Digital Commons Network^™

The Museum As Object Of Display: Experiencing The Ashmolean, Jack Z. Chen

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Conventionally, museums are most often considered as a series of objects displayed, but I argue that the museum itself should be seen, first and foremost, as the object on display. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, built at the high tide of British Imperialism, is a very interesting case study. Interested in its engagement with its own past, I do not seek to investigate the actions it takes as an institution, for instance, as regards to the politics of repatriation. Instead, I want to explore the whole experience it facilitates as an object in its own right.

This experience begins with …

A Forgotten ‘Riot’: Discovering The Black Cat Tavern Raid’S Place In Queer History, Katelyn "Katie" Nash

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The Black Cat Tavern Raid of 1967 has long been relegated to the footnotes of history, and, when it is remembered, it is portrayed as a riot similar to the one that occurred at the Stonewall Inn two years later. Using archival and contemporary sources, this article explores the events surrounding the raid and subsequent protest and places them within the greater context of the 1960s. In addition, I contextualize and analyze the legacy of these events, explore their often overlooked contributions to queer history, and conclude that, while they are often overshadowed by Stonewall, they still deserve to be …

Problems Of Distance, Communications, And Authority: How Charles V And Philip Ii Ruled The Global Spanish Empire, Cody Bryan Mitchell

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This essay explains how the Spanish (or Castilian) crown during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries managed its worldwide empire. It emphasizes the contribution of, and the tension between, the crown’s two main strategies: political decentralization – or delegation – and imperial centralization. To begin, it contextualizes the issue by exploring the situation at the time and explains how the problems of distance and communication were closely linked. Secondly, drawing on the comments of both contemporary observers and modern historians, this paper examines the approaches used by the Spanish kings in ensuring the optimum reliability of their intelligence networks within Europe …

Standing The Ground: The Crises Of The 1790s And The Philosophies Of The Federalist Papers, Maria Vostrizansky

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The paper provides a unique outlook on the Federalist Papers, a series of eighty- five essays published in 1788, written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, as it examines the consistency of the philosophies and opinions presented in the Federalist Papers in light of the numerous crises the nation experienced in the 1790s. The paper compares the political belief presented in the Federalist Papers with the actions undertaken by authors during the Whiskey Tax’s enactment in 1791, the Genet Affair’s crisis of 1793, and the implementation of the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. Looking at these testing …

Architecture As Memory: Gothic Ruins In The Work Of Lyonel Feininger, 1928-1953, Daria Rose Evdokimova

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

In the summer of 1928 Lyonel Feininger made his first drawings of the ruins of a local church in the German village of Hoff. Through a series of happenstance episodes these Gothic ruins grew to haunt the artist’s entire body of work: across various media (pencil, watercolor, ink, oil), across space (in person from the Baltic coast, and later in New York from memory), and time (the motif spans three crucial decades of the artist’s career). While everything else in Feininger’s life was sent into a chaotic flurry – the banning of his works by the Weimar government, shutdown of …

Friends, Foes, Or Fellow-Travelers: Italian Fascism And The Catholic Church, Cale Gressman

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

What was the relationship between Italian Fascism and the Catholic Church? Drawing on both primary sources including speeches, encyclical letters, and newspaper articles and significant amounts of secondary sources, this paper argues that the relationship between the two factions was one of “cohabitation” with both sides cooperating in areas of mutual interest, such as solving the Roman Question, anti-Bolshevism, and the maintenance of traditional family and gender values. Overall, the Catholic Church can be described as “fellow-travelers” with Italian Fascism.

The Downfall Of A President: The Media Coverage Of Richard Nixon’S Resignation, Ning Xi

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The Watergate Scandal stands out as being the first, and so-far only, event that was catastrophic and damming enough to force a sitting President of the United States to resign from office. The exceptional circumstances of Richard Nixon’s departure from presidency invites many questions regarding how Nixon deciding to resign was initially covered by the new media. An analysis of excerpts from newspaper editorials from a variety of places around the United States demonstrates that there was a strong consensus that resigning was the best and only thing Nixon could have done. Yet, wide support for Nixon’s resignation co-existed with …

Cooking With Mary Randolph: American Culinary Tradition And The Virginia Housewife, Asa Roberts, Rochelle Krueger, Kelly Lauren

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper includes an editorial introduction and 3 essays on recipes from Mary Randolph's The Virginia Housewife.

