex than the critics would suggest. Indeed, Key spent nearly 40 years of his life advocating in court for the freedom of slaves in Washington DC.


Political Hebraism’S Involvement And Significance In The American Founding, Mitch Wardell Aug 2020

Political Hebraism’S Involvement And Significance In The American Founding, Mitch Wardell

Masters Theses

Ideas influence the way people think and eventually how people act. Ideas were integral in both sparking the American Revolution and informing those who crafted the founding documents. It is a contested position to state that the United States had a Christian founding. An overlooked and under appreciated aspect of the American founding is the influence of political Hebraism on the founders view of republicanism. This thesis will explore why Hebraic studies is valuable in the American founding.


The New Left In American Evangelicalism, Jonathan E. Harris Aug 2020

The New Left In American Evangelicalism, Jonathan E. Harris

Masters Theses

In the late 1960s and early 1970s a new kind of evangelical emerged as a result of interaction with New Left ideas. The evangelical left gained strength until the mid 1970s, only to reemerge in the 2010s.


In Search Of A More Republican Naval Defense: Thomas Jefferson, Congress, And The Gunboat Debate, 1802-1810, Ethan David Zook Mar 2020

In Search Of A More Republican Naval Defense: Thomas Jefferson, Congress, And The Gunboat Debate, 1802-1810, Ethan David Zook

Masters Theses

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, sought to reduce the national debt, eliminate taxes, and reduce spending regarding the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. To this end, Jefferson enlisted the assistance of congressional Republicans to authorize and fund the construction of lightly armed, coastal-defense gunboats. By examining Jefferson’s writings and congressional speeches, “In Search of a More Republican Naval Defense: Thomas Jefferson, Congress, and the Gunboat Debate, 1802-1810” explains both Jefferson’s interest in the small warships, and why from 1801 to 1809 Congress appropriated $1,205,500 to build approximately 180 gunboats. This thesis argues that Jefferson …


Free Spirit Meets Gilded Cage: Betty Ford As Second Lady 1973-1974, Caroline Marie Dickey Dec 2019

Free Spirit Meets Gilded Cage: Betty Ford As Second Lady 1973-1974, Caroline Marie Dickey

Masters Theses

Betty Ford has a rich legacy as a pioneer and trailblazer, but her transition into politics was far from smooth. 1973-1974, or her time as Second Lady, was a critical training ground that solidified her beliefs and character for the rest of her life in the spotlight.


Traitors In The Service Of The Lord: The Role Of Church And Clergy In Appalachia's Civil War, Sheilah Elwardani Feb 2019

Traitors In The Service Of The Lord: The Role Of Church And Clergy In Appalachia's Civil War, Sheilah Elwardani

Masters Theses

Studies of the guerrilla war in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains reveal repeated instances of violence and threats directed at the pastors of mountain churches. Instances of churches being burned, pastors and laymen beaten and at times murdered are sprinkled throughout the primary source materials. The question raised here is why were pastors and specific churches being targeted for violence? The church was the center of the life for secluded Appalachian communities, church leadership carried tremendous weight in influencing loyalties. Research focused solely on the Dunkard Church in Floyd County, Virginia revealed that amidst a particularly violent guerrilla war, …


Mightier Than The Sword: Benjamin Franklin’S Satirical Rebuke Of British Policy, Bethany L. Fontenot-Miller Jan 2019

Mightier Than The Sword: Benjamin Franklin’S Satirical Rebuke Of British Policy, Bethany L. Fontenot-Miller

Masters Theses

The genius of Benjamin Franklin resides not in his unique personality or worldly manner but in his distinct ability to eloquently express his ideas in written form. One of his most notable and peculiar scripted expressions emanated from his desire to assert American authority in peace negotiations with Great Britain in the final stages of the American Revolution. Franklin’s “Supplement” to the Boston Independent Chronicle, printed in 1782 at his press at Passy, satirized British political and economic procedure in an effort to illuminate British hypocrisy and defend American interests in the peace process. Though the “Supplement” has only recently …


Associational Republicanism: Antifederalism In Context, 1790 - 1830, Ashley Jordan Dec 2018

Associational Republicanism: Antifederalism In Context, 1790 - 1830, Ashley Jordan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.