A Rebuttal To Heresy: Analyzing The Efficacy Of Constantine And The Council Of Nicaea's Response To Arianism, Jason Chahyadi

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

In May 325 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine assembled the First Council of Nicaea to address a rising heresy called Arianism. The council blazed a new trail in that it was the first council convened with the intention of representing all churches in the Roman empire. This article analyzes the impact that the Council of Nicaea had on the Christian Church, specifically regarding the doctrine of Arianism. Ultimately, this article concludes that the council's effort in extinguishing Arianism produced a negligible result.

Review Of The Reagan Era: A History Of The 1980s, Rhett Jordan

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Book review

Jesuits In The New World: A Contrast In Conversion Of North And South America, John C. Haynes Jr.

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper contrasts the methodologies of French Jesuits in New France of North America against the Spanish Jesuits in the Rio de la Plata region of South America to explain differences of conversion rates of the indigenous peoples to Christianity. Several significant differences allow for diverging experiences between the two. Ultimately, this research proposes that it is the Brazilian slave trade that is the largest driving factor in the comparative success that the Spanish Jesuits achieved in the reductions amongst the Guarani people.

The Mongol “Other” And The Limits Of Europe’S Christian Self-Perception, Kevin Petersen

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

In a 1250 C.E. letter to Pope Innocent IV regarding a possible Mongol invasion, King Bela IV of Hungary vividly illustrates the self-perception of Europe as a Christian civilization through a conflation of Europe and Christendom. However, the limits of this civilizational self-perception are revealed through an analysis of an earlier series of letters between the chief of the Mongols Guyuk Khan and Pope Innocent IV.

The Lost Princes: Who Murdered King Edward V And His Brother In 1483?, Darcy Mueller

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

One of the most famous unsolved historical mysteries is the fate of King Edward V of England and his younger brother Richard Duke of York following their disappearance in the summer of 1483 at the ages of 12 and 10 respectively. The two boys disappeared during a highly turbulent time for the British monarchy known today as the War of the Roses. An examination of the available evidence from the time, including the political situation, reveals that the leading theory is probably correct—the two boys were most likely secretly killed by their paternal uncle Richard III, as he grew increasingly …

Review Of Dreams In A Time Of War: A Childhood Memoir, Jahnyiah Davis

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Book review

Race, Class, And Populism: Thomas Watson And The Fall Of The Agrarian Ideal, Max Bouratoglou

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This article reconsiders the politics and political transformation of the Georgia Populist Thomas E. Watson (1856-1922), focusing specifically on the years from 1894 to 1896. Watson began his political career committed to a multiracial agrarian democracy in the epoch of Jim Crow and the New Departure Democrats. While historians have considered his shift from multiracial organizer to self-proclaimed white supremacist, many have failed to correctly point to the defining years precipitating this shift, which coincided with an abandonment of his radical agrarian policies as well. Through a historical contextualization of his life and career, this article provides a new framework …

Empire, Exoticism, And Heterotopia: The Interior Of A Chinese Shop, Xinyao Lu

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This essay tries to interpret a 17^th-century Dutch painting, the Interior of a Chinese Shop from a postcolonial perspective. It argues that the picture is a reflection of the desire and anxiety of the Dutch empire to collect oriental luxuries under the context of mercantilism. It is a heterogeneous space that consists of exotic objects from different geographical zones and timelines, which corresponds to Foucault’s concept of “heterotopia.” The fantasy shown from the painting exposes real spaces and reveals the complexity between Self and Other, leading to a place that is beyond the dualist structure.