The Origins And Uses Of The Three-Fifths Clause Related To Slavery And Taxation, William F. Hughes Oct 2018

The Origins And Uses Of The Three-Fifths Clause Related To Slavery And Taxation, William F. Hughes

Masters Theses

The Three-fifths clause of the 1787 U.S. Constitution is noted for having a role in perpetuating racial injustices of America’s early slave culture, solidifying the document as pro-slavery in design and practice. This thesis, however, examines the ubiquitous application of the three-fifths ratio as used in ancient societies, medieval governments, and colonial America. Being associated with proportions of scale, this understanding of the three-fifths formula is essential in supporting the intent of the Constitutional framers to create a proportional based system of government that encompassed citizenship, representation, and taxation as related to production theory. The empirical methodology used in this …


The New England Narrative, Cynnamon C. Mathis Sep 2018

The New England Narrative, Cynnamon C. Mathis

Masters Theses

Though equally successful, noteworthy, inspiring, and crucial as the contributions to American Independence made by New England women patriots, the contributions made by North Carolinian women patriots are excluded from the history of America’s founding as a direct result of sectional nationalism.


The Paternal Lineage Of Nathan Hale: A Puritan Tradition, Andrew Rossignol Aug 2018

The Paternal Lineage Of Nathan Hale: A Puritan Tradition, Andrew Rossignol

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses the paternal family history of Revolutionary War hero, Nathan Hale. A history of Robert Hale, John Hale, Samuel Hale, and Richard Hale is told as well as information regarding Connecticut and Hale’s hometown of Coventry. The thesis concludes with an examination of Nathan Hale and his actions as well as a critique of commonly accepted Hale myths.


George C. Marshall, A Dynamic Leader Of Transition & Adaptation, John Robert Isaiah Emmert Jun 2018

George C. Marshall, A Dynamic Leader Of Transition & Adaptation, John Robert Isaiah Emmert

Masters Theses

George Catlett Marshall was the Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the tumultuous years of the Second World War. Prior to the war, Marshall headed various officers’ schools and professional development centers, mentoring an entire generation of young officers who would become field commanders and general officers during the World War II. Eventually, he oversaw the monumental task of modernizing and enlarging the United States Army as World War II began and escalated. Together with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his opposites in the British military, he helped formulate the grand strategy that the Allied powers implemented …


The Ideologies And Outcomes Of The French And American Revolutions, Donald D. Palmer Jun 2018

The Ideologies And Outcomes Of The French And American Revolutions, Donald D. Palmer

Masters Theses

One effective way to compare the fruits of biblical Christianity with modernism is to contrast the ideologies and outcomes of the American and French Revolutions. Pre-revolutionary America was rich with biblical influence. Adherents of both Protestantism and Deism sought a “Christian society,” and while revolutionaries drew from both biblical Reformation and secular Enlightenment thought, much of the latter was biblical thought in secular form. Ministers employed the Bible extensively to support the Revolution. This relative theological consensus encouraged religious practice and a political system that accommodated dispute. Human rights were secure thanks to man’s subordinate position under God. Even after …


Faith And Art: Anne Bradstreet’S Puritan Creativity, Sophia Farthing Jun 2018

Faith And Art: Anne Bradstreet’S Puritan Creativity, Sophia Farthing

Masters Theses

As one of Puritanism’s best-known Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet is a popular topic for scholars exploring gender issues in a Puritan context. Bradstreet’s poetry has drawn attention to the possibility of Puritan theology as inspiration for art. However, misunderstanding of Puritan cultural complexity and cursory readings of Bradstreet’s texts have resulted in misrepresentations of Bradstreet’s interaction with Puritan culture and ideas. This thesis examines Bradstreet’s life and work, including the variety of supportive literary influences she experienced as a child. The historical value of Bradstreet’s texts is made clear by her poetic insight on political issues, history, and gender conflict, …


America, An Aloof Friend: The Limits Of U.S.-Czechoslovak Relations From Munich To War, Connor Schonta Jun 2018

America, An Aloof Friend: The Limits Of U.S.-Czechoslovak Relations From Munich To War, Connor Schonta

Masters Theses

Between 1918 and 1938, the United States and Czechoslovakia maintained unique, friendly, and special diplomatic relations. This was mainly due to the two countries’ shared commitment to liberal, democratic values. In 1938, however, Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy came to a head in the form of the Munich Agreement, which not only set Czechoslovakia on a course of destruction but also fundamentally transformed the nature of U.S.-Czechoslovak relations. This study seeks to unpack the development of U.S.-Czechoslovak relations in the eleven months between Munich (October 1938) and the start of World War II (September 1939). During this time, the friendly ties …


Factory Hot Rod: Carroll Shelby's Melding Of Detroit Industry And Hot Rod Culture, Ryan James Vohringer Jun 2017

Factory Hot Rod: Carroll Shelby's Melding Of Detroit Industry And Hot Rod Culture, Ryan James Vohringer

Masters Theses

Everyday Americans depend on their cars, but few outside of automotive culture understand its evolution, and the impact of individuals like Carroll Shelby had upon it. During the 1960s, Shelby facilitated the development of a unique bond between Detroit industry and Southern California hot rod culture. After he retired from racing, Shelby, with Ford’s industrial backing and the ingenuity of hot rodders was able to develop the Cobra. This car became an instant icon by its ability to win races against some of the world’s best including Ferrari. Shelby would apply his formula to Ford’s internal racing effort with the …


Silver Breathed Upon The Stage: The American Revolution As Drama And Mythology, Nathan Stone May 2017

Silver Breathed Upon The Stage: The American Revolution As Drama And Mythology, Nathan Stone

Masters Theses

At the time of the American Revolution, several different intellectual influences were present within the American colonies: the classical tradition, taken from ancient Greece and Rome; Christianity, taken from the Bible and the Reformed, Calvinist tradition; and, Whig theory. The question that must be asked is: Were these different intellectual traditions brought together at the time of the American Revolution and, if so, by what means? By analyzing how the different traditions were present in the colonies as well as how the past was utilized through the eighteenth century understanding of time and history—particularly through the use of pseudonyms and …


"The Sickle Or The Cross": W.A. Criswell And Southern Baptists During The Early Cold War, Erin Yates Jul 2016

"The Sickle Or The Cross": W.A. Criswell And Southern Baptists During The Early Cold War, Erin Yates

Masters Theses

W.A. Criswell served as the longtime pastor of First Baptist Dallas. The writings and ministry of W.A. Criswell demonstrate that the encompassing fear of the Cold War molded the sermons and actions of many Southern Baptists pastors. Southern Baptists during the Cold War exemplify how deeply the fear of the nuclear threat permeated the daily life of Americans. The Southern Baptist belief that the Soviet Union was the antagonist during the end times influenced their evangelism techniques, education techniques, and eschatology.


Trailblazer: The Legacy Of Bishop Henry M. Turner During The Civil War, Reconstruction, And Jim Crowism, Jordan Alexander Jun 2016

Trailblazer: The Legacy Of Bishop Henry M. Turner During The Civil War, Reconstruction, And Jim Crowism, Jordan Alexander

Masters Theses

Henry McNeal Turner (1834–1915), a black wartime chaplain, an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) pastor, and occasional Republican politician, was a beacon of hope for thousands of freedmen following the American Civil War. The late nineteenth century marked a watershed in civil rights in the United States. The Civil War (1861–1865) ushered in emancipation for black slaves, while Reconstruction (1865–1877) provided tremendous opportunities for freedmen, including black male suffrage, equal protection under the law, and election to public office. Of course, African–Americans faced serious challenges. Many white southerners resisted Reconstruction, and the Ku Klux Klan (and other hate groups) soon emerged …


Holy Children Are Happy Children: Jonathan Edwards And Puritan Childhood, Russell Allen May 2016

Holy Children Are Happy Children: Jonathan Edwards And Puritan Childhood, Russell Allen

Masters Theses

The eighteenth century is often considered the most important era in the history of childhood. Old Puritan conceptions of original sin and physical punishment gave way to Enlightenment concepts of childhood innocence and rationality. Jonathan Edwards was a central figure who stood in the midst of this intellectual change. Situated quite literally in the middle of the transitioning eighteenth century, Edwards’ attempted to bridge the gap between Puritan conceptions of childhood and new ideas made popular by John Locke. Sometimes the bridge held firmly, and other times it cracked widely. Edwards’ theological and philosophical understanding of childhood was at the …


A Mainer From Rockland: Adelbert Ames In The Civil War, Michael Jack Megelsh Jun 2015

A Mainer From Rockland: Adelbert Ames In The Civil War, Michael Jack Megelsh

Masters Theses

Adelbert Ames, a Civil War general before he was thirty years old, exemplified the characteristics and embodied the elements of the essential solider. He, and other mid-level commanders like him, provided pivotal and instrumental leadership that helped the Union win the war. In short, Ames was one of the most talented and highly regarded young officers in the Union Army, and boasts perhaps the finest record of any "boy general" who fought for the North during the American Civil War. Ames was not just an average soldier or a mere participant in a large volunteer army. He was not a …


The Heartland Of The Democracy: Presidential Politics In Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1860-64, Benjamin Petersheim May 2014

The Heartland Of The Democracy: Presidential Politics In Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1860-64, Benjamin Petersheim

Masters Theses

Oley Township, founded in 1740, in Berks County, Pennsylvania holds a special place in the commonwealth's history because of its unique religious, political, and cultural history. With hundreds of historic buildings and its Pennsylvania German heritage, the heart of the Oley Valley continues to attract colonial and Pennsylvania German historians from great distances so that they are able to analyze and research its rich heritage. Indeed, the area was designated as a National Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and much of the farmland has been preserved through land trusts and historical preservation efforts. Many …


Divine Economy: George Rapp, The Harmony Society, And Jacksonian Democracy, James Tomney May 2014

Divine Economy: George Rapp, The Harmony Society, And Jacksonian Democracy, James Tomney

Masters Theses

Divine Economy: George Rapp, the Harmony Society, and Jacksonian Democracy is a chronological exploration of the sucesses achieved, conflicts encountered, and eventual demise of George Rapp's Harmony Society. During its one-hundred year existence as it awaited the Second Coming of Christ, three successful agricultural and manufacturing towns were created by the Society out of the wilderness. Also explored is the impact Jacksonian Democracy had on George Rapp's Harmony Society during the 1824 to 1847 period, as is the contribution the Society made to American industrialization after George Rapp's death in 1847.