The Atomic Bombing And Soviet Union’S Expansion In The Far East, Negar Nasrkhani

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Traditionally it is argued that the Atomic bombs were dropped to end WWII as the best solution to save both American and Japanese lives. However, using primary and secondary sources, this paper argues that the A-bombs were dropped as part of the Atomic diplomacy to limit Soviet expansion in East Asia, and the war could have ended with limited casualties without the use of the A-bombs.

The Peacock Dress: The Language Of British Imperialism In India, 1899-1905, Rebecca Onken

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This essay aims to discuss the actualization of the imperialist language through the Peacock Dress of Lady Mary Curzon, the new viceroy’s wife in the British colonial India. As the essay argues, the Peacock Dress holds within it a history of appropriation, not appreciation. It highlights the unique colonizing language of the British rule, the racist cloaked as ‘civilizing’ sentiments of the West, the subjugation of the Indian textile industry, and the manifold ways that the British turned their Indian subjects into a colonial Other.

Drugs, Ethnic Profiling, And The American Perception Of Colombian Immigrants, 1979-1990, Laurisa Sastoque

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper analyzes how the media’s portrayal of Colombian drug trafficking turned into a stigma that affected the Colombian community in the United States. By reviewing periodical sources between the years 1979-1990, this paper argues that the formation of the drug trafficking stigma stems from the media's almost exclusive portrayal of Colombians as drug traffickers, within a context of U.S.-Colombia relations that encompassed tensions regarding responsibility for the growing transnational drug problem. Ultimately, this study proves that the drug trafficking stigma for Colombian immigrants is inherently tied to how American society viewed the Colombian government’s actions in the war on …

In The Age Of Imperialism: A Study Of Hankow Based On The Maritime Customs Decennial Report (1892-1901), Sze Pui Yin Daisy

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This research is based mainly on the Maritime Customs Decennial Report (1892-1901) to scrutinize the circumstances and development of Hankow, a typical Chinese port, in the Age of Imperialism. This essay argues that the western powers did not merely exploit the Chinese resources in the Age of Imperialism, but came hand in hand with capital, goods, and scientific knowledge, which facilitated trades and introduced technologies to China. This transformed Hankow into a global emporium with not only new constructions but also metropolitan characteristics. To this end, imperialism and modernization co-existed.

Death In Catharism And Its Threat To The Church, Evan Leahy

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Catharism was one of the most influential and consequential movements in southern France and northern Italy during the medieval period. This article traces the history and main ideas of Catharism, arguing that the Cathar beliefs, rituals, and conceptions of death were the most threatening aspect of the sect to the orthodox Catholic church and is what inevitably led to the majority of their followers being systematically executed.

The Agrarian Road To Peace: Henry Morgenthau's Post-War Planning For Germany, Logan W. Ray

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

In September 1944, allied leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston S. Churchill met at Quebec to discuss the post-war planning of Germany. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau accompanied Roosevelt to this conference and put forward his agrarian plan for Germany which would bear his name, the Morgenthau Plan. His plan called for the industrial reorganization of Germany and transition it to a farming community, thus making the country incapable of war. Though his plan was accepted at the Quebec Conference, its fierce opposition from the War Department and its leak to the press pressured Roosevelt to abandon the plan.

Review Of Eisenhower: A Life, Matthew Chopp

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This is a review of Review of Eisenhower: A Life authored by Paul Johnson.

Review Of July Crisis: The World’S Descent Into War, Summer 1914, Avan Fata

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This is a review of July Crisis: The World's Descent into War, Summer 1914 authored by T. G. Otte.

Black Steel: Obsidian And Aztec Death Culture, Michael Stevens

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This essay discusses the role played by obsidian, or “black steel” as it is often referred to, in the development of Aztec death culture from human sacrifice to ritualistic mutilation.

Review Of Jesus And John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted A Faith And Fractured A Nation, Albert O'Neal Jackson Jr.

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This is a review of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation authored by Kristin Kobes Du Mez.