"They Cannot Catch Guerrillas In The Mountains Any More Than A Cow Can Catch Fleas": Guerrilla Warfare In Western Virginia, 1861-1865, Karissa Marken May 2014

"They Cannot Catch Guerrillas In The Mountains Any More Than A Cow Can Catch Fleas": Guerrilla Warfare In Western Virginia, 1861-1865, Karissa Marken

Masters Theses

The American Civil War unleashed great violence and chaos in the western mountains of Virginia. The guerrilla warfare there between Unionists and secessionists remained bitter throughout the war. No historical study has considered the entirety of pre-war western Virginia during the time it underwent a unique civil war within the context of the national struggle from 1861-1865. This study supports findings from studies of other areas of Appalachia that seek to explain the prevalence of such conflict in the mountains, challenges the myth of a Union Appalachia during the war, offers the backdrop for the political wrangling on both state …


A Southerner For The Union: Major General George Henry Thomas - A Brief Biographical Sketch And Analysis Of The Causes And Effects Of His Decision For The North, Miranda Becker Apr 2014

A Southerner For The Union: Major General George Henry Thomas - A Brief Biographical Sketch And Analysis Of The Causes And Effects Of His Decision For The North, Miranda Becker

Masters Theses

The American Civil War was a conflict that set a country against itself, making enemies out of friends, severing familial bonds, and leaving a legacy that is evident to this day. There is no better illustration of this conflict than the life of Union Major General George Henry Thomas of the Western theater in Tennessee. When the Southern states seceded, each citizen had an important decision to make whether to side with the Union or the Confederacy. For some it seemed an easy conclusion, whether it meant staying loyal to their state or because they believed in the cause of …


Hippie Caulfield: The Catcher In The Rye's Influence On 1960s American Counterculture, Richard Neffinger Apr 2014

Hippie Caulfield: The Catcher In The Rye's Influence On 1960s American Counterculture, Richard Neffinger

Masters Theses

This study covers the influence of The Catcher in the Rye on the 1960s youth counterculture in America. Drawing heavily from postmodern and new historicist theory, The Catcher in the Rye has developed a unique connection with the American public, most notably youth culture. This study examines why youth are so attracted to the character of Holden Caulfield and what implications their connection has meant and will mean for future generations of young Americans.


Never Give A Sword To A Man Who Can't Dance, Colin Slade Jan 2014

Never Give A Sword To A Man Who Can't Dance, Colin Slade

Masters Theses

War dances have long been a powerful means of preparing warriors for combat or the intimidation of an enemy, but they are also used in the ceremonial supplication of deity or celebration of victory. They are a fundamental artifact of many cultures throughout the world. Nevertheless, the United States of America boasts the most powerful military in history, yet it lacks a war dance. This is valid until one accepts a simple truth; military drill is a dance. However, Americans would object to such a proposition even though they have adopted and adapted military drill as their own, describe it …


The Importance Of Being Ancillary: The Cold War Context Of Fort Greely, Alaska, Catherine Hardee Jan 2014

The Importance Of Being Ancillary: The Cold War Context Of Fort Greely, Alaska, Catherine Hardee

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses the history of a remote Army base in Alaska, Fort Greely, from its beginnings as a World War II stopover for Lend-Lease aircraft to its rebirth as a Cold War installation, as well as its role in testing and training for cold weather missions and Cold War scientific endeavors. It also examines the role played by Fort Greely in the Cold War, and its historical significance in that era.


The Virginia House Of Burgesses' Struggle For Power From 1619-1689, Nathanael Kreimeyer Nov 2013

The Virginia House Of Burgesses' Struggle For Power From 1619-1689, Nathanael Kreimeyer

Masters Theses

After experiencing the freedom to choose representatives for the House of Burgesses in 1619, Virginian freemen and freeholders would resist living under a political system that did not allow them to participate in choosing their leaders. In 1619, the Virginia Company set up a new kind of governmental legislature in Virginia where every freeman and freeholder held the right to vote for their representative. Over time, the representatives came to see their legislature as equal with the British Parliament and believed it held the right to make its own laws and choose its own leaders. By Bacon's Rebellion in 1675-1676, …